The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
Calgary Herald – Fearing Trump crackdown, “dreamers” advised to end travel
Immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, but were protected from deportation by President Barrack Obama, are being warned by some advocates to make sure they are not travelling abroad when Donald Trump is sworn in as president on Jan. 20.
Some advocates, lawyers and universities are concerned that Trump might immediately rescind an Obama program that had allowed these young immigrants to work and travel for humanitarian, educational or employment purposes. That could lead, they fear, to some people travelling abroad being barred from re-entering the U.S.
“We are recommending all travel be completed by or before Jan. 20 in the event laws or procedures experience a drastic change,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. “We wouldn’t want to expose them to an uncertain situation should they not be allowed back to the U.S.”
Al Jazeera – Rohingya refugees from Myanmar tell of trauma
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – Outside this town by the Bay of Bengal, we kept bumping into fresh arrivals when we visited the camps for Rohingya refugees fleeing a security crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar. Many of them said they were from the village of Kearipara in Myanmar. From the sounds of it, that village has been utterly devastated.
All of them shared similar stories: watching family members get murdered, hiding without eating for days, and having their homes burned down. Several told us about having to sell their valuables – rings, piercings, earrings, whatever they had on them – to facilitate a safe passage into Bangladesh. The route, which was always difficult and deadly, has become even more problematic.
Le Devoir – Plus de 7000 réfugiés syriens attendent de venir au Québec
Sprint final ; la ministre québécoise de l’Immigration promet que quelque 400 réfugiés syriens vont arriver d’ici le 31 décembre, ce qui permet d’atteindre la cible de 7300 pour 2015-2016. Or, la priorité sera donnée aux réfugiés pris en charge par l’État et non aux réfugiés parrainés au privé par des familles québécoises, qui devront prendre leur mal en patience jusqu’en 2017.
Toronto Star – Honeymoon for Syrian refugees over as ‘Month 13’ looms
For many of the 35,000 Syrians who have arrived in the country — 15,000 in Ontario — since Canada started bringing in planeloads of newcomers last Dec. 9, what is commonly known in the refugee resettlement circle as “Month 13” is looming. After a year of being warmly welcomed into local communities across the country, the 12-month financial commitment to these refugees by Ottawa and private sponsorship groups will start to come to an end. Many of the adult Syrian newcomers will be faced with the reality of choosing between quitting English classes, working or living off provincial welfare — an income that is less than the meagre resettled refugee assistance they currently receive from the federal government.
CBC – Ex-detainees, supporters form human chain demanding end to indefinite immigration detention
Strangers bundled in parkas and scarves joined hands in sub-zero temperatures, forming a human chain around the Toronto Immigration Holding Centre on Saturday and demanding an end to the indefinite detention of immigrants in Canada. More than 150 people — including former detainees and family members of some of those currently inside — gathered outside the medium-security facility in Rexdale on International Human Rights Day calling for a no more than 90-day limit to detentions as a first step to ending them completely and to show their solidarity with some 138 detainees inside its walls, according to End Immigration Detention Network numbers.
Georgia Straight – Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson launches 101 Days of Action against discrimination
On International Human Rights Day, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson attended a rally at Library Square to mobilize city residents to rise up against discrimination. The mayor and many community leaders in attendance declared that they were signing a pledge called “101 Days of Action”. It calls upon signatories to speak out against hate and discrimination in any form in the period leading up to the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, 2017. “One of Vancouver’s greatest strengths is our diversity. Over the course of the last year we have welcomed refugees from around the world, passed an Access Without Fear policy, and recommitted our efforts to being a City of Reconciliation, but there is more work to be done to ensure Vancouver is a safe and compassionate city for everyone,” Robertson said in a news release. “The 101 Days of Action pledge demonstrates that we believe in shared values of equality, anti-racism, and freedom from injustice. Recent events around the world and close to home have left many of our loved ones feeling vulnerable, and hate can only be overcome when we stand in solidarity and empower each other to speak out—and call out—discrimination when we see it.”
