Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

Hundreds of migrants from India, Nepal, and Vietnam have been stranded for weeks in Sao Paulo’s international airport under troubling conditions. According to the Public Defender’s Office and documents seen by Reuters, these migrants have been forced to sleep on the floor while waiting for permission to enter Brazil. The situation is becoming increasingly dire, as many have no access to basic necessities such as showers, food, or even blankets to keep warm during the cold winter months. A tragic case has also emerged of a 39-year-old migrant from Ghana who passed away two weeks ago, though the exact cause…

Parents in a Massachusetts school district just outside of Boston received unexpected news last week: over 100 students will not have school bus service this year. The Stoughton Public Schools district informed parents that 150 secondary students would have to find alternative transportation to get to school starting on September 4, due to a shortage of buses and limited funding. This news came as the state began funding buses for migrant students from over 200 migrant families who recently moved into the area, sparking frustration and concern among local families. In a letter sent to parents, Superintendent of Schools Joseph…

Authorities in the Canary Islands are bracing for a potential surge in African migrant arrivals that could lead to a significant humanitarian crisis. Regional leader Fernando Clavijo warned that up to 150,000 more migrants might reach the islands by the end of the year, adding to the more than 20,000 who have already arrived in 2023. Clavijo expressed concern over the increasing number of migrants arriving despite challenging sea conditions. “We are seeing mass arrivals in August with bad sea conditions,” Clavijo said after meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. He warned that the situation could become more dire…

Spain has announced an additional €50 million to aid the Canary Islands, which are currently overwhelmed with over 5,500 unaccompanied migrant children and teenagers. The announcement came after Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met with Fernando Clavijo, the regional President of the Canary Islands, to address the growing challenge of irregular migration. Prime Minister Sánchez, who had been vacationing with his family in Lanzarote, part of the Canary Islands, returned to work to discuss this pressing issue. The meeting took place on the island of La Palma, where Sánchez and Clavijo, who governs in coalition with the conservative Popular Party,…

At least ten migrants, including a mother and her baby girl, drowned when their boat capsized while attempting to cross the Drina River, which forms the border between Serbia and Bosnia. The tragic incident was confirmed by Serbia’s Interior Minister, Ivica Dacic, who expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life. The victims were among a group trying to reach safety on the Bosnian side of the river, with at least 18 others, including three children, managing to reach the shore safely. However, it remains unclear how many people may still be missing. Efforts to rescue potential survivors and recover…

The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, recently visited Mongolia, where she highlighted the intersection of climate change and migration. Speaking at the World Women’s Forum 2024 in Ulaanbaatar, Pope emphasized that women and girls are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. During her visit, she also met with Mongolia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Battsetseg Batmunkh, to discuss the impacts of climate change on migration. The World Women’s Forum, organized under the theme “Towards a Green Future,” was hosted by the Government of Mongolia with the support of United Nations agencies in the…

In the Biden era, seeking asylum in the U.S. has become increasingly complex due to a series of new regulations and executive actions. On June 5, 2024, President Biden’s “Proclamation on Securing the Border” went into effect, significantly limiting the entry of noncitizens at the U.S./Mexico border. The proclamation mandates that entry restrictions be lifted only when the average number of border encounters drops below 1,500 over seven consecutive days. This new measure is part of a broader effort to control high migration rates, particularly at the southern border, during an election year. The proclamation is just one of several…

Guatemalan authorities arrested seven individuals on Wednesday in connection with a tragic human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of 53 migrants in Texas in June 2022. Among those arrested was the leader of the smuggling group, Rigoberto Ramón Miranda Orozco, also known as Don Rigo, who now faces extradition to the United States. The incident, one of the deadliest in recent history involving migrants on the southern U.S. border, occurred when smugglers locked the migrants inside a tractor-trailer and abandoned it on a remote road near San Antonio. With temperatures soaring to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and no air…

Brazil will introduce new entry restrictions for certain Asian nationals starting August 26, aimed at curbing the use of the country as a transit point for migrants heading to the United States and Canada. The restrictions will affect those who require visas to stay in Brazil but will not apply to citizens of countries currently exempt from Brazilian visas. The justice ministry announced that the new policy targets migrants who enter Brazil on flights with layovers in São Paulo but remain in the country instead of continuing their journey. More than 70% of recent requests for refuge at São Paulo’s…

Slovenian authorities have announced a 4% decrease in the number of irregular migrants entering the country on an annual basis. According to official data released on August 20, 2024, a total of 25,786 irregular migrants were registered in Slovenia during the first seven months of the year. This marks a slight reduction compared to the same period in the previous year. Despite the overall decline, the number of Syrian nationals entering Slovenia irregularly has seen a significant spike. The data revealed that Syrian entries surged from 723 in 2023 to 8,720 in the first seven months of 2024. July emerged…