Immigrants and refugees
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“People are going to die because of this”
Trump administration to deny visas to pregnant women
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 25 January 2020
The Trump administration has launched yet another salvo in its ongoing war against immigrants.
Iranian student deported from Boston by Customs and Border Protection despite court order
By Julian James, 25 January 2020
At the time of his deportation, Abadi held a valid F1 student visa recently issued by the United States Customs and Immigration Services to continue pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Northeastern University in Boston.
Bangladesh prepares to send 100,000 Rohingya refugees to isolated island
By Rohantha De Silva, 23 January 2020
More than 610,000 refugees currently live in overcrowded, prison-like camps surrounded by barbed-wire fences on Cox’s Bazar.
Trump administration to illegally divert an additional $7.2 billion to border wall construction
By Jacob Crosse, 17 January 2020
For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is diverting congressional appropriated funds in violation of the Constitution.
German captain of refugee rescue ship “Lifeline” acquitted of criminal charges in Malta
By Marianne Arens, 16 January 2020
Despite the acquittal neither Malta nor the EU have retreated from its inhumane and murderous anti-refugee policy with Valletta continuing to prevent NGO ships from entering its waters.
New Zealand’s Daily Blog demands anti-immigrant measures against “Australians fleeing climate change”
By John Braddock and Tom Peters, 15 January 2020
The trade union-funded blog, which supports the Labour-led government, calls for a major increase in military spending to turn New Zealand into a “fortress” against immigrants.
Denied US entry, asylum seeker takes his own life on US-Mexico border bridge
By Norisa Diaz, 11 January 2020
The suicide of Jesús García Serna casts light on the dire conditions facing the migrants being turned away from the US southern border.
Trump’s anti-asylum “Remain in Mexico” policy to expand to Arizona
By Adam Mclean, 4 January 2020
Immigrants seeking asylum at the border city of Nogales, Arizona, will be turned back and left to fend for themselves on the southern side of the border.
Video shows Greek authorities performing illegal “push backs” at refugee crossing
By George Gallanis, 30 December 2019
A United Nations working group confirmed Greek authorities have been illegally deporting refugees for years, including under the Syriza government.
Germany: Former secret service boss agitates against refugees and plays down right-wing terrorism
By Christoph Vandreier, 24 December 2019
One year after his removal as head of Germany’s domestic secret service, Hans-Georg Maassen (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) has become one of the spokesmen for the extreme right.
Homeland Security memo exposes appalling medical mistreatment of immigrants in US custody
By Kate Randall, 14 December 2019
Men, women and children have been subject to delayed treatment for medical and mental health conditions, unnecessary surgeries, forcible medication, and other mistreatment resulting in unnecessary suffering and death.
Southern Poverty Law Center report highlights abusive conditions in US immigration detention centers
By Adam Mclean, 14 December 2019
The report was based on a comprehensive study of four adult immigrant detention facilities in southern Florida.
Catastrophic conditions for refugees on Croatian border as authorities close camp
By Markus Salzmann, 13 December 2019
The catastrophic conditions in the Vucjak camp once again highlight the inhumane refugee policies of the European Union.
US activist who sheltered migrants found not guilty in second trial
By Aaron Murch, 22 November 2019
The verdict, after less than two hours of deliberation, reflects the broad support for humanitarian aid for immigrants.
Corbyn and main union backer McCluskey oppose Labour conference free movement pledge on immigration
By Robert Stevens, 15 November 2019
McCluskey intervened to ensure that it is the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s position that is reflected in this year’s election manifesto.
Harbor (Jeter l’ancre un seul jour): A young refugee in need finds allies
By David Walsh, 15 November 2019
In 23-year-old Paul Marques Duarte’s short film, a teacher helps “smuggle” an undocumented immigrant from France to England on board a ferry.
US Supreme Court hears oral arguments on Trump’s decision to end DACA
By Ed Hightower, 14 November 2019
The right-wing bloc appeared ready to serve up 800,000 undocumented immigrant youth to the Trump administration’s fascistic deportation machine.
“Vietnam was the first and last war with no censorship”
Veteran photojournalist Tim Page discusses his “21” exhibition
By Richard Phillips, 14 November 2019
The “21” exhibition is just a small sample of the diverse and humane character of Page’s work.
Arizona: Second trial begins of pro-immigrant “No More Deaths” volunteer
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 13 November 2019
The main accusation against Warren is that he provided two undocumented migrants with food, water and a place to sleep over three days.
Germany: How Hesse authorities covered up the NSU and Lübcke murderers
By Peter Schwarz, 30 October 2019
Temme, an employee of the Hesse state branch of the secret service, maintained an official relationship with the neo-Nazi Stephan Ernst, the alleged murderer of the Kassel district president Walter Lübcke.
Many of 39 found dead in UK lorry were Vietnamese victims of people traffickers
By Robert Stevens, 28 October 2019
Many of the victims were Vietnamese, desperate to escape crushing poverty, only to die in Europe entombed in a dark container.
Thirty-nine migrants found dead in lorry trailer in UK
By Laura Tiernan, 24 October 2019
The real authors of this immense crime reside in 10 Downing Street, along with the government and opposition parties in Westminster Palace and their accomplices in every European capital.
New Zealand government introduces class-based immigration restrictions
By Tom Peters, 22 October 2019
The Labour Party-led government has imposed draconian restrictions to prevent working class immigrants from bringing their parents to join them in New Zealand.
Protests after death in fire at Greece’s Moria concentration camp
By Robert Stevens, 1 October 2019
Moria is a hellhole established by the 2015-2019 pseudo-left Syriza government, where refugees and asylum seekers are held pending deportation.
Malta agreement: The dying in the Mediterranean continues
By Marianne Arens, 27 September 2019
The Malta agreement is not intended to resolve the tragedy in the Mediterranean facing refugees fleeing war and poverty, but is only an attempt to remove it from the public eye.
Macron, Steinmeier visit Rome to prepare new EU repression of refugees
By Alex Lantier, 20 September 2019
The removal of the neo-fascists from the Italian government has not produced any shift towards a less militaristic and anti-refugee policy.
Greek riot police attack child asylum seekers and refugees at Moria camp
By John Vassilopoulos, 10 September 2019
The protestors were part of the 300 unaccompanied child asylum seekers recently interned at the camp.
Germany: A politically motivated verdict in Chemnitz refugee trial
By Marianne Arens and Peter Schwarz, 26 August 2019
A 24-year-old refugee from Syria has been jailed for years, so that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the extremist mob, which rampaged in Chemnitz last summer, can claim their victim.
“We are all equal!” Captain who saved refugees refuses award from Paris mayor
By Will Morrow, 24 August 2019
Klemp repudiated the award and denounced the anti-refugee polices of the Paris authorities.
Greece’s New Democracy government intensifies Syriza's anti-refugee policy
By George Gallanis, 22 August 2019
As it plans stepped-up police-state repression, ND bases itself directly on policies of the previous pseudo-left Syriza (“Coalition of the Radical Left”) government.
Glasgow: Lock-change evictions of asylum seekers restarted by Serco
By Steve James, 21 August 2019
Transnational service company Serco has restarted efforts to evict 300 asylum seekers in Glasgow.
Over 450 refugees stranded in the Mediterranean for weeks as EU bars entry
By Will Morrow, 20 August 2019
The EU governments have no substantial differences with the fascistic anti-immigrant policies of Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
“Voyage of the Damned:” Hundreds of refugees stranded in the Mediterranean
By Bill Van Auken, 14 August 2019
Europe’s governments have shut their doors to refugees rescued from the sea after fleeing death and torture.
Immigrant tent camps in Paris: Victims of France’s war on refugees
By Will Morrow, 13 August 2019
Every night in Paris, in sprawling tent encampments lying beneath highway overpasses, or in local playgrounds and parks, thousands of refugees go to sleep on the street.
US doctors’ group urges probe into child migrant deaths from influenza
By Kate Randall, 2 August 2019
According to autopsy results, at least three migrant children have died in US custody as a result of influenza and its complications since December 2018, a rate of death substantially higher than that among children in the general population.
As protesters cry: “Guatemala is not a concentration camp”
Guatemalan ruling class braces for repercussions of asylum deal imposed by Trump
By Andrea Lobo, 29 July 2019
The Guatemalan state is being turned into an extension of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the militarization of borders and building of concentration camps.
The mass drownings off Libya and the fight to defend refugees
By Alex Lantier, 27 July 2019
The ongoing wave of atrocities against refugees demonstrates that it is impossible to defend immigrants without a mass, international movement against capitalism.
Turkish government prepares to deport Syrian refugees living in Istanbul
By Çetin Akın and Ulas Atesci, 24 July 2019
Ankara has announced that Syrian refugees not registered in Istanbul have until August 20 to return to the cities in Turkey where they are registered or face deportation.
The European Union expands its war against refugees
By Marianne Arens, 18 July 2019
As anger grows at the number of refugees dying in the Mediterranean, EU politicians are demanding military operations in Libya.
Hundreds protest over drowning of refugee schoolgirl in UK
By Liz Smith, 17 July 2019
In the area surrounding the school just outside Manchester, one-third of all children live in poverty, that is in families whose income is less than 60 percent of the national median income.
Police crack down on undocumented workers occupying Paris Pantheon
By Alex Lantier, 13 July 2019
Late yesterday afternoon, approximately 700 undocumented immigrant workers held a peaceful demonstration and occupied Paris’ historic Panthéon building, demanding an immediate recognition of their right to reside in France.
Refugee death toll rises in Mediterranean Sea graveyard
By Marianne Arens, 11 July 2019
The courageous action of ship captain Carola Rackete has again focused public attention on the plight of refugees seeking to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea.
Madrid threatens migrant rescue ship with massive fines
By Alejandro López, 6 July 2019
Spain’s social-democratic government has warned it will impose hundreds of thousands of euros in fines on vessels for rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean.
Bombing of detention center in Libya kills at least 44 refugees
By Bill Van Auken, 4 July 2019
The tragedy is the product of the 2011 US-backed war for regime change which has plunged Libya into nearly a decade of civil war and the EU’s war on refugees.
German captain of refugee rescue ship Sea Watch 3 arrested in Italy
By Marianne Arens, 1 July 2019
A few hours after the arrest, mayor of Naples Luigi di Magistris dedicated a sailing boat parade to the brave captain “and all other men and women being unfairly persecuted.”
More than 300 asylum seekers in Glasgow, Scotland to be evicted
By Steve James, 28 June 2019
Services giant Serco is targeting tenants who have fled war and poverty in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Turkish ruling elite whips up chauvinism against Syrian war refugees
By Barış Demir, 27 June 2019
Before the re-run of the Istanbul elections on Sunday, politicians from every major bourgeois party tried to whip up hostility against Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Italy: Captain in court for saving people in distress at sea
By Marianne Arens, 20 June 2019
Pia Klemp, who has rescued about 5,000 people in distress in a total of six missions, faces up to 20 years imprisonment and heavy fines.
German parliament passes draconian deportation law
By Peter Schwarz, 12 June 2019
The new law against refugees and immigrants is an integral part of an attack on the democratic rights of the entire working class.
International Criminal Court filing on refugee policy charges EU with crimes against humanity
By Casey Gold, 11 June 2019
The request details how European officials consciously implemented policies that led to more than 14,000 refugee deaths in the Mediterranean in the last three years.
Social Democrats return to government in Denmark with xenophobic programme
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 8 June 2019
The Social Democrats want to limit immigration from non-Western states and set up reception centres for asylum seekers outside the country.
Australian government forces refugees back to face repression in Sri Lanka
By Max Newman, 5 June 2019
At least 20 more asylum seekers have been detained by the Australian navy and deported to Sri Lanka to face possible torture and imprisonment.
France illegally arming Libyan coastguards to stop refugees from Africa
By Anthony Torres and Alex Lantier, 1 June 2019
The policy has been condemned by multiple human rights organizations because of the prevalence of torture, rape, slavery and murder in the camps.
Venezuelan refugees face desperate conditions in Colombia
By Julian James, 29 May 2019
The greatest influx of refugees has been to Colombia, where an estimated 1.1 million Venezuelans survive on the margins of society.
Germany continues deportations to Afghanistan
By Marianne Arens, 25 May 2019
Just days before the European elections, the charter flight to the war-torn country exposes the deadly practice carried out by both the federal and state governments.
Torture report reveals German authorities’ brutal methods during deportations
By Marianne Arens, 16 May 2019
The Committee for the Prevention of Torture detailed methods that are both brutal and shocking.
Liberal and Labor compete in stoking anti-refugee scare-mongering
By Mike Head: SEP candidate for Oxley, 1 May 2019
The SEP unequivocally defends right of asylum seekers, immigrant workers and their families to live, study and work in Australia, or anywhere in the world, as full citizens.
Syriza government authorises mass evictions of refugees and asylum seekers
By John Vassilopoulos, 30 April 2019
The Syriza government has been at the forefront of cracking down on refugees as part of the European Union’s anti-immigrant agenda.
Greece: Syriza government mobilises riot police against refugees
By John Vassilopoulos, 10 April 2019
In enforcing the European Union’s anti-immigrant policy on the continent’s southern border, Syriza willingly acts as the jailer of all refugees stranded within its country’s borders.
Right-wing Italian authorities threaten migrant rescuer with 20 years in prison
By Allison Smith, 9 April 2019
Miguel Roldán Espinosa, a Spanish firefighter, is under criminal investigation and faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence.
Prioritizing of profit at root of fire that killed seven Syrian refugee children in Nova Scotia
By Frédéric Charlebois, 5 April 2019
The mandatory installation of automated sprinklers would save lives, but capitalist governments are loathe to diminish the profits of the construction industry.
Thousands protest against German government’s brutal deportation policy
By our reporters, 2 April 2019
In Berlin and other German cities, more than 5,000 people protested on Saturday against Interior Minister Horst Seehofer’s attacks on refugees and their supporters .
Special unit of the Maltese army storms refugee ship
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 30 March 2019
The case of the cargo ship El Hiblu 1 graphically demonstrates the inhumanity of the European Union’s merciless migration policy.
Deportations from Germany to Maghreb states rise sharply
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 2 March 2019
Deportations from Germany to the Maghreb states rose 35 percent in one year, and 14-fold since 2015.
German government to tighten up deportations
By Marianne Arens, 19 February 2019
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) has presented a 60-page bill on the deportation of refugees that bears the imprimatur of the far-right Alternative for Germany from start to finish.
Australian government loses vote on refugee medical evacuation legislation
By Oscar Grenfell, 14 February 2019
The bill entrenches the power of the minister to prevent detained refugees from travelling to Australia and receiving desperately needed medical care.
Another 170 immigrants drown in the Mediterranean
By Marianne Arens, 22 January 2019
With the statement “The ports are and will remain closed!” Italian Interior Minister Salvini summed up the EU’s contempt for human rights in its policies towards refugees.
Pentagon extends troop deployment at Mexican border until September
By Matthew Taylor, 17 January 2019
The Trump administration is increasing its repressive measures against immigrants, including doubling the capacity of an immigrant detention center for youth in Homestead, Florida.
Germany deports more refugees to Afghanistan
By Marianne Arens, 11 January 2019
On Monday night, a further 36 refugees were deported to Kabul, including a number who had lived and worked for years in Germany and had no idea they were at risk.
Scuffles in German city of Amberg exploited to incite right-wing campaign
By Marianne Arens and Peter Schwarz, 5 January 2019
Politicians from Bavaria and Berlin have been lining up to outdo each other with proposals for more restrictive asylum laws.
Amid global crackdown on refugees
One sixth of world’s people want to flee their home countries
By Eric London, 31 December 2018
Some 750 million people, not including children, want to escape war, poverty, conflict and disease caused by capitalism.
Bangladesh to relocate Rohingya refugees on remote island
By Rohantha De Silva, 19 December 2018
Nervous about criticism of its plans, the government is attempting to hide information about the new detention facilities and has placed the island under naval control.
Democrats, media silent on child’s death at US border
By Patrick Martin, 17 December 2018
The Caal family's attorneys dispute the official account, saying Jakelin was in good health on arrival at the border station, only displaying signs of illness after being held there for eight hours.
UK: “Stansted 15” anti-deportation protesters found guilty of terrorism charges
By Margot Miller, 17 December 2018
The defendants, who are preparing to appeal the verdict, potentially face life in prison for preventing the departure of an immigration removal flight.
MSF reveals “mental health suffering” in Australia’s Nauru refugee detention camp
By Max Newman, 17 December 2018
Médecins Sans Frontières said the mental health problems were among the worst it had ever seen anywhere in the world.
Increase in self-harm and suicides in UK immigration detention centres
By Simon Whelan, 8 November 2018
Reports show that from 2000 to April, 2018 there have been 35 deaths, 14 of which were self-inflicted.
Government declares child refugees will not remain in Australia
By Max Newman, 8 November 2018
The government’s promise to evacuate detained children from Nauru is a ploy to placate the public outcry over their barbaric treatment.
Mexican police shoot and kill 26-year-old immigrant as repression intensifies along Mexico-Guatemala border
By Andrea Lobo, 30 October 2018
Despite the US threats and the militarized operations by the Guatemalan and Mexican governments, thousands of Central American migrants continue to leave.
Tamil family fight UK plans to deport their seriously ill father
By Simon Whelan, 27 October 2018
Authorities sought to deport Sangarapillai Balachandran, who had been headhunted by a British company due to a severe shortage of civil engineers with his specific skills.
Defend immigrant workers against Trump’s military crackdown
By Bill Van Auken, 27 October 2018
American workers must come to the defense of immigrants and refugees as the Trump administration threatens to close the border and turn armed troops against working class men, women and children.
Trump to deploy hundreds of troops to the border against Central American migrants
By Andrea Lobo, 26 October 2018
The domestic deployment of the military against immigrants is a warning to the entire working class.
Interview with photographer Tom Kiefer: “This work is part of the historical documentation of our country’s response to migration”
El Sueño Americano: Exhibition of migrants’ items seized and discarded by US border patrol
By Norisa Diaz, 26 October 2018
Kiefer worked as a part-time janitor at a US Customs and Border Patrol facility in Arizona for 12 years, collecting items thrown out by officials.
Oppose Trump’s attacks on immigrants! Defend the migrant caravan!
By Niles Niemuth, 25 October 2018
Workers in the US must unite with workers in Mexico and Central America to ensure the safe passage into the country of the several thousand workers making their way towards the US-Mexico border.
Italian Interior Minister Salvini orders removal of migrants from Riace
By Marianne Arens, 19 October 2018
The right-wing coalition government has ordered the removal of all migrants from the “village of hospitality” in southern Calabria.
Trial of “Stansted 15” anti-deportation protesters begins in UK
By Margot Miller, 10 October 2018
The activists locked themselves around a government-chartered Boeing 767 on the night of March 28, 2017, to prevent take-off.
Brutal conditions at Greek refugee camps condemned
By John Vassilopoulos, 9 October 2018
The appalling conditions in Greece refugee camps are a direct consequence of the filthy deal cut between the European Union, Turkey and the Syriza government in 2016.
German government organises mass deportations of refugees to Kabul
By Marianne Arens, 9 October 2018
The louder the protests of working people, the more deliberate and mercilessly the German government pursues its right-wing policies.
German Left Party mayor orders deportation of refugees
By Markus Salzmann, 29 September 2018
The Left Party mayor of Frankfurt on the Oder, René Wilke, has initiated a deportation order against seven refugees from Syria, Pakistan and the Palestinian territories.
France refuses to let Aquarius dock as EU seeks to block refugees
By Alex Lantier, 27 September 2018
Passengers aboard the vessel were Libyans fleeing kidnapping and violence that emerged from the disintegration of Libya after the 2011 NATO war.
Refugees fleeing crisis in Venezuela confront poverty in Peru
By our reporters, 24 September 2018
It is estimated that since 2014 nearly 2.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country to escape a collapsing economy.
Trump administration announces record low cap on refugees allowed into the US
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 20 September 2018
The Trump administration has announced that the number of refugees allowed into the US in the coming year will be capped at 30,000—a record low for the 43-year old refugee resettlement program.
Duisburg, Germany: Social democratic mayor agitates against refugees and migrants from Eastern Europe
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 14 September 2018
Mayor Sören Link was able to broadcast his racist demagogy on one of Germany’s leading TV channels, claiming citizens from other EU countries were flocking to Germany to cash in on social benefits.
British media blacks out self-immolation of woman at Barnet council office
By Tom Pearce, 8 September 2018
The Conservative-run Barnet council has long been known for its cost-cutting and privatisation of services.
Australian government rushes to deport Vietnamese refugees
By Max Newman, 3 September 2018
After a manhunt in a Queensland rainforest, 17 Vietnamese men were rounded up for deportation “at the first available opportunity.”
Italy’s far-right interior minister charged with kidnapping
By Marianne Arens, 30 August 2018
The state attorney in Agrigento is investigating Italy’s interior minister and chairman of the Lega (League), Matteo Salvini, on charges of deprivation of liberty, illegal detention and abuse of office.
Whistleblowers expose Australian government crimes at Nauru refugee camp
By Oscar Grenfell, 29 August 2018
Medical professionals have warned that children suffering severe mental illness are at risk of dying at the Australian-operated detention centre.
Neo-Nazi mob rampages through East German city of Chemnitz
By Johannes Stern, 28 August 2018
Recent events suggest that the far-right demonstrations were closely coordinated with, or even instigated by, the security authorities.
US continues to terrorize immigrants: Over 500 children still not reunited with parents
By Trévon Austin, 22 August 2018
The parents of 366 children who were separated have already been deported back to their home countries without their children, including six minors under the age of 5.
German federal and regional governments extend refugee camp system nationwide
By Marianne Arens, 21 August 2018
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann claims that the camps are “not detention facilities,” and that “no one is imprisoned,” but that is a lie.
Scotland: Protests force Serco to halt asylum seeker evictions
By Steve James, 14 August 2018
Serco wrote to Glasgow City Council of its intention to evict “former Asylum Seekers who do not wish to engage in voluntary return, and who the Home Office have determined have no legal right to remain in the UK.”
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