Category Politics & Policy
The Unsafe Third Country Agreement
by Aditya Rao Since the election of President Trump, small border towns across Canada have seen thousands of asylum seekers cross into Canada. In May of last year, a woman died in the cold while trying to cross the border. This January, the small town of Emerson, Manitoba saw a man cross from the United […]
“I have a right not to be resilient”: New Orleanians of color remember Hurricane Katrina
I moved to New Orleans in the overwhelming heat and humidity of early July for one reason: K10. Branded as such on banners, billboards, and a deluge of press kits, the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall (2015) promised to be a media circus rivaling that of the 1984 World’s Fair. For six weeks leading […]
Refugee support in Germany: a question of impact
Much like development assistance in general, humanitarian aid to refugees is under increasing scrutiny to demonstrate its own effectiveness. This is particularly true in the context of massive refugee camps in the Middle East and Eastern Africa where donor money fuels the work of large international NGOs. Organisations working to fulfil basic needs like shelter, […]
Salvadoran Nationals are Faced with the Reality that TPS was in Fact Temporary
by Karina Guzman Originally published on the Northeastern Law Review Forum On Monday, January 8, 2018, the Trump Administration announced that it would not renew Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for Salvadoran and other nationals. As a result, “more than 200,000” non-citizens from El Salvador will be forced to leave the United States. Tal Kopan, Trump Admin […]
El Pueblo Sigue Luchando (The People Keep Fighting)
by Leonard Olsen It was a hot and sticky morning in the central park of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Sweating profusely, I quickly realized that me and my towering, 65-liter backpack looked silly surrounded by hundreds of men and women who had packed all of their belongings into a gym bag. I paused to look around […]
Congressman Garret Graves and the discursive disappearance of communities of color in South Louisiana
On 10 October, 2017, Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves stood before the House Natural Resource Committee and introduced an amendment to designate Louisiana’s Cajuns as an endangered species. After making an impassioned speech about the failures of the federal government to preserve Louisiana’s coast, the tenuous future of the Mississippi River Delta, and Louisiana’s current campaign […]
End of DACA Program Turns DREAMers’ Lives to Nightmares
On September 5, 2017, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration’s decision to make good on a campaign promise to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, throwing hundreds of thousands of young immigrants’ lives into chaos and passing the hot potato of potential immigration reform back to Congress. Created by […]
Border walls overlook the realities of migrant deaths, shifting demographics, and humanitarian crises
By Sara Staedicke President Trump’s Executive Order promising to build a “great, great wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border was intended to portray the President as a man of action following through on his campaign promises. But how effective would a southern border wall be in practice? Experience tells us that walls fail to prevent migration […]
The European Union’s migration crisis: An Italian view
The city of Bologna bears a glowing beauty in July. Temperatures rise beyond 30°C in the late morning and refuse to drop until past midnight. All buildings shine in shades of yellow, orange and ochre. Walking along Via Saragozza, I come past young Black men standing under the arches of the Portico that shades the […]
The Lesson of the San Antonio Smuggling Case: The US Needs Immigration Reform
By Aaron Robles On Sunday July 24, 2017, a semi-truck driver stopped in a Walmart parking lot in San Antonio, Texas, to inspect the contents of his trailer. As he lifted the latch to the rear door and opened the container, he found a dreadful scene- scores of immigrants dying of heat exhaustion. Earlier that […]
