Nearly 30,000 migrants, many of them from Haiti, had been camping underneath Del Rio International Bridge.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/25/texas-border-camp-emptied-us-continues-deportations-haitians
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By:
KABUL, Afghanistan — At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why they flights weren’t able to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help those left behind to flee.
An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.
The top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively “holding them hostage.” He did not say where that information came from. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the accounts.
The final days of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan were marked by a harrowing airlift at Kabul’s airport to evacuate tens of thousands of people — Americans and their allies — who feared what the future would hold, given the Taliban’s history of repression, particularly of women. When the last troops pulled out on Aug. 30, though, many were left behind.
The U.S. promised to continue working with the new Taliban rulers to get those who want to leave out, and the militants pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave. But Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told “Fox News Sunday” that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.
“The Taliban will not let them leave the airport,” he said, adding that he’s worried “they’re going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan.” He did not offer more details.
The Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said it was four planes, and their intended passengers were staying at hotels while authorities worked out whether they might be able to leave the country. The sticking point, he indicated, is that many did not have the right travel papers.
Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif also said the passengers were no longer at the airport. At least 10 families were seen at a local hotel waiting, they said, for a decision on their fates. None of them had passports or visas but said they had worked for companies allied with the U.S. or German military. Others were seen at restaurants.
The small airport at Mazar-e-Sharif only recently began to handle international flights and so far only to Turkey. The planes in question were bound for Doha, Qatar, the Afghan official said. It was not clear who chartered them or why they were waiting in the northern city. The massive airlift happened at Kabul’s international airport, which initially closed after the U.S. withdrawal but where domestic flights have now resumed.
Searing images of that chaotic evacuation — including people clinging to an airplane as it took off — came to define the final days of America’s longest war, just weeks after Taliban fighters retook the country in a lightning offensive.
Since their takeover, the Taliban have sought to recast themselves as different from their 1990s incarnation, when they last ruled the country and imposed repressive restrictions across society. Women and girls were denied work and education, men were forced to grow beards, and television and music were banned.
Now, the world is waiting to see the face of the new government, and many Afghans remain skeptical. In the weeks since they took power, signals have been mixed: Government employees including women have been asked to return to work, but some women were later ordered home by lower-ranking Taliban. Universities and schools have been ordered open, but fear has kept both students and teachers away.
Women have demonstrated peacefully, some even having conversations about their rights with Taliban leaders. But some have been dispersed by Taliban special forces firing in the air.
Some signs of normalcy have also begun to return. Kabul’s streets are again clogged with traffic, as Taliban fighters patrol in pickup trucks and police vehicles — brandishing their automatic weapons and flying the Taliban’s white flag. Schools have opened, and moneychangers work the street corners.
Among the promises the Taliban have made is that once the country’s airports are up and running, Afghans with passports and visas would be allowed to travel. More than 100 countries issued a statement saying they would be watching to see that the new rulers held to their commitment.
Technical teams from Qatar and Turkey arrived in recent days and are working to get the civilian airport operational.
On Saturday, state-run Ariana Airlines made its first domestic flights, which continued on Sunday. The airport is without radar facilities, so flights are restricted to daylight hours to allow for visual landing, said official Shershah Stor.
Several countries have also been bringing in humanitarian supplies. The Gulf state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintained a political office since 2013, is making daily flights into Kabul, delivering humanitarian aid for the war-weary nation. Bahrain also announced humanitarian assistance deliveries.
Meanwhile, the Taliban stepped up an assault on the last remaining pocket of resistance being led by fighters opposed to their rule.
The anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir province, north of the Afghan capital, are being led by former vice president Amrullah Saleh, who has appealed for humanitarian aid to help the thousands of people displaced by the fighting.
A senior Taliban spokesman tweeted Sunday that Taliban troops had overrun Rokha district, one of largest of eight districts in Panjshir. Several Taliban delegations have attempted negotiations with the holdouts there, but talks have failed to gain traction.
Saleh fled to Panjshir after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani quit Afghanistan as the Taliban marched on the capital. The fighters’ lightning blitz across the country took less than a week to overrun some 300,000 government troops, most of whom surrendered or fled.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/05/afghanistan-taliban-evacuees-airport-delayed-509882
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Associated Press
The U.S. has opened a mass COVID-19 vaccination site near the Dulles airport in Northern Virginia for Afghans fleeing the Taliban, the White House said Friday.The site is operated by the Federal …
Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/569758-us-opens-covid-19-vaccination-sites-for-afghan-arrivals
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Nathaniel Weixel
“We are rescuing a peaceful population who have cherished democracy for 20 years,” North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/these-countries-offered-help-afghan-refugees-u-s-flights-are-n1277401
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Saphora Smith and Vladimir Banic and Matt Bradley and Courtney Kube and Josh Lederman and Mosheh Gains
Defense secretary: ‘We’re gonna try our very best to get everybody, every American citizen who wants to get out, out’
The Biden administration said on Sunday commercial aircraft will be used to help ferry people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan.
Related: Taliban seek to assert control around Kabul airport as death toll rises to 20
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/22/afghanistan-evacuations-commercial-airlines-pentagon
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Martin Pengelly in New York and agencies
The Biden administration on Monday said it is expanding eligibility for at-risk Afghans looking to come to the United States as refugees, citing increased Taliban violence.Afghans who work or worked for a U.S. gove…
Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/565883-biden-administration-expands-afghan-refugee-program-amid-taliban
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Morgan Chalfant
The families will either be released with ankle monitors and a court date to make their case for asylum or put on flights to be quickly deported.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/ice-begin-processing-migrant-families-relieve-overcrowded-border-patrol-stations-n1275618
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Julia Ainsley
Vice President Kamala Harris has big goals for improving conditions in Central America to help slow migration from the region toward the United States.
Driving the news: Senior administration officials unveiled five sweeping goals during a call on Wednesday: Bettering economic prospects; rooting out corruption; promoting human rights, labor rights, and a free press; preventing gang violence; and combating sexual, gender-based and domestic violence.
The long-term strategies come as numbers at the U.S.-Mexico border continue to climb.
The big picture: Problems in home countries also continue to arise. Just last week, the top anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala was fired. Guatemala is viewed as a key partner for the administration on the migration issue.
Between the lines: President Biden has tasked the vice president with leading the administration’s efforts in Central America.
What to watch: The administration is also working to expand legal pathways for migration to the U.S., and strengthening asylum protections in countries in the region.
Source: https://www.axios.com/biden-harris-strategy-migration-central-america-38e0649c-5a31-4ae0-8f4c-d3d487533dd4.html
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Stef W. Kight
Home Office says at least 430 people made the dangerous crossing on Monday
Hundreds of migrants crossed the Channel to the UK on Monday, setting a new daily record.
The Home Office said that at least 430 people made the crossing. In Dungeness, Kent, about 50 people, including women and young children, were seen arriving on a beach after crossing in a single dinghy.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/20/record-number-of-migrants-cross-channel-in-one-day
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Miranda Bryant
Non-profit group sees apparent surge in number of migrant deaths this year
The bodies of an unusually large number of migrants who died in Arizona’s borderlands are being recovered this summer amid record temperatures in the sun-scorched desert and rugged mountains.
An increase in migrant deaths also has been noted in Texas, and rescues are up throughout the border with Mexico.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/12/us-immigration-bodies-heat-arizona
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Associated Press
A roundup of the coverage on struggles for human rights and freedoms, from Colombia to China
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2021/may/08/refugees-and-the-armenian-genocide-human-rights-this-fortnight-in-pictures
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Captions by Sarah Johnson, compiled by Eric Hilaire
The White House on Monday lifted the refugee cap to 62,500, ending a dizzying policy reversal by sticking with President Biden’s original plan to dramatically increase the number of refugees that can be admitte…
Source: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/551556-white-house-raising-refugee-cap-to-62500
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Rebecca Beitsch and Brett Samuels
The White House is reportedly reconsidering raising the refugee cap after abandoning earlier plans for an increase, …
Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/550471-white-house-reconsidering-lifting-refugee-cap-to-62500-after-reversal
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Rebecca Beitsch
Vice President Kamala Harris says US plans to provide aid for agriculture, disaster relief in bid to stem migration.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/25/central-americans-fleeing-due-to-hunger-food-insecurity-harris
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By:
The White House on Friday afternoon said President Biden plans to lift the Trump-era refugee cap by May 15.
Driving the news: The announcement follows stinging criticism from several Democrats and rights groups, who said Biden was walking back on his pledge to raise the limit. Earlier Friday, Biden had signed a directive to speed up the processing of refugees, but he kept the Trump administration’s historically low cap of 15,000 refugees for this year.
What they’re saying: “The President’s directive today has been the subject of some confusion,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Source: https://www.axios.com/white-house-biden-increase-refugee-cap-36127704-dd39-4de9-9f58-4a90e3947caf.html
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Axios
The Biden administration will keep in place the historically low refugee cap set by former President Donald Trump, a senior administration official said Friday.
President Joe Biden had pledged in February to raise the limit of 15,000 refugees set for this year by Trump and increase the annual refugee admissions cap to 125,000 for the next fiscal year. Days later, the State Department notified Congress that it planned to expand the refugee cap for this current fiscal year to allow up to 62,500 refugees to resettle in the United States.
But the Biden administration on Friday confirmed that it would not increase that cap, although a senior administration did announce that Biden would sign an emergency presidential determination to speed up admissions and change the regional allocation of those refugees to allow refugees from regions previously excluded by the Trump administration.
But Biden has nonetheless faced more pronounced criticism from lawmakers, immigrant advocates, families of refugees and other supporters for not following through on his promise to boost refugee admissions. White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday acknowledged in the press briefing that the record tide of migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border played a factor in the president’s decision against following through on his pledge to raise the cap.
A report released by the humanitarian aid group International Rescue Committee this week found that Biden is on track to admit fewer refugees than an president in U.S. history. Midway through fiscal 2021, only 2,050 refugees have been admitted to the U.S., according to the analysis.
“We intend to use all 15,000 slots under the new Emergency Presidential Determination and will closely monitor progress toward that end,” the administration official told reporters, adding that the administration would consult with Congress “should we need to increase the number of admissions to further address the unforeseen emergency situation.”
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/16/biden-refugee-cap-482424
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Sabrina Rodriguez
Fema will support a government wide effort over the next three months to safely receive, shelter and transfer minor children
The Biden administration will send federal help to manage and care for the thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border has increased this year.
The administration, which has prioritized reversing the immigration policies of Donald Trump, announced the move late Saturday to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/14/biden-fema-migrant-children-surge-mexico-border
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Staff and agencies
“It is really an apocalyptic situation,” said former prime minister Martin Ziguele.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/more-200-000-flee-apocalyptic-conflict-central-african-republic-n1256254
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Reuters
Thousands in US-bound migrant caravan were returned to Honduras this month, but many say they will try again. Why?
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/26/the-spiralling-crisis-pushing-hondurans-to-flee-north
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By:
A U.S. district judge on Friday ruled against the Trump administration’s latest effort to curb immigration with less then two weeks until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Source: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/533464-us-judge-blocks-trump-administrations-restrictions-on-asylum
Droolin’ Dog sniffed out this story and shared it with you.
The Article Was Written/Published By: Celine Castronuovo
