Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

The Conservative Party has unveiled a new £1.6 billion plan to create a powerful “removals force” designed to detain and deport 150,000 illegal migrants every year. Modelled after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the proposed force would replace the current Immigration Enforcement unit and be granted sweeping new powers, including the use of facial recognition technology without prior warning. Kemi Badenoch is expected to formally present the plan at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, where reducing illegal migration and strengthening the UK’s borders are key talking points. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the proposal as a…

Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholics around the world to fulfill their moral and spiritual duty by welcoming and assisting migrants. Speaking at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the Pope appealed for the opening of the Jubilee of Migrants and the Missionary World, an event that drew more than 40,000 pilgrims. He urged the faithful to make a clear choice between God and money, justice and injustice, reminding them that true faith is shown through compassion and fairness. According to him, people must use God’s blessings to create a more just and equal world where everyone can share…

The United States government is planning to launch a new program that will offer unaccompanied migrant teenagers a one-time payment of $2,500 if they agree to return voluntarily to their home countries. According to an internal memo, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin the initiative with 17-year-old migrants and will require authorization from an immigration judge before any departure takes place. The payment is designed to help the minors reintegrate into their home countries and will only be issued after they return. The proposed plan builds on an earlier voluntary return program introduced during the Trump administration, which…

Ireland has announced a new scheme that will give migrant families up to €10,000 if they agree to withdraw their asylum applications and return home. The move comes as the country struggles with a severe housing shortage, leaving thousands of asylum seekers without proper accommodation. The voluntary return programme, already in place, provides financial help for people without legal status who choose to return to their home countries. Under the new plan, the government will increase the grant to €2,500 per person, capped at €10,000 per family. Officials say this will help ease pressure on Ireland’s asylum system, which has…

Migrant care workers in Cardiff are facing threats from employers, discrimination, and unfair working conditions, according to concerns raised by Cardiff Council. The warning came from Angela Bourges, the council’s operational manager for strategy, quality, and commissioning, during a community and adult services scrutiny committee meeting. Ms Bourges explained that some care workers, particularly those on visa sponsorship, have reported being pressured into working extra hours under the threat of losing their sponsorship. She said some workers have also faced discrimination, such as being given less desirable shifts compared to their colleagues. These practices, while carried out by a small…

The White House has strongly defended President Donald Trump’s migration policy after Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born head of the Catholic Church, described the treatment of migrants in the United States as “inhuman.” Speaking to reporters, Pope Leo said he could not understand how people could call themselves pro-life while supporting policies that cause suffering for immigrants. The pope, who was born in Chicago and elected in May following the death of Pope Francis, added that being pro-life should not only mean opposing abortion. He said it should also include rejecting the death penalty and standing against the mistreatment…

Hugh McGowan still remembers the day he was taken from his mother’s hand as a little boy. At 77, he believes that moment was the last time he ever saw her. McGowan was one of more than 7,000 British children sent to Australia after World War II as part of a child migration scheme. Although the program was promoted as a chance to give war orphans “a better life,” many children were not orphans at all. Instead, they were sent from church-run care homes, often without understanding that they would never be able to return. The children were placed in…

The UK government has announced a major reform of its asylum system, aiming to reduce the number of illegal small boat crossings while making the process fairer. Under the new plan, asylum seekers granted protection will no longer receive automatic settlement or family reunion rights. Instead, they will face stricter requirements and a longer path to permanent residency. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the changes are part of efforts to stop the business model of people smugglers and show that the UK is not a “soft touch” for illegal migration. He explained that while genuine refugees will continue to receive…

The story of Tasos Kolokotronis is one of courage, loss, and resilience that mirrors the wider Greek migration experience to Australia in the 1950s. Leaving his village of Nea Magnisia in Thessaly on November 20, 1954, Tasos faced the heartache of saying goodbye to his bedridden mother, only to later learn of her passing shortly after his departure. His journey aboard the ship Kyrenia, alongside hundreds of young men carrying nothing more than suitcases of clothes and dreams, set the stage for a life of challenges and opportunities in a new land. His first stop was Greta Migrant Camp in…

Police have rejected online claims that a gang rape in Banbury was connected to migrant housing, saying there is no evidence to support such speculation. The attack happened overnight on Saturday in the grounds of St Mary’s church and around the town centre. The victim, a woman in her 30s, is being supported by specially trained officers. Thames Valley police confirmed that one of the suspects was described as a white man, but added that no further verified descriptions of the group were available. A police statement stressed that rumours about the men’s ethnic background or links to migrant centres…