Refugees and migration news covering asylum policy, displacement crises, border issues, resettlement, and global migration trends.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate hearing that white South African Afrikaners should get privileged immigration pathways due to high assimilation likelihood. The Trump administration raised the refugee cap to 17,500 for Afrikaners, a policy Rep. Grace Meng contrasted with stalled Afghan ally resettlement.
This commentary argues that Australia's immigration detention and deportation policies, particularly the resettlement deal with Nauru, cause severe harm to families. It contends that the NZYQ cohort faces permanent exile to a place of punishment, and that children like Sara suffer lifelong trauma from separation.
This commentary uses photojournalist John Moore's documentation of Marvin Suazo's self-deportation to Honduras to argue that U.S. immigration policies force families into painful separations. It contends that the asylum system fails those with prior deportations, highlighting the human cost of enforcement.
This commentary argues that the EU's new Common European Asylum System will worsen conditions for asylum seekers, particularly through detention-like facilities and return hubs in third countries. It contends that Germany's halt to Afghan resettlement endangers vulnerable groups, and criticizes the reform as poorly crafted, potentially rolling back refugee rights.
Migration to Germany dropped sharply in 2025, with around 1.48 million arrivals, down 13% from 2024. Net migration fell 45% to about 235,000, while departures decreased slightly by 2% to 1.25 million.
Sweden announced reforms to immigration rules that had led to teenagers being deported while their families stayed. The age for such deportations rises from 18 to 21. Those subject to deportation can now submit new residence permit applications.
Greece has reopened asylum cases for Syrian and Afghan refugees, starting with 1,200 Syrians in February, as part of a policy shift aiming to facilitate returns. Only men are currently receiving notices to restate their reasons for asylum, according to a lawyer. The lawyer stated that the asylum regime is being tightened, with fewer grants and more rejections.
Over 100 refugee children's organisations criticised UK Home Office plans to use AI facial age estimation on young asylum seekers, warning it could lead to more children being wrongly placed in adult prisons or detention centres. The Refugee and Migrant Children's Consortium urges the Home Office to use AI only as an advisory tool, not a substitute for social worker assessments.
This commentary reviews the documentary 'The Guest,' which depicts the risks faced by refugees and their Polish hosts on the Belarus-Poland border. The reviewer argues that while the film highlights courageous acts of compassion, it suffers from ethical issues, such as showing a deceased refugee's face without consent, and limits its portrayal of refugees as victims rather than full human beings.