Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

A court in Turin has sentenced the former director of a repatriation detention center (CPR) to a one-year suspended prison term over the suicide of a young migrant in custody, ruling that she failed to address clear signs of psychological vulnerability. The decision marks a rare criminal conviction linked to conditions inside Italy’s migrant detention system. The ruling concerns the death of Moussa Balde, a 23-year-old man from Guinea who took his own life in May 2021 while being held at the CPR in Turin. Balde had been transferred to the facility after he was violently assaulted by three Italian…

An aviation-based humanitarian group has stepped up efforts to monitor the perilous Atlantic migration route to Spain’s Canary Islands from the sky, citing a lack of civilian rescue ships and growing risks for migrant boats navigating one of the world’s deadliest sea crossings. The Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI) has been conducting monitoring flights over the Atlantic Ocean since mid-January as part of the latest phase of a pilot surveillance project. The initiative, led by volunteer professional pilots, aims to detect migrant vessels in distress in an operational zone roughly the size of Switzerland — an area marked by violent winds,…

Italy’s conservative government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has approved a new migration bill introducing sweeping measures aimed at curbing irregular migration, including powers to impose so-called “naval blockades” on migrant ships attempting to enter Italian territorial waters. The bill was given the green light during a late-afternoon cabinet meeting on Wednesday. It must now be debated and approved by both chambers of the Italian parliament before it can become law. The legislation forms part of a broader strategy by Rome to tighten border controls and align domestic measures with the newly approved European Union migration framework. The move…

In the southern Austrian city of Graz, a migrant advisory body is marking three decades of advocacy by intensifying its campaign to secure local voting rights for foreign residents who live and work in the city but remain excluded from the ballot box. The Migrant Advisory Council of Graz was established in 1995 to represent the interests of migrants and advise the municipal administration on integration, social inclusion, and policy concerns affecting foreign communities. Thirty years later, the council says its next goal is to tackle what it describes as a democratic deficit in Austria by pushing for non-EU residents…

Mexican authorities are dismantling much of a large migrant tent city built along the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juarez after the wave of mass deportations from the United States that officials once feared has not occurred at the projected scale. The temporary shelter was erected in late January 2025 under the federal government’s “Mexico te Abraza” (Mexico Embraces You) initiative. The program was launched in anticipation of aggressive immigration enforcement measures promised by U.S. President Donald Trump following his return to office on January 20, 2025. Similar temporary facilities were established in eight other Mexican border cities as part of…

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to use “every tool at our disposal” to secure the country’s borders after her government approved a bill allowing naval blockades during periods of high migrant arrivals. The legislation, which must still pass both houses of parliament, would give Italian authorities the power to block boats from entering territorial waters for up to 30 days. The measure could be extended for up to six months in cases described as serious threats to public order or national security, including terrorism or sudden spikes in arrivals. The move marks the latest step in Meloni’s crackdown…

A group of Labour MPs has called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood not to apply new settlement rules to migrants who are already living in the UK. In a letter signed by 35 Labour MPs, along with 17 MPs from other parties, 21 peers and 33 civil society organisations, lawmakers argued that changing the rules for people already in the country would be unfair. They said many migrant workers have built lives, contributed to communities, and followed the rules in good faith. The government has proposed doubling the time most migrants must wait before qualifying for permanent residence, also known…

Iceland and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are strengthening their migration partnership as IOM Director General Amy Pope visits Reykjavik this week. The visit aims to deepen cooperation at a time when Iceland is putting in place its first full migration policy. Talks are focusing on migration trends in Iceland, across the Nordic region, and around the world. Amy Pope said IOM is bringing its global experience to support Iceland in building a migration system that is fair, well-managed, and helpful to both migrants and local communities. She stressed that strong cooperation can help countries respond better to changing…

Former communications chief to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Matthew Doyle, has been suspended from the Labour Party following revelations about his past association with a councillor later convicted of serious sex offences. Doyle, who now sits in the House of Lords, confirmed he will no longer take the Labour whip while an investigation is ongoing. The controversy relates to Doyle being pictured campaigning with Sean Morton, a former councillor in Moray, Scotland. Morton was charged in 2016 with possessing indecent images of children and later admitted to sex offences. The case has drawn strong reactions due to the nature…

The European Union is moving closer to setting up offshore centres for migrants and asylum seekers after lawmakers voted for tougher migration rules. The new measures will give governments more power to send asylum seekers to countries outside the EU, even if they have never lived there. Members of the European Parliament supported legal changes that allow migrants to be deported to so-called “third countries.” These include places migrants may have only passed through, or countries where they have no personal connection, as long as an agreement exists between an EU country and the receiving state. The rules are expected…