Items
Subject is exactly
Immigration
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2020-10-25
Trapped at the Border: Asylum seekers protest Matamoros camp conditions
On October 25, 2020, over fifty of 1000+ people in the Matamoros Border Camp gathered along the barbed-wire fence to protest their living conditions. The Migrant Protection Protocols (M.P.P.), a Trump Executive Order, requires many Spanish-speaking asylum seekers to stay in Northern Mexico until granted a court date. In March 2020, the administration sealed U.S. borders and closed immigration courts as part of the COVID-19 emergency response. Many asylum seekers trapped in the camps may never get a full hearing. Although protests could provoke retaliation from Mexican and U.S. immigration officials, these families demonstrated because they felt desperate. As in much of the southern border, cartels plague the Brownsville-Matamoros region. Many South and Central American migrants have experienced kidnapping, theft, extortion, and rape on their journeys through Mexico. In the camps, bounded by a fifteen-foot fence and heavily armed security forces, they face daily threats from poisonous snakes, hurricanes, flooding, and unsanitary conditions. Because the Mexican government does not give camp occupants sufficient resources, nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities and Team Brownsville provide food, water, and medical care. On the day of the protest, two U.S. citizens from a Methodist ministry stood with demonstrators inside the camp. The asylum seeker who organized this demonstration sent her two daughters (ages 9 and 11) across the Rio Grande, accompanied only by a cartel-affiliated coyote (guide), to turn themselves into Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While she misses her daughters every day, she believes that separation is safer for them than remaining in Mexico or returning to Honduras. She trusts that God will protect everyone in the Matamoros camp because their cause is just. After the protest, I held her hand through the gate’s wire diamonds and promised to pray. Some protesters held signs with Bible verses like Matthew 25:35-40, while others called for the protection of LGBTQ+ migrants and an end to MPP. Many protesters addressed the U.S. presidential election. Voten inteligentemente, one sign reads – vote intelligently. Joe Biden promised that, if elected, he would repeal M.P.P. within the first hundred days of his presidency. Asylum seekers realize that without a leadership change, they have very little chance of entering the U.S. I witnessed this reality while I stood in an hour-long customs line, waiting to cross the International Bridge back into Brownsville. The line held a mix of Mexican and U.S. citizens, including a family carrying spider-shaped piñatas and orange-frosted cupcakes for a Halloween party. A group of two adults and three children passed me in line. I watched them approach CBP officers, a journalist following close behind. Five minutes later, a security officer was escorting the family back to Matamoros. The journalist noticed me watching and stopped to explain: “They asked for asylum, but CBP said no. They have to wait in Mexico.” “No somos malas personas. Solo queremos vivir.” The mother repeated this phrase like a mantra as she passed us, holding her six-year-old daughter’s hand. We are not bad people. We just want to live. *This is a photograph that I took on my cell phone outside the Matamoros, Mexico border camp on Sunday, October 25, 2020. Faces are blurred to protect their privacy. -
2020-07-26
Presenting a speech for the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society (social activist group), via Zoom - commemoration of 26th of July Revolutionary movement
HIST30060 -
2020-10-16
Worrying for future scholarships
I'm worried about applying for a future scholarship called the MEXT scholarship because supposedly international students are still not allowed to enter Japan. While this will likely change, I'm fearful that due to many governments around the world losing tax revenue due to the pandemic, that they'll will cut extraneous programs such as the MEXT scholarship. The pandemic prevented people taking the JLPT language assessment last July as well. That makes it harder to get certifications to help boost my current resume. They say that there will be a test date in December, but like many events during the pandemic, it's up in the air. -
2020-10-07
ビジネス帰国の日本人対象 14日間の待機免除で調整(2020年10月8日) – Adjustment of 14-day quarantine period for Japanese returning to business (October 8, 2020)
This news is about if the Japanese citizen who have business trips outside of Japan meet certain requirement, the 14-day quarantine will be exempted. 政府は新型コロナウイルス対策で実施している入国者の14日間の待機措置について、ビジネスから帰国した日本人が条件を満たした場合には、免除する方向で調整していることが分かりました。 待機措置の免除には、帰国時に検査をするほか、帰国後14日間の行動計画の提出、公共交通機関を使わないことや移動を自宅と勤務先に限定することなどが条件となります。ビジネス上の妨げとなっていた帰国時の14日間の待機措置だけでも免除することで、海外出張しやすい環境を整え、経済活動の再開を後押しする狙いがあります。政府は引き続き各国と出入国制限の交渉を続け、ビジネス往来の要件緩和を目指す方針です。 As a method to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus by having a 14-day quarantine period, the government is moving in the direction of exemption of this period for Japanese immigrants returning from business if they meet certain conditions. The conditions include taking the test when returning to Japan, submission of an action plan for 14 days after returning to Japan, not using public transportation, and limiting the traveling to only between home and work. By exempting the 14-day quarantine period when returning to Japan, which has been a hindrance to business, the aim is to create an easier condition that allows overseas business trips and to bring back the economy. The government will continue to negotiate immigration restrictions with different countries, aiming to ease the requirements for business travels. -
2020-09-27
The effects of pandemic on my life.
The pandemic ruined all my plans for this year and I could not get to enjoy the amazing senior events that I was looking forward to. I learned that things don't always go as planned but we still need to be courageous. -
2020-09-27
How covid-19 changed my life.
It is important because it affected my employability. -
2019
Far Away
A couple months ago, the world knew nothing of COVID-19. We were going about our daily lives — going to school, sitting on the subway for way too long, hanging out with our friends, and seeing our loved ones regularly. Some went to work everyday to provide for their families while others took long walks in the park. Many of us looked forward to the summer, where we’d go to faraway places for vacation or visit the beach for a nice day in the sun. However, all of that was taken away from us. People were laid off, given fewer working hours, and paid less money. Small businesses went into a crisis, as they relied on their customers for their well-being. Everyone was ordered to stay inside for their safety as well as others. We can’t see each other anymore and have to communicate through phone screens and video calls. It’s a difficult time. Since my father is somewhat of a clean freak, he disinfects everything in our house every single day, from top to bottom. With the exception of my mother, who’s a Kindergarten teacher, everyone stays inside most of the time. I am sure we won’t contract the virus, but the same can’t be said about my family members in Bangladesh. Although I am proud of my country, it’s the truth that it’s a poor country with limited resources. Furthermore, there isn’t an equal distribution of the resources they do have, with most of it being consumed by the rich. This pandemic has proven to be a disaster for the poor in Bangladesh. A couple months ago, three of my uncles passed away from the virus. Each had a family and were the sole breadwinners of their families. They went to work almost every day to provide for their families. This has left all three families devastated, as they’re left with little to no way to support themselves on top. Events like this help me realize how lucky I am to be able to afford necessities such as disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, gloves, and masks. My family and I constantly worry about my relatives living in Bangladesh who can’t afford these things. We’re far away from each other, so we can neither deliver what they need to them or be with them when they’re sick. This is one of the hardest things I’ve experienced during this pandemic. Only my immediate family immigrated to the U.S., so everyone of my relatives are still in Bangladesh. It’s not safe to travel, so we won’t be able to fly over there in the case of an emergency. It’s a very bad situation, and we don’t really know what to do. I hope a vaccine will come out soon, not only in the U.S. but all around the globe. -
2020-09-15
Arizona nonprofits boost aid to help refugees deal with the pandemic
By Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
09/20/2020
Andrew Small Oral History, 2020/09/20
This interview shares the early-on Covid-19 quarantine experience of Andrew Small, a second-year Asian studies major at Northeastern University. Andrew talks about where he was in the middle of March when universities started to shut down and send their students home, where he went, how quarantine and at-home learning affected his first year at Northeastern and touches upon what his reaction to how the state of Maine and how America responded to the pandemic. He also speaks briefly on how he thinks this will affect the future actions of Americans and what the pandemic has revealed about America. This interview was conducted as an assignment for HIST 1215: Origins of Today, instructed by Molly Nebiolo. -
2020-08-22
‘We don't turn anyone away’: As virus forces some nonprofits to cut hours and services, refugee aid group works overtime
by Jessica Myers for the Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-08-31
From Ahuehuetitla to Brooklyn: Life under the COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump Administration
Using autoethnography as the method of research, this paper explores the fears and anxieties exacerbated in the Latinx community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through narrative snapshots, I depict how the pandemic worsened due to policy meant to limit undocumented Latinx immigrants’ access to health services. By focusing on the evolution of the public charge, this project depicts the ways the Trump administration’s hateful rhetoric and racist policies exacerbate the fear, life-threatening conditions, and long-lasting trauma on undocumented Latinx immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Closing in on one Brooklyn family’s navigation of the 2020 political climate, worsening pandemic, working-class realities, and immigration system, I take you through the present realities often left unseen by mainstream media. -
2020-09-16
Somali American United Council
The Somali American United Council of Arizona, a non-profit organization, was developed in 2006 in response to the growing need to connect Somali communities in Arizona with each other and the rest of the American society. The Somali American United Council of Arizona fills a critical need by helping newly arrived families adjust to their new lives, location, language and culture. The Somali American United Council of Arizona exists to promote better understanding between the Somali refugee community and other American communities. The Somali American United Council of Arizona serves as a model for other non-profit organizations working with refugee communities and immigrant populations. By building a and structure of best practices, The Somali American United Council of Arizona shares this knowledge with other to help them build designed to address cultural barriers and emotional trauma. Vision and Mission Somali American United Council of Arizona, a non-profit Qualified Charitable organization within the State of Arizona, whose mission and vision are to facilitate and improve communication channels and contribute to the wellbeing of the Refugee/ immigrant community, assisting them in becoming productive law-abiding citizens that can properly integrate for a great patriotism. Our is to become the premier institution that offers high quality services to the Somali-American & multi-ethnic Community and prepare individuals of the highest moral fiber. The Somali American United Council's working philosophy includes the encouragement of the Somali American and multi-ethnic refugees to actively seek to find sound solutions to the needs and aspirations of their community in Arizona. -
2020-09-16
Refugees & Immigrant Community for Empowerment (RICE)
Refugee and Immigrant Community Empowerment Center (RICE) is a community-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving and assisting Refugees, Asylees and Immigrants in the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area, created to close the service gaps that remain after the 90-day resettlement period. RICE is directed by a team of leaders from all over the globe and that works directly with local partnerships to strengthen social services and prevent unnecessary hardships for immigrants and refugees. By advocating and promoting education, dialogue and awareness, RICE identifies the potential for new opportunities then integrates them back into our refugee and immigrant communities. MISSION STATEMENT The RICE mission is to aid refugees and immigrants in becoming self-sufficient and contributing members of the economic growth of the community by creating resources and opportunities to training and education in preparing for employment in the community. -
2020-08-23
Steal Your Breath (With Worry and Tension)
The document I'm submitting is a collage of poems, interview excerpts, and personal reflections. It was an exploration of lockdown and how that affected the people of the community I grew up in. -
2020-03-23
COVID-19, Staying Together While Socially Distanced
This is a message to everyone that was affected by the lockdown, both physically and mentally. -
2020-08
COVID-19 AND THE ESCALATING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AMONG BIPOC AND IMMIGRANTS
The purpose of “COVID-19 and the Escalating Mental Health Crisis among BIPOC and Immigrants” is to analyze the already existing socioeconomic conditions in BIPOC and immigrant communities that perpetuate mental health stigma and are also causes for the rising mental health crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research project aims to investigate generational trauma and its correlation to the pressurizing notion of the ‘essential worker,’ how the silence of trauma creates stigma, and the lack of representation and affordable mental health resources for low-income BIPOC and immigrants. -
2020-09-14
Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW)
OUR MISSION We stabilize people during crisis and transition, build a foundation where people can thrive, and preserve dignity and respect for the most vulnerable. OUR VISION A future where all people thrive. OUR STATEMENT OF SHARED VALUES Dignity: We demonstrate through our actions that all people have value and are worthy of respect. Diversity: We recognize and accept the differences among people, fostering an environment inclusive of all. Social Justice: We model and promote a culture of open-mindedness, compassion, and inclusiveness, promoting fairness, justice, and equal opportunities for all. Quality: We commit to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement through anticipation and dynamic response to opportunities for change. Community Partnerships: We build collaborative partnerships to strengthen individuals, families and communities. Faith-based: We serve all people with an attitude of compassion and caring, recognizing and honoring our Christian heritage of God’s love in Christ for all. -
2020-09-14
International Rescue Committee (Phoenix)
The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and regain control of their future. -
2020-09-14
Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
The Florence Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal service organization providing free legal and social services to adults and unaccompanied children in immigration custody in Arizona. Although the government assists indigent criminal defendants and civil litigants through public defenders and legal aid attorneys, it does not provide attorneys for people in immigration removal proceedings. As a result, an estimated 86 percent of the detained people go unrepresented due to poverty. The Florence Project strives to address this inequity both locally and nationally through direct service, partnerships with the community, and advocacy and outreach efforts. -
2020-09-08
America Is Currently Not Living Up To Its Core Values.
This essay was produced as a part of the American Studies program at California High School in San Ramon, California. The essay is in response to the prompt "Is America currently living up to its core values?" This essay argues that America is not living up to its core values. It also includes references to the following modern events involving: COVID-19 and immigration in America. -
2020-09-02
Aliento: Guide and Resources for DACA/Undocumented and Mixed-Status Families
Aliento is one of the organizations receiving aid from ASU's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict program through the Luce Foundation. This program provides rapid relief to communities hit particularly hard and uniquely by the pandemic. Aliento provides resources to DACA/undocumented and mixed-status families. This link specifically is to the Covid-19 resource page on their website. -
2020-08-30
COVID forces 100,000 Venezuelans back home
Over the past five years, Venezuelan migration to Peru has really picked up. With an impoverished country, political corruption, and sometimes no food, Venezuelans have exited in mass. Now with COVID-19, people have found themselves in dire straits and wishing to reverse migrate. This tweet of a WSJ article captures the story of a father and mother who trekked for over 3 months from Peru to Venezuela with their infant son. -
2020-08-20
Almost All Detainees Have Covid at Farmville Detention Facility
This Tweet brings to light that almost all detainees at the Farmville Detention Facility, a for profit prison in Virginia, have Covid-19. The attached article discusses long running complaints of mistreatment at this facility, some so egregious that even ICE itself was appalled. It also points to the spread of Covid through facility transfers all over the US. The replies to the original Tweet give a good representation of the American public's response to the situation. -
2020-08-29
Strange Times
When the covid-19 crisis began I was living in Bangkok, Thailand. My work visa was due to expire on April 7th and I had a flight to Australia booked on that date, but at the time the Australian Government was urging all citizens to return as quickly as possible because they feared that flights would be grounded. I called the Australian Embassy and asked what would happen if I became stranded without a valid visa and the man on the phone told me to change my flight to the next available one out, as things were changing by the minute and he couldn’t give me a certain answer. One option I considered was crossing the border to get a tourist visa, but then I saw on the news that many expats had crossed over into Laos to do just that, and had become stranded there because Thailand had suddenly closed its borders to all but its own citizens. Expats with homes, families, and jobs in Thailand were not allowed back into the country even though they’d acquired valid visas. My flight on April the 7th was cancelled so I rebooked for March 31st. An announcement was made that all flights to Australia would cease on the 25th of March, so I cancelled that flight and managed to find another one on the 21st, which was on the following day. I had no time to pack up my apartment properly or get my affairs in order. I left my fiancé in Bangkok thinking that I would be able to return to her in a month or so, but it’s now the end of August and it doesn’t seem as though Australia is going to let anyone out anytime soon. Throughout the covid-19 crisis I have been documenting my experiences. The diary focuses on my trip to India in early March, where I nearly didn’t get out in time, as well as my escape from Bangkok and the everyday life in lockdown I’ve been going through ever since. I send the entries to my fiancé via email each week. My hope is that the diary will end with our reunion, but my fear is that life will lead us along a different path. -
2020-08-26
Arizona nonprofits boost aid to help refugees impacted by COVID-19 pandemic
By Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-08-07
COVID-19 threatens migrant, officer safety at cramped ICE detention centers
By Jessica Myers/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-08-07
COVID-19 outbreaks threaten migrant, officer safety at cramped detention centers, advocates say
by Jessica Myers| Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
March 28, 2020
What Happens When a 5-Year-Old in ICE Detention Is Considered a Coronavirus Risk
People in ICE (US's Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention centers are unable to social distance, and there is also not much transparency about what goes on inside them with regard to the safety of the people incarcerated. This article by Fernanda Echavarri describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people incarcerated in ICE detention centers, in particular the case of a five year old girl incarcerated in Pennsylvania. Berks Family Residential Center, which ‘has been criticized for its unsafe and unsanitary conditions and for the lack of proper medical care,’ was detaining 39 people, or 14 families with children as young as six months old as of March 28th, and had not released them despite complaints. -
2020-04-23
Executive Office of Health and Human Services Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) FAQ
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants published an FAQ about immigrant and refugee rights in Massachusetts during the COVID pandemic. Some answers given include: the closing of the border to refugees and how to seek citizenship during this time. -
2020-07-23
EOIR Operational Status During Coronavirus
The Executive Office for Immigration Review shutdown in-person hearings during the height of the pandemic. Some courts reopened for detained immigrants in the middle of the summer, but hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, August 7, 2020. ICE, however, has not stopped detaining more immigrants during the pandemic. So as numbers in detention centers grew, these new detainees couldn't challenge the courts. -
2020-06-01
COVID-19 RESOURCE GUIDE FOR BOSTON'S IMMIGRANTS
The Immigrant Advancement office at the Boston Mayor's office posted a resource guide for Boston immigrants. Immigrant communities have been hit hard by the pandemic as many of those in the community are essential workers who have continued to work throughout the pandemic. The guide includes resources for those in need of food, childcare, medical care, and immigration help. -
2020-03
MIRA’s agenda for an inclusive response to COVID-19
The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition collected a series of helpful documents for immigrants and refugees in Massachusetts about the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start, they created an agenda on how the federal and local governemnts should react to the pandemic in relation to immigrant communities. Part of the agenda calls on Trump to release detainees that cannot be kept safe, but as the news as shown, ICE continues to detain immigrants and some have died in detention centers of the virus. -
2020-07-07
ICE Guidance on COVID-19
This PDF documents highlights all of the statements and guidelines ICE has released since March when the COVID pandemic began to largely affect the United States. They have slowly added more guidelines but have also rolled back some that have been highly criticized. -
2020-07-14
ICE Prison Sees Outbreak of Coronavirus article
"The director of Farmville, a privately run immigration detention center in central Virginia, recently stated in court papers that at least 267 people currently detained there have tested positive for the coronavirus—and the numbers may spike further, with 80 people still awaiting test results. It took until July 2 to test all 366 detainees. Only 19 people tested negative. In addition, 22 employees of the detention center have tested positive. The detained population inside Farmville, as of Jul. 13, now totals 360 people." This article from The Daily Beast highlights the mistreatment of immigrants in detention centers as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. With a lack of testing, proper isolation methods, and mistreatment by guards, numerous detainees are getting sick and some are dying. -
2020-07-16
ICE covid stats
ICE has been updating their statistics online for COVID cases. As of July 16, 2020, ICE says they have 22,340 detainees, 13,562 have been tested, and 1,110 are positive. It says they are either in isolation or monitored which is slightly confusing. If someone is positive and being monitored, are they not in isolation? Washington DC has the highest amount of cases. -
2020-07-10
How Ice Exported the Coronavirus
The New York Times and the Marshall Project released an investigation into ICE's treatment of immigrant detainees. The investigation says it "reveals how Immigration and Customs Enforcement became a domestic and global spreader of COVID-19." The report tells stories from immigrants who were deported, some who had tested positive for COVID, reported it, and were still deported, thus allowing them to infect others on the plane who could then infect others upon landing. -
2020-06-22
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Requirements
ICE hasn't stopped deporting during the COVID pandemic, but they did release a document citing rules for deporting during COVID. Interviews with detainees and immigration employees have contradicted the rules for deportation during COVID. -
2020-07-14
Northeastern responds to ICE reversal on international student rule
ICE last week instituted a rule that said if international students took all online classes, they couldn't stay in America on a visa. Schools in Boston, including Harvard and MIT filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. Northeastern joined the lawsuit, and on July 14, ICE rescinded the rule, allowing students to stay in the US and continue their education, even if all of their classes are online because of the pandemic. It's not safe to gather in large groups yet, especially indoors, and schools are starting to release fall plans mainly online. -
2020-07-08
MIT/Harvard lawsuit joined by Northeastern
MIT and Harvard filed a civil action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security against recent rules that would bar international students from legally remaining in the US if they take classes entirely online this fall. Thousands of students would lose scholarships, their inability to research, and their student status if the government decided to follow-through. These Boston universities are seeking a way to prohibit this ruling. -
2020-07-06
ICE Says Foreign Students Can’t Attend Online-Only College This Fall, Despite Pandemic
The Trump administration has used this pandemic to push through unpopular, discriminatory policies, such as ending protections for LGBTQ patients and closing US borders to those seeking asylum. In a latest display of unimaginable cruelty, ICE announced today that international students will face "immigration consequences" including "the initiation of removal proceedings" if they are taking classes online in the Fall. Considering that many college campuses are pivoting to online learning to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, this could be devastating for hundreds of thousands of students. -
2020-06-30
California Coronavirus Transfers
In Southern California, the coronavirus has particularly been vicious along the border area. Hospitals in the area are struggling, as noted in the tweet. This has led to an effort to outsource care wherever there is space; some patients are being taken as far North as San Francisco. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #california. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it describes severe medical toll that has been taken on hospitals across the border area. Link to article in tweet: (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/us/coronavirus-border-mexico-california-el-centro.html) -
2020-06-04
Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) stakeholders COVID FAQ
As the pandemic spread, schools shut down and were forced to send students home. Some of these students were international, and as borders closed and travel was regulated, these students had difficultly figuring out their next steps. Schools are just now trying to figure out what to do in the fall, and it's even more difficult once again for the international students. ICE doesn't yet have a clear plan or regulation in place for fall so all of that information is still up in the air. -
2020-05-12
Federal Court in Boston Rules Strongly in Favor ofImmigrants Detained by ICE at Bristol County
Since March, Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights worked to improve the situations of immigrants held in detention centers. "In a powerful order, a federal court in Boston ruled strongly in favor of immigrants detained by ICE at Bristol County. The court ruled that the Bristol County Sheriff and ICE likely have acted unconstitutionally and shown deliberate indifference to the substantial risk of serious harm posed by COVID-19 to the detainees in their care." This success shows how civil rights lawyers were correct in fighting to improve the situations for immigrants. The lawsuit led to the release of more than 50 detainees. -
2020-04-02
Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights Group File Additional Briefs for Coronavirus ICE Lawsuit
After filing an initial lawsuit against ICE and the Bristol County Sheriff in March, Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights group filed more briefs with the latest from medical and public health experts and actual stories of survival in Bristol County. Detention centers and ICE have largely ignored the health and safety protocols being instated by health officials, so as the coronavirus has spread, nothing has slowed the spread in detention centers and prisons. -
2020-03-27
Coronavirus Suit Filed Against ICE and Bristol County Sheriff
A class action for emergency release has been filed in federal court by individuals in civil immigration detention at imminent risk of COVID-19 infection due to life-threatening conditions in the Bristol County House of Corrections run by Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. The complaint, filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights and Yale Law School’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic in partnership with the Brazilian Worker Center, contains alarming accounts of cruel and inhumane conditions: guards who report to work with coronavirus symptoms, and detained individuals who are still being brought into the facility – amidst the contagion – without any medical testing or screening. Even after one of the individuals who recently arrived fell severely ill, Bristol County and ICE failed to provide sanitizer or disinfectant. The immigrants bringing this case are literally trapped, and subject to imminent infection, illness and death because of their detention conditions under Sheriff Hodgson and ICE. In filing this complaint, Maria Alejandra, Julio Cesar, and their peers seek emergency release and alternatives to detention for all immigrants experiencing life-threatening conditions in Bristol County. -
2020-06-26
Judge Orders ICE To Free Detained Immigrant Children Because Of COVID-19
Excerpt from article: Citing the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus, a federal judge has ordered that all children currently held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for more than 20 days must be released by July 17. -
2020-05
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Coronavirus Legal Warriors
"As legal first responders, at a time when many doors are closing, we are opening ours wider. In response to an unprecedented need, we’re adding a new coronavirus legal warrior to our team. This expansion is critical to deepening and expanding free support for affected families, including help with unemployment claims. We’re also unveiling a state-wide initiative to support hundreds of small businesses. We’re joining forces with over a dozen legal, business, and community partners, launching a large-scale initiative for small businesses affected by the crisis: https://www.covidreliefcoalition.com/en Check out our coronavirus resource page in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Join us on Facebook every weekday at 10 AM for the latest scoop. Injustice doesn’t take a break during the crisis — and neither do we." -
2020-05
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Blocking Courthouse ICE Arrests
Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights group filed a case blocking immigration arrests in and around courthouses. The pandemic has not stopped ICE from detaining immigrants. "Lawyers for Civil Rights’ landmark case blocking immigration arrests in and around Massachusetts courthouses, Ryan v. ICE, is the first case of its kind in the country. The case was filed in partnership with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), and Chelsea Collaborative with pro bono support from Goodwin LLP. It is now on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit." -
2020-06-03
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, COVID Resources
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston offer resources for legal, medical, unemployment, housing, and economic support on their COVID response webpage . This document is in English and the site also offers translations in Spanish, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. While the world shut down for the pandemic, ICE continued to detain and deport immigrants here in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement's response to police brutality sparked a number of arrests. Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights organization has continued to offer legal support for those in need and has kept a running page of legal updates. -
2020-06-21
Third migrant farm worker dies as Canada reaches deal with Mexico
Article discussing the disproportionate number of temporary foreign workers infected with coronavirus and the efforts to mitigate this. The temporary foreign worker program has been controversial in Canada for years, for a number of reasons including condition and treatment of workers, immigration status, the employment of foreign nationals over Canadian residents and citizens etc. Like many societal issues the pandemic has brought the ethics and practice of the program to a flash-point. "The outbreak has triggered heightened scrutiny of Canada’s temporary foreign worker program and the conditions in which foreign labourers live and work. In Ontario alone, more than 630 migrant farm workers have been infected with COVID-19; two men from Mexico – Bonifacio Eugenio Romero, 31, and Rogelio Munoz Santos, 24 – have died. The third worker who died is Juan Lopez Chaparro, 55; he had been coming to Canada since 2010 and is survived by his wife and four children, the Migrant Rights Network said in a release Monday. "Federal Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough told The Globe and Mail last week that Ottawa will overhaul the temporary foreign worker program, including through more surprise inspections of working and living conditions at farms that employ migrant workers. Mexico had temporarily stopped sending more workers, until Canadian officials got a handle on the outbreaks and ensured people are properly paid while they’re in isolation."