Mediaboss Marketing

Noel Moran- CEO, Prepaid Financial Services Ltd.

With the migrant crisis in Europe showing no signs of slowing, and with freezing conditions being widely reported in camps, non-governmental organisations, aid charities, and governments are looking for new and innovative ways to distribute payments quickly and securely to save lives in the region.

Cash was the first solution deployed by a number of national governments, however, issues quickly arose. Delivering and distributing substantial amounts of cash to processing centres became an operational and logistical nightmare for governments, who also struggled to manage and monitor accurate disbursement to claimants. Cash payments also left refugees in a vulnerable position, making them easy targets for theft.

Aid charities were aware that many people stranded in camps needed access to cash, but were also struggling to find an effective way of providing access to funds. Many refugees are unbanked, so paying funds directly into bank accounts was not an option as it would only be available to a small proportion of the people needing financial support.

With no obvious benefits for the refugees or the organisations, it became apparent that cash payments were an impractical solution.

Alternative payment solutions for the unbanked

To combat these problems, prepaid cards, which do not require credit checks or a fixed address to be issued, have been provided to refugees and asylum seekers via governments and NGOs throughout the SEPA zone.

In addition to solving a number of problems that arise from cash distribution, as refugees will inevitably move across Europe, organisations have the ability to monitor spend activity across the entire EU, ensuring that migrants are safe. Several organisations have implemented limits on the amount of cash that can be withdrawn from ATMs, as well as setting up alerts to notify them if a certain number of declines are made at POS or an ATM, or when there has been no spend on the card for a set number of days. It is also possible to block spend right down to retailer/MCC level if necessary, and instant fraud alerts can be implemented, minimising risk.

Payment platforms that utilise the prepaid model are agile and work in real-time, providing reporting, monitoring and auditing, while streamlining operations and resources, enabling organisations to make payments to refugees via a fast and secure method, giving them access to financial services, and preventing financial exclusion.

The platforms flexibility enables programmes to be highly customisable, allowing for different configurations to suit the needs of the government or NGO, meaning that the best possible prepaid solution can be delivered across the SEPA zone to its end users, as there are no issues with changing location or currencies when crossing borders.

For governments, there is a need to ensure that funds are being distributed fairly and according to the regulations, and a prepaid programme is capable of doing just that. Recently, it has been widely reported that cash payments hugely benefit refugees and others in crisis, but concerns have also been raised about how UK taxpayers foreign aid payments were being spent. With a prepaid card, it is easy to monitor and apply exclusions so that taxpayers can be assured that their money is being spent on foreign aid that genuinely helps people.

In addition to this, prepaid solutions eliminate cash completely from immigration centres and remove the logistical and security challenges of transportation faced by governments.

For charities, because prepaid cards can be issued and loaded quickly, this significantly cuts down the time required to disburse funds, meaning that aid workers time can be reallocated to provide more physical relief to refugees.

Benefits of prepaid for refugees

Aside from providing much needed financial support, unlike cash, prepaid cards provide asylum seekers with a way to gain more control of their finances and budget effectively without feeling discriminated against; prepaid card accounts come with online banking, and allows them to spend online, in stores and withdraw from an ATM, with contactless payment functionality - almost identically to a standard debit card - meaning they do not feel singled out.

Unfortunately, even once refugees have confirmed that they will be settled somewhere permanently, the struggle to access banking services does not stop there. Basic current accounts require a form of ID and a proof of address before opening an account; however, because there are no credit checks completed and no documentation is required to issue a prepaid card, refugees can apply to open a prepaid bank account instantly that allows them to set up regular payments, and get preferential rates on currency transfers when friends and family abroad load funds onto the card.

Prepaid offers considerable benefits for both the organisation distributing funds and the refugees they support. With the crisis in Europe looking to continue for the foreseeable future, it is crucial that more Governments and charities utilise prepaid as a fast and secure way to make disbursements to some of the worlds most vulnerable people.

Read more here:
The migrant crisis and fintech: Payment solutions that provide support to refugees - Bobsguide (press release)

One scheme to make Mexico pay for the wall could wind up encouraging more undocumented migrants to come to America, a report obtained by The Daily Beast shows.

If the Trump administration follows through on veiled hints that its considering cutting foreign aid to Mexico, it could shut down a program that blocks hundreds of thousands of immigrants at Mexicos southern borderkeeping them from eventually entering the United States. Thats according to a report put together by Congresss in-house think tank and obtained by The Daily Beast.

Buried in Trumps recent executive order on immigration is a section ordering the heads of federal agencies to figure out how much foreign aid and assistance the U.S. sends to Mexico every year. Its widely speculated that this provision was included as a first step toward cutting aid to Mexicoand then using that money to have Mexico pay for Trumps much-promised border wall.

But eliminating that aid could undercut Trumps stated goal of reducing the number of undocumented immigrants who enter the U.S. every year. The report obtained by The Daily Beast shows that the bulk of U.S. aid to Mexico funds the so-called Mrida Initiative, which helps bankroll Mexicos own Trump-esque border policyone that turns away Central American immigrants by the hundreds of thousands.

If Trump wants a southern barrier against asylum-seekers, he already has one. Under the Mrida Initiative, the government of the U.S. pressures Mexico to turn away Central American immigrants before they reach the U.S. While immigration from Mexico to the U.S. has largely been static for years, border hawks in the U.S. point to a recent uptick in illegal immigration from three Central American countriesHonduras, El Salvador, and Guatemalaas evidence that the federal government needs to implement stricter border policies. But if Trump makes good on threats to cut funding to Mexico in exchange for his border wall, his anti-immigrant fight could just move one border closer.

A substantial piece of the Mrida Initiative in recent years has gone toward strengthening Mexicos southern border, Lisa Haugaard, executive director of the Latin America Working Group, told The Daily Beast. The Obama administration in recent years put significant pressure on Mexico to step up its southern border and the deportation of Central Americans.

The Congressional Research Service report that The Daily Beast obtained shows that the U.S. gave $100 million in fiscal year 2016 to the Mexican government to fund the Mrida Initiative as part of the State Departments support for international narcotics control and law enforcement.

Critics say the U.S. government uses these funds to push the Mexican government to send migrants with legitimate asylum claims back to their violent home countries.

Mexico was deporting Central Americans, many of whom had valid asylum claims because they were fleeing violence, Haugaard said, adding that Mexico has been bending over backwards to meet the American governments demands.

Haugaard said these U.S.-aided efforts on Mexicos southern border helped fund hundreds of thousands of deportations, often returning immigrants to violent nations before they could apply for refugee status or reach Americas southern border.

In 2015, Mexico apprehended nearly 172,000 migrants who came from the northern triangle [El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala] of Central America. In 2016, Mexico apprehended another 153,000 migrants from Northern Triangle countries, and tens of thousands from other countries, the CRS report reads.

I think right now the emphasis of Trumps policy on immigration, the general recognition within Washingtons policy-making community, is that Mexican immigration has significantly slowed down, said Ana Quintana, a policy analyst focused on Latin America and the Western Hemisphere at the conservative Heritage Foundation. What were seeing the ramp-up of is from Central America.

According to the CRS report, the U.S. gave the Mexican government a total of $161.2 million in FY 2016. Trumps wall, meanwhile, would cost $12 billion to $15 billion, according to a January estimate from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The actual figures, some scientists say, will run much higher. A study by the MIT Technology Review concluded that, even if the wall only covered half of the 2,000-mile border, the project would cost $40 billion, not including mile-high maintenance costs.

And despite Trumps campaign promise that Mexico would pay for the wall, his administration has yet to outline a concrete funding plan, instead suggesting a series of policies that would put the burden on Mexican immigrants or American consumers. In April 2016, Trump sent The Washington Post a two-page memo promising that, if elected, he would demand Mexico make a one-time payment of $5 to $10 billion or he would cut off money transfers between U.S.-based Mexican immigrants and their families in Mexico, which account for some $25 billion annually. He has also suggested imposing fees on visas and green cards for Mexican immigrants, or imposing a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports.

Mexican leaders have flatly denied the country will pay for the wall. On Jan. 25, on the eve of a planned meeting with Trump, Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto reiterated that Mexico will not pay for any wall.

If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting, Trump wrote the following morning.

Thank You!

You are now subscribed to the Daily Digest and Cheat Sheet. We will not share your email with anyone for any reason

Later that day, Pea Nieto canceled. The pair spoke on the phone the following morning and reportedly agreed not to address their dispute in public.

Facing his own low approval ratings, Pea Nietos dealings with Trump could determine his political future.

President Pea Nietos approval rating has remained extremely low (under 25 percent) since 2014, the CRS report reads. Pea Nieto may have limited room to maneuver in future negotiations with the Trump administration, as Mexican legislators and businesspeople are urging him to more vigorously defend Mexican interests.

If Pea Nieto is seen as weak in negotiations with Trump, support could swing toward political opponent Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, a leftist populist who is unafraid to antagonize the United States, in Mexicos 2018 elections, the CRS report reads.

Quintana said she expects the Trump administration to keep funding immigration enforcement efforts on Mexicos southern border.

I think its in both countries interests to not let things escalate beyond this point, she told The Daily Beast.

Excerpt from:
Donald Trump's Cuts Could Increase Illegal Immigration - The Daily ... - Daily Beast

In the margin of a public speakers manuscript was the notation: Weak point. Shout.

Such is the rhetoric of those who place emotion over logic and make policy through gangs rather than parliaments. In Athens some 2,400 years ago, Aristophanes described ademagogue as having a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, cross-grained nature and the language of the marketplace.

While 10 percent of the Syrian population is Christian, only one-half of 1percent of the Syrian Christians were granted asylum.

That marketplace today includes the biased media and the universities that have become day care centers.

The recent action of our governments executive branch to protect our borders and enforce national security is based on constitutional obligations (Art. Isec 10 and Art. IVsec 4). It is a practical protection of the tranquility of order explained by Saint Augustine when he saw the tranquillitas ordinis of Roman civilization threatened.

Saint Thomas Aquinas sanctioned border control (S. Th. I-II, Q. 105, Art. 3). No mobs shouted in the marketplace two years ago when the Terrorist Travel Prevention Act restricted visa waivers for Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen.

The present ban continues that, and only for a stipulated 90 days, save for Syria. There is no Muslim ban, as should be obvious from the fact that the restrictions do not apply to other countries with Muslim majorities, such as Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Turkey.

Related:The Refugee Order Is Not at Odds with Christianity

These are facts ignored by demagogues who speak of tears running down the face of the Statue of Liberty. At issue is not immigration, but illegal immigration. It is certainly manipulative of reason to justify uncontrolled immigration by citing previous generations of immigrants to our shores, all of whom went through the legal process, mostly in the halls of Ellis Island. And it is close to blasphemy to invoke the Holy Family as antinomian refugees, for they went to Bethlehem in obedience to a civil decree requiring tax registration, and they violated no statutes when they sought protection in Egypt.

Then there was Saint Paul, who worked within the legal system, and invoked his Roman citizenship through privileges granted to his native Tarsus in 66 B.C. (Acts 16:35-38; 22:25-29; 25:11-12). He followed ordered procedure, probably with the status of civis Romanus non optimo jure a legal citizen, but not allowed to act as a magistrate.

It is obvious the indignant demonstrators against the new executive orders are funded in no little part by wealthy interests who would provoke agitation. These same people have not shown any concern forthe neglected Christians seeking refuge from persecution in the Middle East.

In 2016 there was a 675-percent increase in the number of Syrian refugees over the previous year, but while 10 percent of the Syrian population is Christian, only one-half of 1percent of the Syrian Christians were granted asylum. It is thankworthy that our changed government now wants to redress that. The logic of that policy must not be shouted down by those who screech rather than reason.

Fr. George William Rutler is a Catholic priest and the pastor of the Church of St. Michael in Manhattan. This article originally appeared in his parish church bulletin and is used by permission.

See original here:
Illegal Immigration Is Not a Religious Issue - LifeZette

RICHMOND Richmond is joining a national movement to protect immigrants and refugees in light of recent presidential executive actions.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney signed a mayoral directive Monday reaffirming his commitment to protect and promote the safety of all members of the community regardless of their immigration or refugee status.

The directive is a response to protests and a petition with about 1,400 signatures asking Stoney to take action against President Trumps executive order issued Jan. 25 that blocks funding to sanctuary cities, which are jurisdictions that limit law enforcement cooperation with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

America is a nation of immigrants, Stoney said. Unless you are Native American, all of us are from somewhere else. This is not as some have suggested a weakness. Rather, it is our strength. It is what makes us great. It is why so many from so many parts of the world want to make this country their home.

Trumps executive action was signed the same day he ordered the construction of a border wall between Mexico and the United States, in efforts to combat undocumented immigration.

Were in the middle of a crisis on our southern border, Trump said. A nation without borders is not a nation.

The presidential order also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to release a weekly list of criminal acts committed by aliens in sanctuary jurisdictions, to better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions.

This action against undocumented immigrants is reminiscent of Trumps controversial campaign statement in 2015, in which he said The Mexican government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States. They are, in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc.

Stoney avoided using sanctuary city to describe Richmond, instead stressing the citys existing policy of being inclusive to illegal immigrants.

Today, by this directive, Richmond reaffirms its position where it has been since Day One on this issue. That we stand with all our residents as a Welcoming city, inclusive and diverse. That we are ONE RICHMOND, Stoney said.

The directive says, The Richmond Police Department will not consent to participate with the Immigration Customs Enforcement 287(g) agreements and will focus on residents well-being, not their legal status.

Immigration Customs Enforcement 287(g) authorizes the director of ICE to enter into agreements with local law enforcement to train and perform immigration law functions. Currently the only 287(g) agreement in Virginia involves the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center.

The Richmond Police Department already has a policy of not reporting undocumented residents to the immigration authorities unless they have committed certain criminal offenses.

At no time during any citizen interaction does the RPD ask any person about their immigration status, said Police Chief Alfred Durham.

Stoneys action could be met with criticism from members of the General Assembly, who are currently voting on bills to block sanctuary cities in Virginia.

Stoney issued the mayoral directive on the same day the Virginia Senate passed a bill to hold sanctuary cities liable for certain injuries and damages caused by illegal aliens. For example, if an illegal immigrant were to get into a fender-bender with a resident, the state would be responsible for paying the damages. The bill, SB 1262, sponsored by Sen. Dick Black, R-Loudoun County, was met with heavy criticism by Democrats in the Senate who argued that it was impossible to enforce and a burden on taxpayers.

House Bill 2000, by Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Franklin County, and HB 2236, by Del. Ben Cline, R-Lexington, both prohibit sanctuary policies. House Bill 1468, sponsored by Del. Robert Marshall, R-Prince William, would prohibit government officials from releasing incarcerated aliens for whom ICE has issued a detainer.

We need to keep our country, and our city, safe from those who would do us harm, and no one, citizen or not, is exempt from justice if they commit crimes against their neighbors, Stoney said. But actions such as those taken by the 45th President through these executive orders actions like those embedded in several bills currently before our General Assembly, do not make us stronger. They peddle fear. They are ill-informed and misguided attempts to protect us, that arguably make us less safe in our communities. Some are unconstitutional, and others are just un-American. That is not the country we are, and it is not the city we will be.

In the Virginia General Assembly, no anti-sanctuary bill has yet passed its house of origin and could be dropped by crossover day, the Tuesday deadline for bills to be approved by their house of origin.

Other states, such as Texas, are also seeking harsher penalties for cities that take up sanctuary policies in their states.

According to the Immigration Legal Resource Center, four states have statewide laws that limit how local police cooperation with ICE. They include Oregon which officially became a sanctuary state just three days ago.

The center also identified 364 counties and 39 cities that have similar policies.

Continued here:
Richmond mayor renews city's protection of illegal immigrants - wtkr.com

If you would like to see a man struggle, witness Vice President Pence:

Pence was asked on "Face the Nation" to account for President Trump having likened Vladimir Putin's alleged killing of political opponents to the United States'. Trump had told Bill O'Reilly: "What, you think our country's so innocent?"

CBS's John Dickerson asked Pence, "Do you agree?" And Pence had to draw a long, pronounced breath. Then, asked four times whether the United States is "morally superior" to Russia,Pence avoided and danced around the question before relenting (kind of):

DICKERSON: Do you think America is morally superior to Russia?

PENCE: What what you have in this new president is someone who is willing to, and is, in fact, engaging the world, including Russia, and saying, where can we find common interests that will advance the security of the American people, the peace and prosperity of the world? And he is determined to come at that in a new and renewed way.

DICKERSON: But America morally superior to Russia yes or no?

PENCE: I believe that the ideals that America has stood for throughout our history represent the highest ideals of humankind.

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: I was actually at I was at Independence Hall yesterday. And I stood in the very room where the Constitution of the United States was crafted, the very building where the Declaration of Independence was held forth. Every American, including our president, represents that we uphold the highest ideals of the world.

(CROSSTALK)

DICKERSON: Shouldn't we be able to just say yes to that question, though?

PENCE: I think it is, without question, John.

DICKERSON: That America is morally superior to Russia?

PENCE: That American ideals are are superior to countries all across the world. But, again, what the president is determined to do, as someone who has spent a lifetime looking for deals, is to see if we can have a new relationship with Russia and other countries that advances the interests of America first and the peace and security of the world.

Suffice it to say, this is not an easy question right now for Pence or anybody in the Trump administration. That's because American exceptionalism is at the core of the Republican Party's brand and identity in the 21st century. Squaring that with Trump's suggestion that the United States doesn't have the moral high ground onthe killing of its opponentsrequires all the politician-speak one can muster and ignoring pretty much everything you've ever saidaboutwhy the United States is morally superior to the likes of Russia.

Just look atPence's comments about both Russia and American exceptionalism in one speech back in February 2015 at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC):

The last comment in particular sticks out. Pence didn't like the equivalence between radical Islam today and the Crusades back in the 13th century. Now he's being asked to explain Trump's comparison of Putin and the American government.

And then there's the polling.

Back in 2015, the Pew Research Center asked whether the United States "stands above all others," was one of the greatest countries, or whether there were other countries that were better.

Fully 48 percent of conservative Republicans said it was the greatest country in the world, compared to 17 percent of liberal Democrats. Just 8 percent of conservative Republicans disagreed that the United States is at least "one of the greatest countries."

The GOP's embrace of patriotism and American exceptionalism ramped up after 9/11 and especially when Democrats began to question the war in Iraq. Some on the right fought back by arguing that this was unpatriotic or that war skeptics opposed U.S. troops.

And it was a fixture of the opposition to Barack Obama, whom Republicans regularly accused of "apologizing" for America. This was a major theme of Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign against Obama, and back in 2015, Rudy Giuliani accused Obama of believing "that American exceptionalism is no more exceptional than the exceptionalism of any other country in the world."

Giuliani is now a key Trump confidant, and Trump is espousingalmost that exact view that Giuliani ascribed to Obama. And now the likes of Giuliani and Pence are left to explain it.

Vice President Pence and senators of both political parties on Feb. 5 reacted to President Trump's comments about Russia and the United States in a Fox News interview. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Follow this link:
Mike Pence's awkward and telling response to whether the US is 'morally superior' to Russia - Washington Post