Germany and the EU have enacted significant asylum law reforms, introducing mandatory preliminary screening at external borders for asylum seekers from low-acceptance countries. The new 'Common European Asylum System' (CEAS) aims to speed up procedures, though experts question its effectiveness and the feasibility of deportations.
Asylum seekers have been removed from the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex, as the Home Office terminates its contract due to fire and safety concerns. The hotel was previously a flashpoint for anti-immigration protests following a sexual assault incident.
A new EU asylum system (CEAS) mandates preliminary screening at external borders for asylum seekers from low-acceptance countries. Experts like Gerald Knaus doubt its effectiveness, predicting little change in asylum application numbers or processing responsibilities. Germany plans 'return centers' but faces challenges.
The European Court of Justice ruled that rejected asylum seekers awaiting transfer between EU countries must receive basic necessities like clothing and cash for daily needs, ensuring a minimum level of social participation and protecting physical/mental health.
EU lawmakers and state representatives have agreed on new rules to speed up the deportation of rejected asylum seekers, including extended detention and entry bans, amid growing pressure to curb illegal migration.
EU lawmakers and state representatives have agreed on new rules to speed up deportations of rejected asylum seekers, including extended detention, entry bans, and transfers to third countries. The deal aims to curb illegal migration amid growing pressure across the bloc.
The EU is paving the way for 'return centers' in third countries for rejected asylum seekers who cannot be deported. Experts express concerns about human rights and the feasibility of such centers.
The EU is looking for effective ways to return rejected asylum seekers, as European countries offer protection to those fleeing persecution or war, but not to those seeking a better future.
The author draws parallels between Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s and today's asylum seekers, highlighting historical fear of foreigners and the potential contributions refugees can make, citing his father's journey from internment to secret wartime service.
EU has agreed to establish 'return hubs' outside the bloc for asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected. The move aims to streamline deportations and deter irregular migration, though critics warn of potential human rights abuses and ineffectiveness.
Migrants housed in a historic UK hotel, reportedly featuring massage chairs, have drawn criticism over taxpayer-funded accommodation costs. The government faces pressure amid rising expenses for asylum housing.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering a new immigration policy that could allow asylum seekers to be rejected without an interview, based solely on paperwork indicating their application was filed over a year after entering the US. This proposal aims to address a growing backlog of cases but has raised concerns among advocates.
International arbitrators rejected Rwanda's appeal for £100 billion in damages from the UK over a scrapped refugee resettlement deal. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the UK, stating diplomatic exchanges confirmed no payments would be made.
A coalition of over 100 refugee children's organizations warns that AI facial age estimation for young asylum seekers could lead to wrongful detention or imprisonment. The technology, contracted to Akhter Computers Ltd for £322,000, faces criticism for potentially misinterpreting the effects of trauma and malnutrition on appearance, urging a human-led advisory role instead.
San Francisco's main immigration court has closed due to a "purge" of judges, leaving a backlog of cases and chaos for asylum seekers. The closure, attributed to administration policies aimed at increasing deportations and reducing asylum grants, has moved cases to a more distant courthouse.
The UK Home Office is extending a controversial "one in, one out" asylum scheme with France until October 1st. The deal, initially a pilot, forcibly returns one asylum seeker to France for each one legally admitted to the UK. Despite the extension, asylum seekers express dismay, citing continued crossings and disappearances in France.
The UK and 45 other European nations have signed a political declaration endorsing the use of third country hubs for unwanted asylum seekers, aiming to control irregular migration and potentially limit judicial intervention in deportations.
The UK government, led by Keir Starmer, faces criticism for attempting to dilute protections against torture in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to facilitate deportations of refused asylum seekers and foreign criminals.
A BBC report revealed some immigration advisers are helping asylum seekers pretend to be gay to stay in the country.
Shabana Mahmood has announced plan to cut leave to remain to 30 months, to concern of UN’s refugee agencyTwo Sudanese asylum seekers are challenging a key element of Labour’s plans to strip refugees of basic rights, rejecting the home secretary’s accusation that they are “asylum shoppers”.Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to halve refugees’ leave to remain in the UK from five years to 30 months, while refugees will have to wait 20 years before being eligible for permanent stay in the UK. Previously, people could apply for permanent settlement after five years. Continue reading...
Shabana Mahmood has announced plan to cut leave to remain to 30 months, to concern of UN’s refugee agencyTwo Sudanese asylum seekers are challenging a key element of Labour’s plans to strip refugees of basic rights, rejecting the home secretary’s accusation that they are “asylum shoppers”.Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to halve refugees’ leave to remain in the UK from five years to 30 months, while refugees will have to wait 20 years before being eligible for permanent stay in the UK. Previously, people could apply for permanent settlement after five years. Continue reading...
Two Sudanese asylum seekers, including a 16-year-old girl and a woman in her 20s, have died after their boat ran aground on a French beach near Boulogne. Approximately 82 people were on board the dinghy, which suffered engine failure and began drifting. Three survivors are in critical condition with burns from a mix of engine fuel and sea water, while 14 others sustained injuries. The incident brings the Channel crossing death toll to at least eight this year and raises questions about the UK-France £662m deal to stop small boat crossings.
Kurdish Syrian man, 26, said he fled forced conscription by YPG militia because he ‘didn’t want to kill people’An asylum seeker sent back to France under the controversial “one in, one out” scheme faces being returned to Syria after authorities in Paris ruled it was safe to do so, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.When the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced the “groundbreaking” deal in July 2025 to stop small boats crowded with asylum seekers from crossing the Channel – by forcibly returning one small-boat asylum seeker to France in exchange for bringing one in northern France legally to the UK – they emphasised that France was a safe country for returnees. Continue reading...
The U.S. government deported 15 Latin Americans to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on April 17 as part of a secretive migration deal—the first group to arrive under the agreement. The deportees from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru say they were chained during transport and didn't know their destination until on the plane. They are being held in a shabby hotel near Kinshasa's airport, cut off from a country whose language they don't speak, with limited water, rodents and mosquitoes. Several have pending U.S. court cases. The deal has sparked protests in Congo, where opposition politicians have condemned the policy.
