Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas rescued 77 migrants after their sailboat encountered trouble in the Ionian Sea near Greece. The Hellenic Coast Guard reported that a Maltese-flagged cargo ship spotted the distressed sailboat on August 5, late Monday. The sailboat, overloaded and unable to progress, was located 112 nautical miles southwest of Pylos in southwestern Greece. Responding to a request from the Hellenic Coast Guard, the Odyssey of the Seas changed its course to assist the migrants. Initially, the cruise ship dispatched a tender to tow the sailboat and later deployed a smaller launch. Passengers on…

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has helped 4,877 Nigerian victims of human trafficking return home since 2017, as revealed in a recent report. Through the IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programme, 88 percent of the returnees were women and girls, totaling 4,261, while men made up the remaining 13 percent, or 616 individuals. Most of the returnees were between the ages of 18 and 39, with those aged 18 to 25 being the most vulnerable to traffickers. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, the IOM assisted 167 Nigerian victims, 81 percent of whom were female. This trend…

Undocumented migrants in Iran, mainly from Afghanistan, must leave the country by March 20, which is the end of the current Persian calendar year. This deadline was announced by Brigadier General Ahmadreza Radan, the head of the Iranian police. General Radan confirmed Iran’s strong commitment to repatriating illegal migrants during a recent statement. The announcement came during a ceremony for the Arbaeen walk, a significant pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Hussain ibn Ali in Karbala, Iraq. At the same event, General Radan also mentioned that Iran will not allow foreign pilgrims to cross its borders into Iraq for the…

Over the past two years, tens of thousands of asylum-seeking families have arrived in New York City, seeking safety and a new start. These families find temporary housing in Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs) and begin the arduous process of rebuilding their lives. They must navigate city agencies, enroll their children in school, address physical and mental health issues from their journey, and attend immigration appointments, often without legal assistance. Parent defenders at the Center for Family Representation (CFR), whose Manhattan office serves neighborhoods with many HERRC shelters, have noticed a disturbing trend. Family Court neglect filings against…

Migrants who were forcibly returned from Pakistan are now calling on the Islamic Emirate to keep its promise of providing land for their settlement. Many of these individuals arrived in Afghanistan with nothing, having lost all their possessions during their return. They urgently need support from aid organizations to help them rebuild their lives. Salamuddin, one of the deported migrants, explained that while the government promised to provide land, they are still living in other people’s homes. Azad Khan, another migrant, shared that their biggest issue is finding proper shelter. Despite receiving some help, they had to spend the winter…

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has issued a strong condemnation of the far-right anti-immigration riots that have been erupting across various parts of the UK. The bishops expressed their unwavering support for migrants and refugees, highlighting the serious threat that the recent violence poses to civil society. Bishop Paul McAleenan, who is the Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, has called on the public to pray for peace, for the safety of migrants who feel endangered, and for the emergency services who are working under challenging conditions. Bishop McAleenan has denounced the violence targeted at migrants and…

An audit by New York City’s comptroller, Brad Lander, has uncovered that the city allowed a contractor to charge for unnecessary expenses, including unused hotel rooms. The audit focused on DocGo, the company hired to help manage the influx of asylum seekers. It found that DocGo billed the city $833,340 for 4,902 hotel rooms that were never used over 61 nights at the Armoni Inn in Orangeburg, New York. Mayor Eric Adams had directed the city to send asylum seekers to hotels in counties north of the city to reduce the pressure on local shelters. However, this audit reveals that…

A group of over 75 migrants on a sailing boat was rescued by a cruise ship off the coast of Pylos early Tuesday morning. The Greek coast guard coordinated the rescue operation. They directed a Maltese-flagged cruise ship to pick up the distressed migrants from the sailing yacht. Reports indicate there were between 75 and 77 people on board. The yacht was found about 207 kilometers off the southwestern coast of Greece. The migrants were safely transported to the Greek port town of Kalamata. According to the Associated Press, there were no reports of missing persons. This rescue took place…

In a tragic incident, a boat carrying over 200 migrants sank off the coast of Yemen, resulting in at least 39 fatalities. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the boat, which sank on Monday, had 260 people on board. Among them, 39 have been confirmed dead, 150 are missing, and 71 survivors have been rescued. The nationalities of the migrants have not been disclosed. Each year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa embark on the perilous journey across the Red Sea, hoping to reach the oil-rich Gulf states. They flee from conflict, natural disasters,…

A tragic maritime incident occurred late Saturday when a boat carrying over 30 migrants sank approximately 17 miles southeast of Syracuse, Sicily. The Italian Coast Guard was alerted after a distress call was received, prompting an immediate response to the emergency. The Italian Coast Guard quickly dispatched a patrol boat and an aircraft to the scene. Upon arrival, they managed to rescue 34 people from the water. These survivors were transported to the port of Syracuse, where authorities began the process of providing them with medical care and assessing their condition. Unfortunately, the rescue operation revealed that one migrant had…