Migrants

The US said Saturday it plans to speed up efforts to expel thousands of Haitian migrants who were gathered under a bridge at the US-Mexico border , forcing its closure and a rerouting of traffic to other border crossings. The Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez told the Associated Press on Friday that there were about 13,700 new arrivals in Del Rio, Texas, a city of 35,000 people located 145 miles (233 kilometers) west of San Antonio. Del Rio is in a remote section of the border and the town lacks the capacity to hold and process such a large number. The new arrivals have made their own encampment, pitching tents and bathing and washing clothing in the river, AP reported. US officials react with alarm and consternation In a statement on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it had relocated approximately 2,000 migrants to other locations to process their arrival and determine if they would be eligible for removal. DHS also said an additional 400 …

[Read more...] about US to speed up ‘removal flights’ for Haitian migrants after border surge

I was taken to detention without warning last year and without a chance to collect my belongings for an unknown length of time. It was hard to imagine what would come next. Little did I know, I would be part of a growing number of people facing deportation. A year ago, I was loaded into a van surrounded by immigration removal officers and taken to Heathrow Airport . I was scared and didn’t know what was going on. What I did know is that I would not get the chance to see my friends again or have any of my belongings with me. I wasn’t even given the courtesy of holding my mother’s hand throughout this horrid experience as she was in another van headed for Heathrow as well. I was lucky to be able to get word to my friends who got stuck in when I needed them most. They managed to get in touch with my local MP, Ruth Smeeth, and she did everything she could to ensure that I would not be deported on that day. But that wasn’t the only time the UK Home Office tried to deport …

[Read more...] about I was nearly deported under the Home Office’s ‘deport first, ask questions later’ approach. This is why it’s so terrifying