Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

In the last year of Rishi Sunak’s administration, the UK saw a significant increase in the number of migrants being sent back to their home countries. Data from the Home Office reveals that from July 2022 to June 2023, the total number of returns rose by nearly 20%, reaching 53,228. This increase is part of a broader effort by the former Conservative government to speed up the processing of asylum claims and enforce a stricter asylum regime. During this period, enforced returns jumped by 48% to 7,190. However, a larger number of people either returned voluntarily or were intercepted while…

New Zealand has announced a significant policy change that will soon allow young migrants aged 17 to 24 to work part-time while waiting for their family residence applications to be processed. This new opportunity, introduced by Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, is set to take effect in October and is part of a broader effort to provide greater financial security and opportunities for young migrants and their families. This policy is particularly aimed at migrant school leavers who find themselves in a challenging position while waiting for their family residence applications to be approved. By enabling them to work part-time, the…

The Rivers State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. George Mfongang, has expressed concern over the increasing trend of Nigerian graduates migrating abroad in search of better opportunities. Speaking during a visit from the Rivers State Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mrs. Nwamaka Ikediashi, Mfongang emphasized the potential Nigeria holds for its young graduates and called on citizens to be patriotic and work towards making the country better. The discussion took place in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, where Ikediashi sought collaboration with NYSC to sensitize corps members about the…

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is urgently appealing for $18.5 million to provide essential health-care services to migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and host communities in East, Horn, and Southern Africa who are at significant risk of mpox. This appeal comes in response to the rapid spread of a new strain of the disease, which has prompted the World Health Organization to declare mpox a public health emergency of international concern on 14 August. The disease has been a persistent issue in the region for over a decade, with more than 15,000 suspected cases reported in the Democratic Republic…

The UK government, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has announced plans to ramp up deportations, aiming to remove more than 14,000 individuals who lack the legal right to remain in the country. This initiative is part of a broader effort to address public concerns about rising immigration, which played a significant role in the recent general election won by Labour. The Home Office revealed on Wednesday that it will recruit up to 100 intelligence officers at the National Crime Agency to combat organized crime groups facilitating small boat crossings by asylum seekers across the English Channel. Additionally, the government plans…

Panama deported 29 Colombian nationals on Tuesday in the first repatriation flight paid for by the United States. This was part of a new agreement between the two countries, signed in July. These individuals had entered Panama illegally by traveling through the dangerous Darien jungle, a route increasingly used by migrants heading to North America. Last year, over 500,000 migrants used this path, most of them from Venezuela. However, Panama is currently unable to deport Venezuelan migrants. The diplomatic relationship between Panama and Venezuela has soured because Panama, like many other countries, has refused to acknowledge Venezuela’s recent election results,…

In just 24 hours, over 300 migrants landed on Spain’s Canary and Balearic Islands, according to Spanish rescue services. This surge in arrivals occurred between Sunday and Monday, August 18-19. The most significant landing involved 198 migrants on two cayucos, traditional dugout canoes, who were intercepted by rescue boats near El Hierro in the Canary Islands. These individuals, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were transported to the port of La Restinga, where they received assistance from Red Cross volunteers. While most were in good health, five individuals, including a heavily pregnant woman, were taken to the hospital for further care. Witnesses…

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has unveiled a comprehensive plan to address the ongoing issue of illegal migration, as a key component of Labour’s manifesto to disrupt criminal smuggling operations. Upon taking office, Cooper, along with the Prime Minister, decided to abandon the previous government’s controversial Rwanda deportation plan. However, with the number of Channel crossings nearing 20,000 this year alone, the government is taking decisive action to strengthen immigration enforcement and return activities. The strategy introduced by Cooper includes several critical measures aimed at reinforcing the nation’s borders and enhancing the effectiveness of deportations. A significant aspect of the plan…

In the early hours of Tuesday, a total of 76 irregular migrants from Syria, Egypt, Sudan, and Bangladesh arrived on the shores of Gavdos, a small island south of Crete, aboard three separate boats. Among them were six children and four women, all of whom were reported to be in good health. Local fishermen played a vital role in helping the migrants safely reach land. Gavdos Mayor Lilian Stefanaki confirmed that all 76 passengers are in stable condition. They will be transferred by ferry to Sfakia in Crete, where they will be processed in Hania before being sent to Athens…

A group of migrants were heard banging and screaming for help while trapped in a refrigerated van on a ferry bound for the UK, according to testimony given in court. The trial of Anas Al Mustafa, a 43-year-old accused of smuggling seven migrants into the UK, began at Lewes Crown Court, where the harrowing details of the incident were revealed. Al Mustafa is accused of attempting to smuggle the migrants from Dieppe, France, to Newhaven, East Sussex, on February 16. The migrants were concealed in a specially modified van with a hidden compartment measuring just two meters wide, 194 cm…