Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE
Latvia has presented new evidence claiming that Belarus is actively involved in organising and directing illegal migrant crossings into the European Union. Latvian authorities say the evidence shows that Belarusian military and law enforcement units are helping migrants reach and cross the Latvian border, adding weight to long-standing accusations that Minsk is using migration as a political weapon against the EU. In a statement released on Thursday, January 15, Latvia’s Ministry of Defence said information gathered by the National Armed Forces and the State Border Guard confirms the direct involvement of Belarusian state structures. According to the ministry, recorded incidents…
A company responsible for transporting prisoners across Scotland has been linked to a US multinational involved in controversial immigration enforcement under former US President Donald Trump. GEOAmey, which runs Scotland’s prisoner escort service, is partly owned by the GEO Group, a major private prison company in the United States with long-standing ties to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). GEOAmey currently holds a £240 million contract to escort prisoners in Scotland until January 2027. While the company operates in the UK as a joint venture, its parent firm, GEO Group, has donated money to Donald Trump and is deeply involved…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to raise the issue of migrant returns when he meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Berlin next Tuesday, according to a German government spokesperson. The talks will also focus on Syria’s political transition following years of civil war and international isolation. The spokesperson said Germany is interested in rebuilding relations with Syria and opening a new chapter with the country’s new leadership. One of the key issues Berlin wants to discuss is the possible return of Syrians currently living in Germany to their home country, especially as Syria begins a new political phase. Germany…
The trial over the delayed rescue operations linked to the deadly 2023 migrant boat shipwreck off the coast of Cutro in southern Italy has been postponed before it could officially begin. The case was delayed on January 14 after a change in the panel of judges assigned to hear the trial, according to Italian media reports. The shipwreck happened in February 2023 near Steccato di Cutro in the Calabria region. The boat, named Summer Love, was carrying migrants when it sank close to the Italian coast. At least 94 people lost their lives in the tragedy, including 35 children. Some…
A Greek court has cleared a group of 24 humanitarian workers who were accused of migrant smuggling for their role in search and rescue operations on the island of Lesvos. The ruling, delivered on Thursday evening by the Lesvos Court of Appeal, brings an end to more than seven years of legal uncertainty for the defendants. The humanitarian workers had been charged with serious crimes, including belonging to a criminal organisation, helping migrants enter Greece illegally, and money laundering. The charges covered activities that took place between 2016 and 2021, a period when migrant arrivals to Greece were high. If…
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot a Venezuelan migrant in Minneapolis on Wednesday night, further escalating tensions in a city already shaken by the fatal shooting of activist and mother-of-three Renee Good just one week earlier. The incident occurred during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a “targeted” immigration enforcement operation in north Minneapolis. According to DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, ICE agents attempted to arrest a Venezuelan man suspected of living in the United States without legal authorization. McLaughlin said the situation quickly turned violent after the man fled in his vehicle when agents…
The Trump administration has announced that it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, marking a major escalation in its efforts to limit legal migration to the United States. The decision was confirmed on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, through a statement posted by the US State Department on social media. According to federal officials, the move is intended to discourage immigration from countries whose nationals are believed to rely heavily on public welfare programmes in the United States. While the government did not release a full list of all 75 affected countries, it confirmed that…
A 43-year-old migrant from Nepal has died after falling seriously ill while sheltering in abandoned warehouses at Trieste’s Old Port in northern Italy. The man suffered a cardiac arrest last Saturday and later died in hospital on January 13, sparking renewed criticism over the treatment of asylum seekers in the city. The man collapsed in the disused warehouses of Porto Vecchio, an area where many migrants sleep due to a lack of accommodation. Fellow Nepalese migrants raised the alarm after finding him in critical condition. Emergency services rushed him to Cattinara Hospital in Trieste, but his condition continued to worsen.…
French authorities have banned 10 British far-right activists from entering the country after accusing them of carrying out anti-migrant actions on French soil. The decision was announced by France’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday, amid growing concerns over harassment and violence targeting migrants along the northern French coastline. Immigration has become a major political issue in the United Kingdom, as the government struggles to stop undocumented migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats. Many migrants pay smugglers to make the dangerous journey from France to England, a situation that has fuelled public debate and rising anger among far-right groups…
A migrant who lost his life in the deadly Lampedusa shipwreck of October 3, 2013, has finally been identified more than 12 years after the tragedy. The victim, known for years only as number 186, was a 20-year-old man from Eritrea. His identification brings long-awaited answers to a family that has spent over a decade searching for the truth. The shipwreck happened off the Italian island of Lampedusa and claimed the lives of at least 368 people. Many of the victims were migrants from Eritrea who were fleeing hunger, forced military service, and political persecution. For years, dozens of bodies…