- Global Nomads: Migrants and borderless people
The Great Migration South: More Mexicans and Mexican Americans leaving the U.S. than entering
Sicilian Port of Pozzalo becoming hotspot for registering migrants
EU predicts 3 million migrants could arrive by the end of 2016
Italy's interesting solution for the influx of migrants in Sicily
Canada and Refugee Crisis
Even as Libya's instability shows no end in sight, the Libyan government continues to wrestle with armed militia in Tripoli, Benghazi, Zlitan and other towns across the country. Some militia groups have officially nominated themselves as immigrant officials and border patrol guards searching for illegal migrants who are accused of over staying their visas, have left their passports at home when they were detained or do not have visas nor the money to pay immigrant officials' exuberant amounts. Legal migrants who work as day laborers are equally harassed by militiamen for papers and are constantly threatened with deportation by militiamen who are carrying out a stricter and tougher migration policy compared to Gaddhafi's lenient and somewhat open door migration policy. He used migration for economic and political gain when it suited his alliances with neighboring countries. The migrants come from diverse countries such as Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sudan. Nearly 1 million people who lived in Libya prior to the war were migrants from around the world. The Libyan economy relies heavily on migrant labor in construction and operations. The insecurity and instability across Libya has stalled many reconstruction projects but has not hampered migrants' determination to reach Libya for work and financial opportunities. Many more migrants have escaped wars, torture, political instability in their homelands and some who can not return to their home countries or face death. Some migrants have given up and returned home while others are deported after being detained in makeshift detention centers at the Tripoli Zoo or the infamous Abu Salim Prison used by Gaddhafi government for political prisoners and oppositions. Since 2011 Revolution and NATO bombings, migrants in Libya have faced difficulty obtaining work visas and permits. Their safety and health is less of a priority for Libyan government as it struggles to care for its own citizens while equally seeking to disarm militiamen. More migrants are hoping to leave Libya and continue on their journey towards Europe. Some European officials and right wing leaders fear the arrival of economic migrants from North and West Africa.
Never mind the alarmist and pundits screaming about there not being enough space on the British isles for millions of people or new comers. Japan and Phillipines both have over 100 million people each. Both countries' economics and societies are still functioning. There many territories with few arable land who have dealt with high dentsy population for centuries and they have found practical solutions to handle population influxes. The Netherlands have been fighting the sea and limited agricultural land so has Greece and Italy. What about Switzerland? The country that gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to be neutral. It has German, French and Italian influences and has a small foreign population. Its not imploding on itself. Surprisingly, the European "fear the migrants" pundits don't make as much noise about multiculturalism in Canada, United States or Australia.
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| Palestinian families are forced to migrate (internally) across Gaza Strip as a result of the continual blockade and frequent Israeli bombardment in Gaza. Illustration by LB. |
International Adoption: The Bitter Irony of Sweden's Colonial Present
Exceptional in Europe? Spain's experience with immigration and integration
Spain proposes to Morocco immediate deportations at borders: Read here
Nowhere to Go: Plight of Refugees from Myanmar to Zimbabwe and beyond
Smart Power Empire: The Afghanistan Novel and Melodrama
The Ainu: Reviving the indigenous spirit of Japan
Indigenous People of Japan
- Muslims in Asia: Southeast and west
- The breakdown of the peace agreement framework between the Filipino government and Southern Philippine's province of Mindinao Moro National Liberation or Islamic Front and the proposed semi-autonomous territory of Bangasmoro.
- On the recent confrontation between the Malaysian government and group of Filipino militants seeking territorial claim for the Sultanate of Sulu based in Sabah, a province of Malaysia
- Rohingya refugees in Malaysia turn to Mail Order brides
Immigration to Europe
Documentary on African migrants in the tourist friendly island of Lampedusa in the aftermath of Post Libya conflict and the revolutions.
Immigration, Right, Left Wing & National Security in Western countries
Europe particularly the Western European countries' monocultural and monoethnic societies have been changing for the last four decades. Immigrants known as migrants in Europe, first arrived in France, Germany, UK, Italy in 1950s in the aftermath of Post World War II destruction of Europe. However, migrants had been arriving in France, Italy, UK and elsewhere going back to before 1900s. Colonized peoples from Asia, Africa and Oceania served as foot soldiers and infrantrymen in the colonial imperial armies to repress rebellions either in their own home countries or halt uprisings in occupied countries in other parts of the world. Outside the military, studying abroad in Europe for many African, Asian and Arab/American university students has been ongoing since the early 1900s. Nevertheless, the way migration or immigration is spoken about in many countries in Western Europe, their early history is ignored and citizens of immigrant background are treated as though they have never had contact with Europeans inside Europe.
Several Right Wing political parties have made a surprising leap from small to large gains in the European Union Parliament during previous general EU elections. Leftist parties across EU and Israel has been declared too weak to challenge the continual shift of voters' attitudes from moderate and leftist parties such as Labour, socialist democrats, christian democrats, etc to nationalistic parties that brush close to extremist, xenophobic and racist political platforms and ideologies. The continual Eurozone and larger financial crisis tied with the economic breakdown via austerity cuts, high unemployment and increasing debt for ordinary people across Southern Europe has allowed the entrance of right wing extremist parties and organizations Golden Dawn in Greece and its brother organization ELAM in Cyprus on the Greek side and English Defense League in England and other parts of the UK. The recent murder of a young British soldier by British extremists has given an extra strength to the EDL's supporters, community organizing and grassroots protests now occurring in cities such as London and NewCastle. The people's anger is still boiling against the banks, capitalist system and the success of right wing parties and leftist parties across Europe (Canada and US included) who have become more right wing over the past decade is being felt by peoples even in Northern and Western Europe. In the so called too big to fail or to big to bail countries Italy, France, England, Nordic countries (Germany is still stable serving as the largest economy in Europe) that are facing weakening economies and slow growths in addition lowering of credit ratings by Standard & Poors. Anytime an economic crisis develops and overwhelms ordinary people while only causing minimal harm to wealthy citizens, politicians or bankers, such crisis gives birth to nationalist parties and organizations that feed off the anger of the country's citizens and uses patriotism, xenophobia, racism and fear of migration among other as a launchpad to garner support among the people or take a step further to gaining seats in parliament or being elected to high office. Israel has also elected right wing leaders such as Benyamin Netanuyhu and Foreign Minister Avigador Liberman to lead the Israeli Government. Many opposition parties, ordinary Europeans, Israelis, Palestinians and Americans, etc fear that the current economic crisis combined with the continual and unwinnable wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, continual aggressive Israeli policy in occupied Palestine and war on terrorism has given credit to the Right Wing to implement tougher security measures, racist policies and promote exclusion attitudes that denies Diversity and multiculturalism in numerous Western countries and encourages the revival of eurocentric nationalism. Immigration has become the main focal point of most countries around the world. Ignoring Occupation takes a look at European Union to see how the former colonial powers deal with immigrants, migrants, asylum seekers and French, Dutch, British, German citizens of non white origins and people of color.
Migration and Africa: On the urgent need to think beyond the nation-state
Who are France's Far right?
Blacks and Arab French sue police over racist stop and search
African migrants in Turkey face exclusion from society
Amsterdam of immigrants: Sharing the Motherland RT Documentary
Nigeria's dangerous skin bleaching obsession
African street vendors shot dead in Florence
Europe's Failure with Multi-ethnicity
United Europe Celebrates Ethnic Diversity
Paris Burning
Migration and migrants in Greece
Aside from being the birthplace of Western Civilization and beyond the tourist sites and famed food, Greece today is riding a wave of high unemployment and anger by youth and unemployed Greeks who have bore the brunt of the 2008 financial and Eurozone crises. Anger at government austerity measures and its continual cuts, banks grabbing of ordinary people's assets and foreclosing homes, the troika and what some see as the government's lack of sympathy for the Greek public's plight as a whole Golden Dawn, a new right wing to borderline fascist political party has emerged in Athens to challenge the government. Like other right wing parties across Europe, Golden Dawn has gained popularity not through social media but by organizing Greeks in the streets, providing charity running Greek only soap kitchen and serving as a real social movement that can not be ignored by the government nor other like minded political parties across Europe. The English Defense League also organizes its supporters in street protests and confrontation with the police while Sweden's far right takes its success in parliament to offer its ideas of possible solutions to fix the current Eurozone Crisis and address migration. Golden Dawn's fame is not only its use of Nazi inspired logo and flag but its physical and verbal attacks on illegal and undocumented migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Algeria, Nigeria and Ghana. Asian and African migrants are not new to Greece nor necessarily illegals. Their limbo represents the complexity of crisscrossing borders and the strict immigration (referred to as migration in Europe) policy by various European governments that makes life near impossible for migration in the War on Terror uber security state across the Western countries. Although some have illegally entered the country despite attempts to enter legally, many migrants have lived in Greece for a decade or more. Some have families including children who were born in Greece and know no other homeland and speak fluent Greek. However, it is near impossible for migrants no matter if they have lived in Athens, Thessaloniki or other Greek islands to receive any formal resident permits or even begin the process for Greek or EU citizenship. The illegal migrants are equally trapped in limbo of dentention and police brutality in which Greek authorities deny the protection of their human rights or protection from physical harm by Golden Dawn thugs or supporters or police forces. The irony is Greece has historically been a country of emigration sending thousands if not millions of Greeks to other parts of Europe, Africa, Asia and Americas but refusing to allow even a few legal migrants to enter the country. Albanian migrants in Greece have felt the scorn and discrimination along with other problems on a smaller but still significant scale. Migrants detained or living in Greece have been caught in the war on terrorism and the insistence on securing countries at all cost through defense budgets, tight border control enforced by electric walls, CCTVs and armed border guards, well equipped police forces and avoiding terrorist attacks both internally and externally has criminalized migrants and media stereotypes have added to the demonization of the non European Other.
Is Greece turning into Nazi Germany?
African migrants in Greece
Black Panthers form to protect themselves against Golden Dawn, racism and police brutality
Misery meets Greece's migrants
No Refuge Migrants in Greece
Golden Dawn MP attacks another MP during live debate on Greek TV
Human Trafficking is the Second largest Industry
France: A country of Migration/Immigration, Expulsions and detention of new migrants
Immigration Policy and skilled workers
Canada, the United States, Australia and Argentina have long prided themselves as nations of immigrants. Canada and the US constantly remind the world that their two countries alone are home to the world's most diverse and multicultural nations. Compared to Western Europe who has troubles and tensions when absorbing new comers and immigrants to their shores, Canadians and Americans have been thought from the cradle that they are the most welcoming people of the developed countries. To a lesser extent the world as they preach Democracy and respect for diversity to the world's peoples. The immigration exceptionalism is touted by politicians and human rights defenders alike. The melting pot comes to mind when describing the cultural diversity in American and Canadian societies. Despite welcoming immigrants for decades, both nations' governments have placed restrictive, exclusionary and racist barriers to certain immigrant groups coming from Asia, Africa and Americas. For years prior to 1965 Immigration law that eased restrictions on immigration from non European countries, the US encouraged immigration from Western and Northern European countries often marginalizing southern Europe and Eastern Europe. The hierarchy of race spawning from Darwinism and scientific racism that placed so called Nordic ie Scandinavian and Northwest Europe at the top of an illogical human species (ranking of civilized and uncivilized) played a big role in how immigrants were perceived and accepted in American society. Scientific racism and survival of the fittest were discredited with the horrors of WWII, Nazism and holocaust. The creation of the UN and Declaration of Human Rights further reaffirmed the long overdue need to protect the world's humanity. The 1965 immigration law ended the national origins formula and opened the doors for immigrants from around the world outside Europe. The law was symbolically signed by Lydon Johnson in front of the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island with Ladybird Johnson, Senators Ted and Robert Kennedys in toe. The law as President Johnson introduced it was not revolutionary it eased restrictions only slightly to appease mainstream white American society who feared the country's culture would be drastically change by a sudden influx of immigrants. Cultural change has happened gradually. For the past thirty years reforming immigration has been on top of the agenda among other pressing issues in Congress. Canada followed a similar path as the US in its immigration policy. It was not until 1966 that the White Paper on Immigration reduced restrictions on Non European immigration and suggested that the country should accept as many immigrants as possible.
World Immigration is a Win-Win situation for Rich and Poor Nations- David Suzuki says, Canada is "full" and calls immigration policy "crazy"
- Shaping the future: Canada's rapidally changing immigration policies
El Coyote Documental
- The
story of the notorious yet unknown human smugglers only known as
coyotes who charter and aid illegal migrants from Mexico, El Salvador
and elsewhere across the US border via rivers and overland in trucks,
cars and vans to escape capture by the American and Mexican border
guards.
Population Decline and aging in Developed countries
- For
decades, demographers and urban planners have bemoaned the tribulations
of an overcrowded planet Earth. The public, authors, scientists and
politicians and researchers have each decried the scarcity of housing,
limited jobs, food insecurity, climate change, rising aging population as
a consequence of billions of people sharing the Earth's limiting
resources. Often an invisible finger is pointed towards the developing
countries as a source of overpopulation and complaints of high
birthrates have been made for over half a century if not longer. The
developing countries who had enjoyed their prosperity and wealth through
industrialization, the birth of capitalism and class divisions,
colonialism, exploitation, racism and social power are now facing an
unending financial crisis and recession on par with the Great Depression
in 1920s-1940s. The comparison is often overlooked to avoid angering
disenfranchised population namely, the unemployed youth to parents, disgruntled
workers, students, elderly. In the developing countries, the overcrowded Earth concept parallels another frightening yet real demographic challenge: a rising
aging population and demographic decline. Japan, European countries,
United States, Australia, South Korea, China and now the south American
countries are seeing an increase in elderly people from the Baby boom
generation who are reaching retirement or in the process of finishing
their last working years. Millions of people are relying on a variety of
social services to care for them in their old age chiefly medical care,
compensation, elderly care and seeking company with family and friends
in their golden years. Japan often serves as the epitome of an aging
society for Europe and North American countries. Japan has one of
the world's highest life expectancy, people live longer in Japan well
into their 100s. Meanwhile the birthrate has been on the decline for years with
few babies born, the demand for a larger workforce to both care for the
elderly and keep services and industries and the economy productive has been emphasized
again and again. European especially Western European countries are
also experience population or demographic decline similar to Japan.
- Villages
and towns have literally been shrinking or transforming into ghost
villages with youth and their parents leaving their towns as a result of limited to no jobs in their respective
regions and a declining population who migrated to prosperous regions
to find work without any interest in returning permanently. Immigration
has been offered as one of many solutions to the decline. While illegal
immigration has driven fear of an immigration influx through the roof in
Europe, US and South Korea, legal immigration through education or
professional workers is seen as a practical economic solution. The
flipside is many countries facing a baby drain and an increasing demand
to a declining workforce, have restrictive immigration policies that
places a strict quota on the amount of migrants, refugees or asylum
seekers entering the country. Often receiving short to long term
resident permits or migrants' interest in gaining citizenship requires
taking tough advance language immersion exams (Japan has one of the
toughest language immersion exams in the world required for permanent
residence that places emphasizes a near native level fluency in written
and spoken Japanese to pass) to even age requirement for migrants
seeking citizenship or children of foreign nationals born in a third
country who have to wait until their 18 years old in Europe to be
granted citizenship. Currently Europe and US are slowly rethinking and
addressing possible immigration reform. The other solution is to have
more children but is met with reluctance by many men and women who are
worried about financial impact and toll. They are also people who prefer
their careers and personal success, single lives or delay marriage to
having children.
- China and India are also
experiencing a gradual again population even though both countries are
home to over a billion people each. China's famed one child policy has
helped to control a feared overpopulated country but has also created a
male to female population imbalance where males outnumber women. Some
demographic researchers have hinted at gendercide in both countries to
explain the gender imbalance. Recently the Chinese government has slowly
retracted its One Child Policy in the cities (villages and towns across
the country often find loopholes to having two or multiple children)
granting citizens freedom to have more than one child. India hasn't
relied on a One child policy but has used population control policies
that have had mixed effects on the population. It seems that a rising
Middle Class and young peoples' decision to delay having families until
after careers has played a role in demographic changes within both
countries.
Japan's Baby Drain by SBS News
How Japanese viewed immigration from 1980s-1990s
Immigration Nation 1: White Australia Policy pt 1
Australia prides itself on being a nation of immigrants in the same category as United States and Canada to a lesser extent in the eyes of Europeans South Africa. Though home to the Aboriginal peoples or indigenous Australians, Australia similar to the Native American in US or First Nation peoples in Canada when colonized by Europeans in the early 19th century wanted to present itself to the world as the Lucky Country and a Utopia via Demcoracy and equality in the same vain as the US and Canada. Similar to its North American immigrant nations, Australia excluded and gradually exterminated the Aboriginal Australians through internment camps, schools to Europeanize indigenous children, a policy of breeding the indigenous out of the aboriginals and neglecting indigenous who have grown up in the shadows of a prosperous Australia and blocked Asian immigrants and other non European migrants from arriving on its shores. It was only twenty years ago that White Australia policy was abolished and that Aboriginals were granted citizenship. In recent decades migrants from across Asia from Afghanistan to Vietnam to and Indonesia are also racing towards Australia for refuge, educational and professional opportunities.- Swedish suburb of Husby faces 2nd day of riots by immigrant youths who have burnt cars and thrown rocks at the police.
- Europe needs a multiethnic miracle:
Europe is facing a demographic threat in addition to the Eurozone
Crisis if it seeks to continue as a secondary power it needs migration.
- More old People, Fewer workers: Nations look to immigration
Margaret Thatcher's legacy
War and Demographics: World War I destruction and its toll on Europe's population
Children, minors, women crossing borders and migration
Turbalance and Clarity: Thoughts on identity and womanhood
Identity in the Age of Globalization
Clash of Kenya's Identity
Japan: Immigration reforms create problems for foreign residents
Japan fails to attract skilled foreign professionals despite preferred immigration status
Japan keeps up a high wall for foreign labour
Accepting Immigrants: Japan's last opportunity for Economic Revival
Al Jazeera-Greece Immigrant Children fight for citizenship
Zimbabwe's Child Exodus: What motivates thousands of children to take great risks smuggling themselves across the border into South Africa?
LEaving Tunisia: People and Power on migration of Tunisians in aftermath of Arab Revolution
href="http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/black-africans-come-under-fire-libya">Black Libyans and Africans come under fire in Post Gaddhafi Libya
Little Alien: migrant youths journey and lives across Europe by Nina Kustricia
France blocks Tunisian immigrants from entering country, angers Italy
Xenophobic attacks on the rise in crisis hit Greece
Immigration issue tests European Union unity
Europe's Migrants, the World is a Smaller Place
Illegal immigrants rewrite Europe's Values
The Shield of Innoncence
American & European right wing unite in Anti-Muslim scapegoating
Europe's Fear of a Muslim planet
Europe shuts its door to illegal immigration
"Be tough on economy, immigration and Europe" Tories tell Cameron
Libyan immigrants becoming Italian immigrants
Libyan immigrants flock to Italy
African immigration to Europe
Fear about immigrants deepens divisions in Europe
EU moves to end passport free Europe
Europe and immigration are vital issues so let's discuss them
Mass immigration from Africa could lead to full scale crisis
Entry Denied: Revolution in North Africa and Continued centrality of Migration in European Responses
< href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13883331">Geert Wilders cleared of inciting hatred against Muslims in Amsterdam Court
< href="http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/news-update-items/article/europe-needs-more-humane-treatment-of-refugees-says-expert-9877.html">Europe needs more humane treatments of refugees
Sweden joins Europe wide backlash against immigration
< href="http://www.social-europe.eu/2011/05/on-the-future-of-migrants-%E2%80%93-and-of-europe/">On the Future of immigrants and Europe
Violence against migrant women won't end after Dominque Strauss-Khan Case
Tunisia deploys troops to stop exodus
EU concerned about flood of North African migrants
EU: Flow of Migration from North Africa slowing
Racism rears its ugly face in Libya Uprising & Live on TV
Priority Africa Network Directory, Nunu Kidane gives an overview of history & relationship of African migration, politics, culture and social between North Africa and Africa South of the Sahara
Impact of immigration on healthcare
Italy bears brunt of EU's immigration Crisis
North African refugees stuck at intersection of Europe's Hopes and fears
Libya poses immigrant threat for Italy
Denmark reintroduces border controls
Europe's North African policy drowned by flood of migrants
Identikit of a Pure, indigenous European
Migration and Women: A photo exhibition
Tunisians discover secret archive of Ben Ali in Paris
Refugees: Europe's Other Crisis
Unraveling of Europe's Peace
EU Leaders Set up rule to fight illegal immigration
Tunisian owned Paris house reveals post Ben Ali Rift
Home Office ban 'replaces economic migrants with guest workers'
Migrants to send Britain's population soaring to largest in EU
Europe's Right Wing profits from failure of immigrant integration into mainstream society
Rise of the National Front in France
Anti-Immigration Ad from Right Wing French political group Front National (equates Immigration in France with the Apoclypse)
Malians in France: African immigrants and European Union, Dangerous Journey West and East
Malians in France: Immigration & Relocation programTraveling with immigrants: The trecherous journey of illegal immigrants from Mali to France
Immigration in Mali
Global 3000 | A European Immigration Center in Mali
Cargado por deutschewelle. - Las últimas noticias en video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUouW5__m8U&feature=related
Focus on Migration: Turkey
Turkey: A Country transformed from emigration nation to immigrant nation
Turkey, Greece and illegal immigration A detailed report on why and at what cost migrants from Africa to Asia risk their lives to reach Europe
Row over treatment of immigrants, reopens rift between Turkey and the EU
Embracing the Infidel: Muslim migrants Journey to the West
The lives and journey of Muslim immigrants facing death to reach the West, NPR report
European Harakiri in Libya
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