Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

Several Republicans in the United States are beginning to question the impact of mass deportations on key industries, as President Donald Trump continues strict border enforcement in the first year of his second term. While the policy has fulfilled campaign promises, it has also created serious labour shortages, especially in construction, agriculture, and hospitality. South Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz has called for legal protection for migrant workers in the construction sector. She is proposing a special visa program similar to the H-2A visa used for agricultural workers. According to her, construction companies in her district are struggling to…

The South Korean government has ordered a nationwide crackdown on the labor exploitation and trafficking of migrant workers, following a sharp rise in abuse cases involving foreign nationals. From January 8 to March 31, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Justice will carry out joint inspections across the country. The inspections will focus mainly on farms and fisheries that employ seasonal migrant workers, in cooperation with local governments. Officials said this is the first time both ministries are working together on inspections aimed specifically at protecting migrant workers from human trafficking and forced labor. The move…

A Turkish national has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for supplying thousands of small boats and engines used by people smugglers to transport migrants across the English Channel. Authorities say his actions played a major role in many dangerous and deadly crossings. The man, identified as 45-year-old Adem Savas, was also fined €400,000 after being found guilty in a Belgian court. He was arrested in November 2024 after arriving at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands and later stood trial in Bruges, Belgium. Investigators said Savas supplied inflatable boats and outboard engines to smuggling gangs over several years. The…

A Tunisian court has released a group of humanitarian workers who were accused of helping migrants enter and stay in the country illegally. Among those freed is Sherifa Riahi, the former director of the French NGO Terre d’Asile. The court handed the defendants two-year suspended sentences. By the time the final ruling was delivered, the NGO workers had already spent more than 20 months in prison. Shortly after the hearing, a support group shared a video showing Riahi leaving jail, confirming that her colleagues had also been released. The case involved a total of 23 defendants, including 17 municipal workers…

Crete and the small island of Gavdos are currently among the Greek isles recording the highest number of migrant sea arrivals, despite dangerous winter sea conditions. In recent days, hundreds of migrants have been rescued and transferred to these southern islands, putting renewed pressure on local reception facilities. Early on Wednesday, January 7, Greek authorities discovered a boat carrying 44 migrants on a beach in Gavdos. The group was given first aid, food, and water before being moved to the island’s main port at Karave. Plans are in place to transfer them by ferry to southern Crete. Once in Crete,…

A Tunisian court has released a group of NGO workers with suspended sentences after they were accused of helping migrants enter and stay in the country illegally. The decision ends a case that had attracted criticism from international human rights groups. Sherifa Riahi, former director of the French NGO Terre d’Asile, and several colleagues had spent over 20 months in detention before the final hearing. A video posted by Riahi’s support committee showed her leaving prison, with reports confirming her colleagues were also freed. Defence lawyer Mahmoud Daoud Yaacoub said the court handed a two-year suspended sentence to defendants who…

Migrants in France are posting videos on TikTok showing methods for smuggling themselves into the UK using lorries, according to reports. Footage shows men hiding behind bushes or trees before running and jumping into the space between the driver’s cabin and the trailer of moving vehicles. Charities say lorries are often targeted by migrants who cannot afford expensive smugglers’ fees for crossing the English Channel in small boats. However, smuggling via lorries carries serious risks. In April 2024, a Sudanese man was killed trying to board a lorry, and in June, another migrant died after being crushed by metal bars…

Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) announced plans to explore new ways for migrant workers to gain legal status in the construction industry. The Edinburg Republican revealed on Monday that she will meet with the U.S. Department of Labor to discuss solutions after local builders raised concerns over immigration arrests disrupting their workforce. De La Cruz suggested creating a visa program for construction workers similar to the H-2A agricultural visa program, which allows foreign nationals to work legally in the farming sector. “We’d like to see where the construction industry would fit,” she said, emphasizing the need to support…

At least 22 Ethiopian migrants were killed and 65 others injured after a lorry they were traveling in overturned in Semera town, in Ethiopia’s north-eastern Afar region, authorities have reported. About 85 migrants were traveling along the eastern migration route when the accident occurred on Tuesday morning, according to a senior Afar official, Mohammed Ali Biedo. Their ultimate destination was unclear, though the route typically runs from Ethiopia through Djibouti, across the Red Sea to Yemen, and onward to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. “The accident occurred when a lorry transporting migrants, misled by illegal brokers and unaware of…

Uzbek migrant workers are increasingly leaving Russia for Saudi Arabia, signaling a major shift in the Eurasian labor market. Saudi Arabia recently announced it will accept at least 20,000 Uzbek labor migrants, particularly in the medical and social sectors, providing legal work visas, housing, contracts, and health insurance. Applications for these positions are set to open soon. This move reflects more than just a bilateral employment agreement. For decades, Russia was the main destination for Central Asian migrant workers. Before the pandemic, millions of migrants from the region, including over 1.5 million Uzbeks, worked in Russia, sending remittances that supported…