Explore Business Standard
Immigrants
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday claimed that illegal immigrants are interfering in the country's electoral process, and there should be awareness about this. In apparent reference to the recent deportation of illegal immigrants by the United States government, he said every Indian should ask when this process would begin in our country. Dhankhar was speaking at the 65th convocation ceremony of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University here. "Crores of people who have no right to live in India are living here...They are making their livelihood here. They are making demands on our resources. On our education, health sector, housing sector. Now things have gone further. They are intervening in our electoral process," said the vice president. "It is the duty of all of us that we spread a mentality ('manasikta') in the country, create such an atmosphere....that every Indian becomes alert to this," he said. Without referring to the United States, he said some countries ..
The Trump administration on Tuesday stopped support for legal representation in immigration court for children who enter the US alone, a setback for those fighting deportation who can't afford a lawyer. The Acacia Center for Justice says it serves 26,000 migrant children under its federal contract. The Interior Department gave no explanation for the stop-work order, telling the group only that it was done for "causes outside of your control" and should not be interpreted as a judgment of poor performance. The halt remains in effect until further notice. The Interior Department and Health and Human Services Department, which oversees unaccompanied migrant children, did not respond to requests for comment. Acacia says it runs the legal aid programme through a network of 85 organisations nationwide that represent children under 18. The halt comes shortly after the Justice Department briefly stopped support for other contacts to provide legal information and guidance to people facing .
In Fresno, California, social media rumours about impending immigration raids at the city's schools left some parents panicking even though the raids were all hoaxes. In Denver, a real immigration raid at an apartment complex led to scores of students staying home from school, according to a lawsuit. And in Alice, Texas, a school official incorrectly told parents that Border Patrol agents might board school buses to check immigration papers. President Donald Trump's immigration policies already are affecting schools across the country, as officials find themselves responding to rising anxiety among parents and their children, including those who are here legally. Trump's executive actions vastly expanded who is eligible for deportation and lifted a ban on immigration enforcement in schools. While many public and school officials have been working to encourage immigrants to send their children to school, some have done the opposite. Meanwhile, Republicans in Oklahoma and Tennessee
Union minister Ramdas Athawale has said it was wrong to deport illegal immigrants from America to India in shackles and the US government should have avoided such a treatment. The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment made the comments on Saturday during a press conference, where he also shared details of the Union Budget and said the country is on the path of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the treatment of undocumented immigrants who were deported from the US to India earlier this week, Athawale said it was wrong to send them in shackles A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on February 5. It was the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants. Some of the deportees claimed their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing in Amritsar. The US government should
The Congress on Wednesday expressed sadness over "pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated" while being deported from the US and recalled that America had to express regret over the treatment meted out to India diplomat Devyani Khobragade in 2013 after the then UPA government retaliated sharply. A military transport aircraft of the US is bringing a group of Indian migrants, in the first such deportation to India as part of the big crackdown on illegal immigrants by President Donald Trump in his second term at the White House. Without directly commenting on the deportation flight carrying the Indians, a spokesperson at the US embassy in New Delhi said on Tuesday that Washington is tightening immigration laws and removing illegal migrants. Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "Looking at the pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated while being deported from the US saddens me as an Indian." "I remember in December of 2013, an Indian
Rev Homero Sanchez said he didn't realise the depth of fear in the Chicago immigrant community he serves until someone asked him to handle the sale of their family's home and other finances if they are picked up this week when President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Immigrants in large cities have been preparing for mass arrests since Trump won the election last November, but reports that his initial push would be in the Chicago area has brought a new sense of urgency and fear. "They feel they have been targeted for who they are. They feel like they're reviving this fear they had eight years ago," said Sanchez of St Rita of Cascia Parish on Chicago's South Side. "They're feeling like something is going to happen. This is not their city because of the threat." Sanchez, whose congregation has consisted mostly of people of Mexican descent since the 1980s, devoted Sunday mass "to solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters". Some immigrants in the country without legal statu
The Directorate of Education on Monday asked schools in Delhi to prevent the enrolment of "illegal Bangladeshi migrants" by ensuring a strict document verification process during admission. "Schools must ensure strict admission procedures, verification of students' documentation to prevent illegal Bangladeshi migrants' enrolment... implementation of greater scrutiny to detect and prevent unauthorised admissions of illegal Bangladeshi migrants, in particular," according to the circular. It directed the heads of all government, government-aided and unaided recognised private schools to refer to the local police and the revenue authority any case where they have doubts. The Directorate of Education further instructed the school heads to ensure that a careful process is followed to verify and handle all necessary documentation when enrolling the children of migrants. The District Directorate of Education (districts/zones) were directed to submit weekly reports of all such cases to the
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has issued an order to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrant children in schools and to ensure that no illegal Bangladeshi migrants are issued birth certificate.An order has also been issued for all zones to take appropriate action to remove encroachment made by illegal Bangladeshi migrants.A VC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Principle Secretary Home, GNCTD on December 12 wherein, Addl. Commissioner (HQ) and DC (HQ) represented the Commissioner, MCD.Accordingly, as discussed during the VC meeting, respective concerned Head of Departments and Zonal Authorities of MCD were requested to take certain preventive measures."Education Department to take appropriate preventive measures to identify illegal Bangladeshi Migrants while giving admission in Municipal Schools. It is also requested that proper identification & verification drive may also be undertaken to identify the illegal Bangladeshi migrant children in schools," B P ...
Australia's highest court ruled Wednesday that migrants can't be forced by law to wear electronic tracking bracelets or to comply with curfews. The ruling is a blow to the government, whose lawyers have unsuccessfully argued that laws imposing curfews and tracking technology are justified to protect the community. Five of the seven High Court judges ruled that the tough restrictions placed on more than 100 migrants, usually because of their criminal records, were unconstitutional because the conditions amounted to punishment. The constitution states that punishment must be imposed by judges, not lawmakers. The restrictions were part of emergency laws hastily passed in December in response to another High Court ruling that non-citizens could no longer be detained indefinitely as an alternative to deportation. That ruling in the case of a stateless Rohingya man reversed a 28-year-old High Court precedent that allowed indefinite detention where there were security concerns. Wednesday'
Few things say America like Janille and Tom Baker's ranch, with its grazing cattle, scrub brush-dotted desert and snow-capped mountains. If only they could get American citizens to work on it. The ranch in remote eastern Nevada produces around 10,000 tons of hay annually, and combines cowboy culture with a dash of Manifest Destiny. Rabbits, gophers and the occasional badger always outnumber humans and the nighttime sky is dark enough to count the stars. But the Bakers' business couldn't survive without an agricultural guest worker program that brings in Mexican immigrants for about nine months a year to help harvest crops in fields where temperatures frequently exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius). When people complain that foreign workers are taking their jobs, I roll my eyes, said Janille Baker, who manages the ranch's accounting. In any industry, everybody's trying to find help. So this anti-immigration stance doesn't really make sense to me. If everyone needs workers, h
European Union leaders on Thursday lauded a groundswell of support for tightening their borders and making the bloc a more hostile destination for migrants and asylum seekers following a recent surge in support for the extreme right, which has fomented opposition to foreigners. They also backed Poland's moves to rein in migration after Warsaw said it wants to temporarily suspend the right to asylum because it feels Russia and Belarus are seeking to create chaos by pushing migrants across the EU border as a form of hybrid warfare targeting the 27-nation bloc. At the end of a summit dominated by migration issues, EU leaders were already fostering plans to speed up initiatives to get migrants not eligible to stay in the EU out of the bloc and process asylum applications far outside their borders, seeking to buttress a reputation as a Fortress Europe. Echoing comments from many quarters, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Things are changing in the European Union. Now the
The Biden administration said Monday it is making asylum restrictions at the southern border even tougher, as it's increasingly eager to show voters uneasy over immigration that it is taking a hard stance on border security. The new rules, which toughen restrictions announced in June, bar migrants from being granted asylum when US officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. Under the previous rules, the US could restrict asylum access when the number of migrants trying to enter the country between the official border crossings hit 2,500 per day. The daily numbers had to average below 1,500 per day for a week in order for the restrictions to be lifted. But the version rolled out Monday says the daily numbers will have to be below 1,500 for nearly a month before the restrictions can be lifted. And the administration is now counting all children toward that number, whereas previously only migrant children from Mexico were counted. These changes will make it much more ...
For three days, the staff of an Orlando medical clinic encouraged a woman with abdominal pain who called the triage line to go to the hospital. She resisted, scared of a 2023 Florida law that required hospitals to ask whether a patient was in the U.S. with legal permission. The clinic had worked hard to explain the limits of the law, which was part of Gov. Ron DeSantis' sweeping package of tighter immigration policies. The clinic posted signs and counseled patients: They could decline to answer the question and still receive care. Individual, identifying information wouldn't be reported to the state. We tried to explain this again and again and again, but the fear was real, Grace Medical Home CEO Stephanie Garris said, adding the woman finally did go to an emergency room for treatment. Texas will be the next to try a similar law for hospitals enrolled in state health plans, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. It takes effect Nov. 1 just before the end of a ...
For many Haitian immigrants, Sunday mornings in Springfield, Ohio, are spent joyfully worshipping God as they sing and pray in their native Creole. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting balm more than ever. Their community is reeling confused, frustrated, hurt from false accusations that they are eating their neighbour's cats and dogs. The now viral and highly politicised rumours are being fuelled by former president Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and others, and violent threats against the community are upending daily life in their city. Jesus is with us in truth, and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets and geese in Springfield, said the Rev. Carl Ruby, preaching at Central Christian Church. He invited community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest of the false rumours levelled against their Haitian neighbours. They also demanded an apology. It is truth that a retraction of these rumours will help to restore peace in Springfield,"