Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

Malaysia has agreed in principle to hire a large number of Bangladeshi workers over the coming years, promising fair wages, improved safety, and strong protections for migrant rights. This agreement was reached during a high-level meeting in Putrajaya between Asif Nazrul, adviser to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and officials from Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources. Officials familiar with the talks confirmed that two main issues were prioritized: improving the treatment of Bangladeshi workers already in Malaysia and establishing a more transparent and ethical process for recruiting new ones. The decision comes as both countries work to…

Vietnam has reaffirmed its firm commitment to combat illegal migration and human trafficking, while continuing to promote safe, legal, and orderly migration. Speaking during a press briefing on May 29, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson Pham Thu Hang emphasized that the Vietnamese government is dedicated to protecting the rights and dignity of migrants while taking strong measures to prevent unlawful migration practices. This response comes amid recent British media reports highlighting that Vietnamese nationals are still being smuggled into the United Kingdom in container trucks. According to Hang, Vietnamese authorities are aware of these reports and are actively verifying…

A Boeing 737 that once carried Vice President JD Vance across the country during his 2024 campaign is now being used by the U.S. government to deport migrants to Central America. The aircraft, bearing the tail number N917XA, has taken on a starkly different role in 2025, logging over a dozen deportation flights for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to public flight data and immigration watchdogs. The plane, formerly dubbed “Trump Force Two,” was a familiar sight during the presidential campaign as it transported Vance, his staff, and journalists between rallies and battleground states. It even featured in…

France is struggling to stop most of the migrants attempting to cross the English Channel, even as the UK continues to pay more than £480,000 every day to support French patrol efforts. Official Home Office figures reveal that so far in 2025, only 8,347 migrants have been intercepted by French authorities, while 13,167 have successfully reached Britain’s southern coast. This means nearly two-thirds of the total number of migrants attempting the journey have made it into the UK, despite a major financial agreement between London and Paris intended to stop the crossings. Critics say the French government is not meeting…

Two teenagers rescued by an NGO-operated vessel in the Mediterranean Sea have been accused of aiding illegal immigration after arriving in Salerno, southern Italy. The young men, a 19-year-old Egyptian and a 17-year-old Sudanese national, were among 252 people rescued by the German-flagged ship Solidaire, which brought them to the Italian coast on May 26. Authorities allege that the two teens acted as captains of a boat that departed from Libya with 111 people on board. The passengers came from various African and Middle Eastern countries, including Somalia, Eritrea, Mali, Egypt, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Syria. The boat was part of…

Indonesia is aiming to develop spa therapy as a top sector for placing its migrant workers in international hospitality roles. The Ministry for Migrant Workers Protection shared this new direction during a recent visit to several job training centers in Bali, emphasizing the global demand for skilled spa professionals. Deputy Minister Christina Aryani highlighted the need to take spa therapy seriously, citing input from various Indonesian ambassadors. She noted that countries are increasingly seeking trained spa professionals, and Indonesia should be ready to meet this demand. To prepare for this, Aryani visited leading spa training institutions such as Mandara Spa…

A Minnesota judge has sentenced Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, the leader of a human smuggling ring, to 10 years in prison after a tragic case in which a family of four from India froze to death while trying to cross the US-Canada border in January 2022. The family died in a blizzard just steps from the U.S. border in Manitoba. Federal prosecutors had asked for nearly 20 years for Patel, who was found guilty in 2023 along with U.S. driver Steve Anthony Shand. Shand was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison with two years of supervised release. Prosecutors said Patel, also…

A group of migrant rescuers in Italy will go on trial this October for allegedly helping illegal immigration, following a payment from global shipping company Maersk. The organization, known as Mediterranea Saving Humans (MSH), confirmed the news on Wednesday through a Facebook post. The trial is set to begin on October 21. It involves three senior MSH officials, the captain of their rescue vessel, and three crew members. They are being charged in connection with a rescue operation carried out in 2020, when the group took in 27 migrants from a Maersk ship stranded at sea. Prosecutors claim that Maersk…

The Trump administration has agreed to return a Guatemalan man to the U.S. after a federal judge ruled that his deportation lacked due process. The case, involving a man known only as O.C.G., marks a significant turn in one of the most important legal battles over the administration’s aggressive deportation tactics. O.C.G. had previously informed immigration officials that he had faced violence in Mexico and feared returning there. Despite this, U.S. authorities deported him to Mexico, where he was later sent to Guatemala. Now, under the direction of Judge Brian E. Murphy of the Massachusetts Federal District Court, the government…

A U.S. federal judge has stopped the Trump administration from shutting down several programs that protect migrants who legally entered the country under President Biden. The ruling means that hundreds of thousands of people from countries like Ukraine, Afghanistan, Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela can keep renewing their legal status in the United States for now. Judge Indira Talwani of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts made this decision on Wednesday. She ruled that the government must continue processing applications for migrants trying to extend their stay through Biden-era humanitarian programs. The judge described the Trump administration’s plan to end these…