Refugee

UK announces drastic reduction in protection for asylum seekers, refugees

The measures, modelled on Denmark's strict asylum system, were announced late on Saturday (local time) as PM Starmer comes under pressure from surging popularity for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party

28 more Afghan refugee camps shut down in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Twenty-eight more Afghan refugee camps have been closed down in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said on Friday, as Islamabad intensifies its nationwide crackdown on illegal foreign residents. According to a notification issued by the Interior Ministry, eight camps were shut in Peshawar, three in Nowshera, five in Hangu, four in Kohat, and two in Mardan. Two camps in Swabi, one in Buner, and three in Dir districts were also closed. Authorities have been instructed to return all vehicles, equipment, and other facilities earlier provided to the refugee camps to their respective district administrations. Earlier, similar notifications had been issued for the closure of camps in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, and Haripur districts of the province. Pakistan hosts over 1.7 million registered Afghan refugees, with many more living without documentation. The government recently launched a repatriation drive, citing security and economic concerns, prompting thousands

US pushes overhaul of global asylum rules, citing widespread abuse

Trump had earlier said to the global leaders at UN that uncontrolled migration is harming nations, false asylum claims must end, and open borders "experiment" should stop

First major issue whether Rohingyas refugees or illegal entrants: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said the first major issue to be dealt with in cases concerning Rohingyas is whether they are refugees or illegal entrants. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and N Kotiswar Singh said once that is decided, the other issues might be consequential. The court observed this while hearing a batch of pleas concerning Rohingyas in the country. "The first major issue is simple, are they refugees or illegal entrants," Justice Kant observed. The bench took note of the broad issues that arise for its consideration in the pleas relating to Rohingyas. "Whether the Rohingyas are entitled to be declared as refugees? If so, what protections, privileges or rights they are entitled to?" the bench said. It said the second issue is if the Rohingyas are not refugees and are illegal entrants, whether the action of the Centre and states in deporting them was justified. "Even if the Rohingyas have been held to be illegal entrants, can they be detained indefini

More white South Africans arrive in US as new refugee programme begins

A second group of white South Africans has arrived in the United States under a refugee programme announced by the Trump administration, officials and advocacy groups said Monday. Nine people, including families and children, arrived late last week, said Jaco Kleynhans, head of international liaison at the Solidarity Movement, a group representing members of South Africa's white Afrikaner minority. The group travelled on a commercial flight, he said. A spokesperson for the US Embassy said in an email to The Associated Press that refugees continue to arrive in the United States from South Africa on commercial flights as part of the Afrikaner resettlement programme's ongoing operations. An initial group of 59 white South Africans arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on a chartered flight last month under the new programme announced by US President Donald Trump in February. The Trump administration fast-tracked the resettlement of white South Africans after indefinitely

UNHCR fund cut: Refugee lifeline hangs by a thread in host nations

What adds to the plight of refugees in India is that the country, which is neither a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention nor its 1967 Protocol, provides limited protection to them

UNHCR India looks to slash spending amid uncertain funding crisis

Move could impact over 47,000 refugees and asylum seekers in India

Mizoram govt plans to relocate displaced refugees to single location

The Mizoram government is planning to relocate all refugees taking shelter in different parts of the state and to bring them in one place, according to Lalmuanpuia Punte, political adviser to the chief minister. Punte on Thursday convened a meeting with officials of south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district to discuss issues concerning over 2,000 Bangladeshi refugees taking shelter in the district. He told the meeting that proper guidelines should be formulated to prevent the refugees from settling and shifting anywhere they want. Punte said that the government is taking steps to relocate and bring the refugees together in one place rather than be scattered in different villages for administrative convenience. The plan will also help the government in providing humanitarian assistance in a more convenient way, he said. Punte further said that plans are afoot to relocate 2,014 refugees from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) currently taking shelter in different villages in Lawngtl

Explained: What is the Olympics refugee team and how is it funded?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) formed the Olympics refugee team in 2016 and consists of 37 athletes from 11 countries competing in 12 sports at the Paris Games

Paris Olympics: Ngamba becomes 1st athlete on refugee team to clinch medal

Cameroonian boxer Cindy Ngamba on Sunday became the first athlete on the Refugee Olympic Team to clinch a medal at the Paris Games, offering hope for a team created to call attention to the plight of refugees across the world. Ngamba's victory comes after a fierce bout with French boxer Davina Michel in the women's middleweight quarterfinals. The win means she's at least scored a bronze medal as she advances to the semifinals. Ngamba was a flag bearer for the 37 athletes making up the biggest Olympic Refugee Team since the idea was born ahead of the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Ngamba, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 11 and said she was granted refugee status in 2021 because she could have been imprisoned for being gay in Cameroon. She has said boxing has been her escape from the chaos and has lifted her to the international stage. While some of the athletes on the team have already won Olympic medals for their countries in pas

J&K govt grants land proprietary rights to West Pakistan refugees

The decision will benefit thousands of West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) who were granted domicile status after the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 in August 2019

Biden rolls out migration order that aims to shut down asylum requests

President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled plans to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border as the White House tries to neutralize immigration as a political liability ahead of the November elections. The White House detailed the long-anticipated presidential proclamation signed by Biden, which would bar migrants from being granted asylum when US officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. The Democratic president has contemplated unilateral action for months, especially after the collapse of a bipartisan border security deal in Congress that most Republican lawmakers rejected at the behest of Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. The order will go into effect when the number of border encounters between ports of entry hits 2,500 per day, according to senior administration officials. That means Biden's order should go into effect immediately, because that figure is higher than the daily averages now. The .

Millions of Afghans sought refuge in Pak; Now hiding to evade deportation

Born and raised in Pakistan to parents who fled neighbouring Afghanistan half a century ago, an 18-year-old found himself at the mercy of police in Karachi who took his cash, phone and motorbike, and sent him to a deportation centre. Scared and bewildered, he spent three days there before he was sent back to Afghanistan, a place he has never been to, with nothing but clothes on his back. The youth is one of at least 1.7 million Afghans who made Pakistan their home as their country sank deeper into decades of war. But they've been living there without legal permission, and are now the target of a harsh crackdown on migrants who Pakistan says must leave. Some 600,000 Afghans have returned home since last October, when the crackdown began, meaning at least a million remain in Pakistan in hiding. They've retreated from public view, abandoning their jobs and rarely leaving their neighbourhoods out of fear they could be next for deportation. It's harder for them to earn money, rent ...

18 Hindu refugees from Pakistan get citizenship during camp in Gujarat

Eighteen Hindu refugees from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad were on Saturday conferred Indian citizenship at a camp attended by Gujarat minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi. Gazette notifications of 2016 and 2018 empower the district collectors of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Kutch in the state to grant Indian citizenship to people of minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, said an official release. With this, a total of 1167 Hindu refugees from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad district have so far been granted Indian citizenship, it added. At the camp organised at the district collector's office, Sanghavi conferred Indian citizenship to the migrants and urged them to work together to realise the dream of a new India. "It is expected that all of you will be determined to participate in the development journey of the country," he said, adding the Central and state governments were committed to bringing all those who have obtained Indian citizenship to the ..

Most tribal areas in northeastern states kept out of purview of CAA rules

Most tribal areas in northeastern states, including those granted special status under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, have been kept out of the purview of The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which came into effect on Monday. According to the law, it is also not going to be implemented in those northeastern states where Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime is in existence. The ILP is in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur whereby anyone from other parts of the country seeking to visit these states needs special permission from the state government. The tribal areas, where autonomous councils were created under the 6th Schedule, were also exempted from the purview of the CAA, officials said quoting from the law that was passed in 2019. Such autonomous councils are in existence in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. These include Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao and Bodoland Territorial Council areas in Assam, Garo Hills in Meghalaya and tribal areas in Tripura.

Hope, happiness among Pak Hindu refugees in Delhi as CAA rules notified

Pakistani Hindu refugees residing in Delhi expressed hope and happiness on the implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Monday, saying they are elated that "we will be called Indian citizens finally". Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the Centre announced the implementation of the contentious CAA 2019 for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. Dharamveer Solanki, who is considered the chief of the Pakistani Hindu refugee community in Delhi, told PTI that around 500 from the community will receive citizenship now. "I and my family have been waiting for this for over a decade now. We are extremely happy that finally we will be called Indian citizens now. I am glad I decided to return to my homeland in 2013," Solanki said. "It feels like a huge burden has been lifted from our shoulders. With the implementation of this act, around 500 Pakistani Hindu refugee ..

UK's Suella Braverman warns against hurricane of migrants in coming months

In a series of comments on immigration that have drawn some criticism from within her own party ranks, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has warned against a hurricane of migrants landing on the country's shores unless tough action is taken. The 43-year-old Indian-origin Cabinet minister, whose parents migrated to Britain from Mauritius and Kenya, told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Tuesday that their immigration was a mere gust compared to the millions more expected in the coming months and years. Her hard-line speech hit out at European human rights legislation that made it difficult for the UK to tackle the challenge of boat-loads of bogus asylum seekers. The wind of change that carried my own parents across the globe in the 20th century was a mere gust compared to the hurricane that is coming, said Braverman in her address to the Tory activists. Because today the option of moving from a poorer country to a richer one is not just a dream for billions of peop

Refugee students of MCD school move PIL in HC on denial of RTE Act benefits

Petitioner Social Jurist, a Civil Rights Group, highlighting that Afghanistan refugee students studying in MCD primary school, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi are deprived of Statutory monetary benefits

Manipur govt shifts last of 10 Kuki families in Imphal to Kangpokpi

The Manipur government has shifted the last of 10 Kuki families comprising 24 members from Imphal's New Lambulane area where they had been living for decades and did not move elsewhere even after the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur four months ago. These families were taken to the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district on the northern side of Imphal Valley early on Saturday, as they had become "vulnerable targets", an official said. The last of 10 Kuki families were provided "safe passage" to Motbung, in Kangpokpi district, some 25 km from Imphal, he said. But Kuki families alleged that they were forcibly evicted from their residences in the New Lambulane area to Motbung. S Prim Vaiphei, one of the volunteers guarding the Kuki locality in the heart of Imphal, said that a "team of uniformed armed personnel claiming to be acting under directions from the Home Department came to New Lambulane, Imphal in the intervening night of September 1 and 2 and forcibly evicted the last remaining

No indication that Afghan refugees in Pak guilty of terrorism: White House

There is no indication that the Afghan refugees in Pakistan or those living along the border with Afghanistan are guilty of acts of terrorism, the White House has said after Islamabad accused them of creating instability. The remarks by White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby came two days after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that allowing Afghan refugees to settle in Pakistan was a grave mistake amid a spike in terrorist attacks on the country. The current situation has raised significant concerns about the facilities provided to the Afghan refugees, Asif said, adding Pakistan has suffered the consequences of sheltering and hosting the Afghan refugees. He also accused Afghan nationals involved in terrorist activities. "(We are) Seeing no indication that Afghan refugees in Pakistan or along that border are guilty of acts of terrorism," Kirby told reporters at a news conference here on Monday. Kirby said the US is grateful to Pakistan for the incredible