Migration

Anyone who has passed into Britain from Europe were surprised to see one if not several border checks entering the UK from the Eurostar and numerous Ferries passing through Britain and the Continent. Much of the fuss came from the realization that many of the UK’s migrants came from other developed countries in Europe, most notably the border crossings between the UK and France. While many of the Ferries were shut down and border security heightened on open ports, concerns still exist that waves of illegal migrants are making the crossing to Britain via France’s Ferries, lorries and trains.

Near the town of Cherbourg in Western France there is a human rights debate among French officials about refugee camps in the area which were seen as a major jumping point for refugees heading to the UK. While many see the camps as requiring more attention and facilities being required to keep it to the standard of basic human rights, others see them as the main cause for migrants coming to the UK and wish them to be moved or closed. In reality, with much conflict in areas of the world such as Iraq and Afghanistan and economic migrants from Iran and Syria and other places also making their journey to the coast of France, the issue is most likely to become greater as tension rise abroad. It is claimed that people are arrested daily in their attempts to make it to the UK from the French costal towns.

Much of the issue in towns like Calais and Cherbourg however is that number of smugglers who help migrants make it to the UK with much ease according to UK officials. While the French government vowed to stop making more camps and crack down on smugglers, it seems that demand is ever-growing with troubles in Iraq and Afghanistan the policy may not meet the needs of governments, nor refugees.

Since 1954, there has been a decline in the vision of America as a liberator of nations and people as they were known for in the Second World War and the Korean Conflict and their anti-colonial position after 1945.  Since 1954, the realization that US Foreign Policy could do more harm than good was defined in Guatemala where the CIA helped oust democratically elected leader Jacobo Arbenz in a coup and installed a military leader Colonel Armas on behalf of the United Fruit Company. United Fruit feared that land reforms by Arbenz would lead to expropriations by the government and hurt United Fruit who owned the majority of Guatemala’s rural farm production and was one of the top banana producers worldwide at the time. The CIA actively aided United Fruit by overthrowing the government and labelling Arbenz and communist and using force to remove Arbenz from power. It resulted in decades of human rights abuses and dictatorships in Guatemala and still produces much conflict today in Guatemala with the Chiquita company, the altered name of United Fruit Co.

While the US has assisted greatly in places like Korea, Japan and Bosnia in the last fifty years, the interference by US Foreign Policy in places where the objective was unclear or stability of government to achieve an economic or political objective took precedent over natural power trends and democratic movements in the country often resulted in disasters inside the US and abroad.

Unclear objectives were part of the conflict in Vietnam and were inherited by the War in Iraq and subsequent civil war that has commenced in what is currently the most dangerous place in the world. It was finally admitted this week that the Iraqi Government will likely not be able to manage the future situation in the country, and unlike in Vietnam where Saigon was taken by the communist forces, Iraq has nothing but splinter groups who will push the country further into anarchy.

Stability of governments to meet an objective was also a strong motivation for US involvement. While in cases such as Bosnia where the objective was clear and noble, other cases such as those in Latin America often produced hundreds of thousands of refugees as well as one party states to ensure stability in the region. The trend and methods in the Guatemalan case spread most notably in Chile in 1973 where Agusto Pinochet was able to murder his democratically elected opposition with CIA aid and ensure his dictatorship until the late 1990s. The 80s saw more bloodshed with support for traditional leaders in Nicaragua and El Salvador who are still suffering from effects of the conflict to date.

Until Iraq, the activities of the US were seen as becoming more as a policing duty as in the Balkans as opposed to producing coups like in Guatemala and Chile. In the 90s, Colombia and the War on Drugs brought US aid to the conflict, albeit more debatable in its result as FARC and other groups often do not represent the people of Colombia, but took to kidnapping western oil workers in the region and contributed to hurting locals in Colombia which have suffered greatly from instability over more than two decades. While the US was not the aggressor in many cases in the Andean region, companies were seen to abuse their position in developing regions but without direct US support for the companies, but only military aid to democratically elected Colombian government officials. These conflicts continue to plague Colombia to this day.

In the end despite moral and immoral activities by the US, the result for many errors in US foreign policy has been a reflection of the errors committed in Guatemala in 1954. Millions of refugees have fled Iraq, Colombia, Vietnam, Chile, Central America and Guatemala of course due to poor decisions and sometimes active punishment of those in opposition. Many of these individuals live in your communities today, and are a reflection of why choosing leaders and their decisions do make a difference to the health of communities worldwide.

Please refer to Kyle de Beausset’s articles on the Chiquita Bananna Boycott and his article on Illegal Aliens and Guatemala.

  Jacobo Arbenz: Elected Leader or Communist? The Media Decides… 

To many, the State of Israel and the territory beforehand has always been a place which has taken in more foreign nationals, pilgrims, refugees, colonial citizens and even Crusaders, Greeks and Roman Legions in its long and turbulent history than any other place in the world. Before 1948, the territory called Palestine was taken by the British, before the Ottomans as well as European Crusaders and numerous ancient powers in the region. Since 1948, Jewish settlers from Europe, the Middle East and other parts of the world have built the State of Israel, in the process taking in most of its initial population from the 1920s until the 1980s as migrants from all around the world. While the vast majority of these people are Jewish from many countries worldwide, Israel has also taken in other non-Jewish people such as Baha’i and other smaller minorities from around the world.

CNN’s program Impact this week has addressed another refugee crisis affecting Africa and Israel these past few months. Many refugees from Africa who have traditionally become victims of civil strife and lack of economic opportunities in their own countries have traditionally tried to make it to Europe or other countries in the Middle East. Now many African migrants have chosen Israel as a place to gain refugee status. With difficulties processing migrants in Southern Europe and countries such as Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Israel has been challenged to process many African migrants passing through the porous Egyptian border in through the Sinai Desert towards Israel.

As discussed in the International Herald Tribune this week, a new debate has arisen in Israel about African refugees. The crisis in Darfur, which has gone for years without any real assistance from Europe and the United States has become a real issue in Israel. Many of the asylum seekers coming to Israel are not economic migrants, but are coming from the region of Darfur making the deadly voyage through the African deserts towards Israel. While in Israel many see the state as being created from the refugees of the Holocaust, there is also a strong realisation that Israel with its sensitive economy, relatively small population and other uniquely Israeli burdens may not be the best country to try to deal with large refugee crisis such as Darfur, especially when none of the major international players have made any serious efforts to try to resolve the crisis in Darfur. While it was not seen to be a realistic action to be taken by the Israeli government, it was decided this past week that Israel would no longer be accepting refugees from Darfur, but would allow those already in Israel to stay.

The lack of action by the International Community who is often concerned with the stability in the Middle East is becoming a major crisis in the region. Israel, while being one of the smallest countries in the region would likely have a lot of difficulties being one of the only countries to accept Darfur refugees with no assistance in aiding those lucky to make it to Israel from other countries. A similar crisis in Jordan and Syria also reflects the lack of assistance from the International community, absorbing more than 2 million Iraqis with little help from the International community except for a request in the UN to absorb more individuals in countries with little extra resources or space. While terrorism and extremism have always been the characteristic terms defining the Middle East, the real issue in the region is and was always based upon the crisis of refugees eternally roaming the deserts to find a peaceful life.

Marina Nemat has just published her book The Prisoner of Tehran on her time as a political prisoner in Iran in the 1980s. In her time there she was arrested for having negative views of the Revolution of 1979 and was put in prison for many years. Her perspective is an interesting one, as one of her interrogators, who was a political prisoner himself under the Shah became her husband in the end. While she was forced to marry him, there was some respect between the couple and the views he held as a prisoner himself. In the end Marina was released from prison and while all these years she has refrained from telling her story, in her book she reveals for the first time her life as a political prisoner. Marina now lives in Canada.

With the problems in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, the influence of Iran on communities and individuals linked with Iran is growing, and while many Iranians are members of some of the most successful and peaceable communities abroad, the effect of the Government has often impacted many Iranians inside Iran like Marina Nemat as well as Iranians and other people outside of Iran in a negative fashion.

Like Marina, Zahra Kazemi a Canadian journalist who was born in Iran, was also arrested during her time in Iran. Despite her being a foreign national, she was taken as a prisoner for reporting the wrong information about the government in Iran. She was consequently raped and killed in a way to disrespect her in the most brutal manner and then publicized to have perished due to an illness during her time in prison. While her son pushed for recognition and action to be taken in honour of his mother, very little was done in regard to the issue.

This week the International Herald Tribune published an article concerning the Jewish Community of Argentina’s troubles with the ever growing relationship between Argentina and Venezuela. The concern is one involving economy and terrorism as President Hugo Chavez, who provides much of Argentina’s energy in the current energy crisis there, has made overwhelming gestures towards the Iranian Government in order to increase ties with another oil producing nation as well as spite the United States. What worries Argentine Jews is the fact that the bombing of the Jewish Community Centre in Buenos Aires a few years ago which killed more than 50 people and wounded 200 was sponsored by the Iranian Government and members of Hizbollah according to the article. The influence of Iran via Venezuela towards Argentina who has the largest Jewish population in Latin America is a great worry to the victims of the bombings in Buenos Aires and Argentines as a whole.

In a final article from the New York Times, American soldiers in Iraq increasing claim to find support of insurgents by Iran. While there have been many small stories and rumours about Iran’s involvement in Iraq, the support of Hizbollah in Lebanon and political difficulties in that country may be a reflection of the ever growing influence of Iran abroad. While the true actions of Iran in Iraq and abroad are never clear to observers, it is something that the region and world community will eventually need to address in the near future.

While Iranian people in Iran and in the Diaspora have contributed greatly to communities all around the world in which they live, some aspects of a future Iran should be considered in the context of their ever-growing influence. It is unknown what responses people in Iran and abroad may take to actions by the Iranian Government, but with the positive and negative presence and influence of Iranians and Iran abroad the result is sure to be one of great interest.

 In a few underreported incidents, last Thursday a migrant boat with 20 aboard disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily on its way to Europe. Last Wednesday, 23 migrants were also picked up by Italian coastguards found clinging to a tuna cage near Sicily. Numerous other migrants were picked up as well last week from various boats. It was reported that 35 people had drowned since the beginning of the month of June in between Libya, Malta and Sicily.

The incidents of boat people are seen as an ever-growing cause of concern in the Mediterranean and worldwide as noted by the UNHCR. Beyond drowning, often migrants are killed or thrown into the sea on purpose by smugglers, which add an ever more dangerous element to the fate of asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants trying to flee Africa and other regions towards opportunity in other nations. On July 3rd the IMO and UNHCR met in London to address the issue.

With the new EU Presidency of Portugal coming soon to shape the future of EU policy, Lisbon has stated publicly that there needs to be some real action in addressing illegal immigration. With countries like Spain, Portugal, Malta and Italy having to deal with the majority of boat people, the victims, security and ensuring their human rights are met; Portugal challenged the EU to seek a real combined effort in addressing the issue. Many in Southern Europe feel that leaving the problems to be dealt solely by Mediterranean countries where most of the migrants enter the entire EU by sea requires an EU approach and not solely a national effort.

Despite protests from Portugal, the issue of illegal migration is still intertwined with political challenges and administrative red tape in addressing the issue via the EU. With the Portuguese Presidency of the EU and UN now refocusing on the issue, there is some hope that progress will be possible in the near future.

For Other Sea and Migrant Stories:

FPA Migration Middle East and Africa
FPA Migration Europe

This week’s news roundup covers the aftermath of the failed reforms US Immigration policy initiative as well as covering further developments on the tragedy of the missing migrants and the EU response to this new scandal. Also a story on possible inequalities in the UK immigration system for skilled migrants is included:

• The Financial Times discusses the perplexing political issues with both Democrats and Republicans over the lack of support for real reform of US Immigration Policy. FT states that in reality no one fully supported the new policy, or if they did support it, perhaps they did not think it would actually be successful. To see this interesting commentary see the link to the June 12th article here.
• The EU and the EU Commissioner for Migration, Franco Frattini are facing many questions regarding the death of 27 migrants who spent 3 days sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with no assistance from the EU (see last week’s Update). The responsibility and legal obligations of the EU and its member states to protect illegal migrants has become a very heated issue among member states, as some have more control over resources than others, while certain states like Spain and Malta absorb much of the burden in finding and protecting illegal migrants. For a further discussion see the Reuters article here.
• Immigration reforms in the UK since 2003 seek to qualify applicants for citizenship based on skills, age, education and previous earnings as opposed to family links. Recently there has been some controversy as retroactive rules which apply to skilled migrants who came before the programme are said to not comply with the UK’s race equality assessment measures which gave a failing grade to the new highly skilled migrants programme (HSMP) that has been in effect since 2003.  See the Guardian article here.

In my personal experience as a legal advisor to refugee claimants in Canada there was a duty to follow the laws, respect the country I was living in and do the best for my clients. While many cases were falsified, and others were very legitimate, there was always one problem in the system that stood out as an irritant to preserving the rights of individuals in Canada. The lack of morality of those representing clients was always my personal main concern while working within the Canadian Refugee System. More often than not, clients would gain representation from what are known as Immigration Consultants. While many are honest and good at their job, mostly they are unregulated, have no standards or guidelines in assisting their clients, and in many cases with abusive consultants they would overcharge for services that their clients could not afford or did not understand. There are many great Consultants and Lawyers in the system, but some are too awful to consider discussing in this forum.

A recent report by TheStar.com set out to challenge the legitimacy of the Immigration Consultant system by placing hidden cameras in some consulting sessions. What was found is that a few of those Consultants were overcharging their clients to an extreme degree, and even more disturbing falsifying information on their client’s documentation in order to obtain their immigration papers or win their claims for refugee status.

In the article above many of the Immigration lawyers claimed to get a lot of business from clients who’s lives have been destroyed by the unethical actions of their Immigration Consultants. I have found this to be true in many cases, but as well many lawyers have not been completely fair in their work with immigration cases either.

While lawyers in Canada are certified by the local Province’s Law Society, and many Immigration Consultants are now becoming registered with the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, the vulnerability of many clients and their perception that they lack certain fundamental rights in a foreign country often lead them to trust much of what their representatives advise them to do while their applications are in process. While moral and legal obligations to their clients and their membership in their respective professional societies gear those agents to assist their clients, it is often not the case. Do you believe foreign citizens should have rights abroad? It is a question which needs to be asked in every society and implemented if respect for these individuals shall become part of the institutions and people who work with immigration issues.

This week’s news roundup covers EU initiatives to create a Common European Asylum System as well as France’s possible new focus on immigration policy as well as highlighting opinion tools for Americans on their attitudes towards immigration after the failure of the Immigration Bill to be passed through the US Senate. Also stories on Aid workers killed in Lebanon and links towards the refugee tragedy in the Mediterranean are highlighted:

• French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said last Friday in his tour of Africa that France will not tolerate waves of African migrants coming to France. Since the election of France’s new President Nicolas Sarkozy, many migrants have been worried about the possible changes to France’s immigration policy. While Kouchner did show a tough stance on France’s new approach to immigration, he did clarify that France’s immigrants should be treated fairly and that much of the concern came from the high risk illegal immigrants. He may have been influenced by events last week where 110 bodies where discovered in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Libya, thought to be illegal immigrants who became victim to their “uncertain vessels” and a fortuneless journey.
• On June 6th 2007 the European Comission published a Green Paper to create the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) as well as an evaluation of the Dublin System and a Directive on long-term residence for the beneficiaries of International Protection. It is hoped that the focus on irregular migrations, which has dominated European Immigration Policy in the past, will be refocused towards the rights and obligations of all EU Member states on the rights of Asylum seekers in the EU. After the tragedy mentioned above, a mechanism to ensure the rights of Asylum seekers needs to be established equally in all EU states.
• With the failed progression on the Immigration Reform Bill, MSNBC has created a website to gain American’s opinions on the immigration issue and the reform bill from American citizens. While the Bill has been set aside indefinitely, the issue of immigration in the US still holds strong among many people. See the links here for opinions.
• In a June 11th article for the Guardian Newspaper, two Red Cross workers were killed and one seriously wounded today in Lebanon. The shell that hit their vehicle came from Fatah Islam militants held up inside the Northern edge of the Nahr al-Bared camp. For more information see the Lebanon post below.

This week’s news roundup covers the worrying situation of African migrants adrift at sea between the coasts of Libya and Malta and the failure of EU member states to act quickly and adequately to this human tragedy. We have also gathered the newest reports on the growing Iraqi refugee crisis and what European countries can do to help ease the situation.

• The pictures of 27 African would-be migrants clinging to tuna nets for dear life in the Mediterranean for over three days, while EU governments deliberated who might be responsible for them, have finally prompted the EU to admit its policies were endangering lives. The International Herald Tribune’s Dan Bilefsky reports EU Commission spokesman Friso Roscam Abbing both admitting failure and demanding member states do a better job: “We call on EU member states to do a better job of sharing the burden to avoid humanitarian tragedies.” The Commission has also announced a full investigation into the incident that left the migrants stranded at sea after their boat sank off the coast of Libya. The Maltese fish trawler had refused to take the Africans onboard to transport them to safety in Malta. An Italian boat finally came to their rescue. The situation has sparked an outcry by human rights organizations. The European Council on Refugees and Exiles, ECRE, and the UNHCR issued press releases urged Malta to accept the recent amendments to the maritime conventions (SAR and SOLAS Conventions), which aim to ensure that the obligation of the ship master to give assistance is complemented by a corresponding obligation of states to co-operate in rescue situations. Malta is one of the few countries that did not accept these amendments. ECRE Secretary General, Bjarte Vandevik said ““It is shocking and shameful to see how humans are abandoned to their fate at sea, while States of the European Union argue about who is to bear the responsibility, instead of fulfilling the humanitarian imperative to rescue and protect people facing the risk of drowning at sea.” Laura Boldrine, a Rome-based spokeswoman for the UNHCR meanwhile warned states of creating a “Wild West in which human life has lost its value and people in danger are left to fend for themselves.” The UNHCR points out that another vessel with 51 to 53 Africans on board remains missing at sea, after an SOS call was issued (the BBC reports on the story here). The EU’s border control operation FRONTEX is stepping up its efforts to react quickly to these incidents, though is having a number of equipment sourcing problems. At the same time, any border control measures must respect existing human rights laws and with that assure and create legal means for refugees and asylum seekers to gain access to safe third countries, some of which might be EU member states. Human rights organizations will likely reissue these claims on June 20, the international refugee day.
• Migration from Iraq and the internal displacement of those seeking to escape the sectarian violence that rocks the country remains a hotly discussed topic, as countries refuse to take on additional migrants (see our earlier story on Switzerland). One of the countries most committed to international agreements on accepting Iraqi migrants is Sweden. In its international edition, German newsmagazine, Der Spiegel, reports on the life of Iraqi refugess in the small town of Alvesta, Sweden. Author Charles Hawley chronicles the life of a few of Alvesta’s 144 newest residents, who appreciate the calm respite their new home offers them. The crisis, however, is far from over. A photo gallery illustrates the hardships migrants face. The article quotes ECRE statistics according to which the number of Iraqis displaced within Iraq — already some 1.9 million — is growing by 40,000 to 50,000 each month. Well over 2 million have made it across the border to neighboring countries — Syria now hosts some 1.2 million Iraqi refugees, and Jordan has crammed in 750,000, representing an almost 15 percent boost to that country’s population. The UNHCR recently awarded $2.06 million in aid for the rehabilitation of public hospitals in Damascus, capacity-building for medical staff and the provision of new medical equipment. This agreement, the fourth between UNHCR and the Syrian government, is part of UNHCR’s commitment to supporting the country’s response to the crisis of Iraqi refugees. ECRE meanwhile has issued a set of comprehensive guidelines on the treatment of Iraqi asylum seekers and refugrees in Europe. In it, ECRE calls for the suspension of mandatory return of Iraqi migrants to their country, as their safety cannot be guaranteed and calls upon EU member states to refrain from transferring migrants to other member countries under the Dublin II Convention (which regulates which EU country is responsible for managing a migrants’ claim based on point of entry), if that country is known to not properly consider Iraqi refugee claims. The report includes a detailed annex on the situation in all Iraqi provinces.
• If they weren’t close before, they surely are spending a lot of time together. The EU interior ministers have almost settled into a groove of seeing each other every few days in a different constellation. On May 20-21 they followed German interior minister Wolfgang Schaeuble’s call to the quaint Rheingau town of Eltville to discuss the future of EU Home Affairs policy after 2010. Over a few glasses of Riesling, the newly established ‘Future Group,’ consisting of Commissioner Franco Frattini, the six interior ministers of the current and upcoming “trio presidencies,” (Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, and France, the Czech Republic and Sweden) a representative of the subsequent “trio presidency” (Spain, Belgium or Hungary), and experts from individual member states, discussed recommendations on European home affairs policy after the end of The Hague Programme. The ‘Future Group’ is to compile a report to present to the Commission as a basis for a post-2010 program.
• Just two days later (some of them are starting to look like the travelling Wilbury’s), G8 interior ministers met in Munich to discuss the integration of immigrants in the context of state security, among other issues. While the meeting apparently brought “major breakthroughs” on international judicial cooperation and counter-terrorism, the section of concluding document on immigration and integration leaves much to be desired: “The G8 agree that migration and integration have become everyday experiences in our globalised world. The phenomenon of major, sustained migration flows, with all the attendant problems, is here to stay.” (You don’t say!!) “If migration is not to become a problem for inner tolerance and for the stability of our accustomed system of civil liberties, migrants must manage to integrate into their host society.” Indeed, now, what are you really going to do about it? I say: Talk, talk and more talk.
• Speaking of talk, The New York Times is giving its readers the means to talk expertly on the opinions of US presidential candidates with their excellent compilation of their views on the immigration question, as arguments on Capitol Hill and the campaign trail continue to fly left and right.

That’s all folks..at least for now..

This week’s news roundup features stories on racial inequality in the UK, an update on the immigration debate in the US and Canada’s search for new migrants to help it cope with its recent oil boom:

• ITV, the UK news channel, features a story on research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation according to which people from ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be poor than their white counterparts. The series of research reports on the issue can be downloaded directly from the foundation’s website.
• Immigration policy reform remains a hot button topic on the US agenda, with presidential hopefuls beginning to weigh in on the issue to add to their profile. Over the weekend, immigrants protested in Houston, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. A number of protests are expected across the country for ‘May Day,’ including a march in Indianapolis . Organizers there are hoping to repeat the success of the last demonstration in April, which brought 20,000 people to the streets to remind Congress of its unfinished business. Meanwhile the April 30th Editorial of the New York Times accuses Republican Presidential candidates of “lurching, falling over themselves to convince voters that where they stand is not where they stood.” The author finds Rudy Giuliani and John McCain’s sudden change of opinion the most disheartening.
• Modern day slavery is the result of human trafficking. The New York Times features the harrowing story of a Nigerian woman worked for 12 years without pay, in what can only be described as modern day servitude.
• While all the world seems to be speaking of curtailing immigration, officials in Alberta, Canada are seeking a few good men and women - 100,000 to be exact - to help cope with the demand in jobs after the oil boom, the UK’s Guardian reports.