Archive for the ‘Migrant Crisis’ Category

Belarus to face more sanctions over nuclear arms plan, Poland says – Reuters

WARSAW, March 28 (Reuters) - Belarus will certainly face further European sanctions due to a Russian plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in the country, Poland's prime minister said on Tuesday, as tensions between Warsaw and Minsk hit new highs.

President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday Russia would station the nuclear arms in Belarus, his latest gambit in a worsening stand-off with the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.

"This step taken by Russia... the announcement of the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, will certainly lead to the announcement of additional sanctions, the level of sanctions will be much more severe for the Lukashenko regime," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference in Bucharest, referring to the Belarusian president.

The United States, the world's other leading nuclear superpower, has reacted cautiously to Putin's statement, with a senior Biden administration official saying there were no signs Moscow planned to use its nuclear weapons.

However, Lithuania has said that it will call for new sanctions against Moscow and Minsk in response to Russia's plan.

Morawiecki said he was in daily talks with other European Union leaders about an 11th package of sanctions against Russia and that it would include more measures targeting Belarus, a close ally of Moscow.

Relations between Warsaw and Minsk were strained even before the war in Ukraine made them allies of opposing sides in the conflict.

Poland accuses Belarus of orchestrating a migrant crisis along its borders which reached a peak in 2021, though migrants continue to arrive at the frontier today. Minsk denies pushing migrants towards the border.

The two neighbours are also in dispute over the jailing of a journalist of Polish origin in Belarus and the vandalism of Polish graves in the country.

Amid the deteriorating ties, Poland closed one of its key border crossings with Belarus in February, a move Minsk has condemned. On Tuesday, Morawiecki said Poland was considering further limitations on cross-border traffic.

"We border Belarus and, as part of our bilateral relations, we are considering tightening the parameters of passenger and freight traffic in order to send a signal that we do not accept actions that serve Russia in its aggressive actions in Ukraine."

Reporting by Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, editing by Mark Heinrich

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Belarus to face more sanctions over nuclear arms plan, Poland says - Reuters

Residents along Border Highway ask for lighting to be installed to … – KVIA

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)- Residents in one El Paso neighborhood say new safety measures are needed to curb migrantencounters as the end of Title 42 nears.

Although migrant encounters have slowed, a new measure is being considered for neighborhoods parallel to the border highway.

City Council discussed Monday the possibility of FEMA funding lights for the neighborhood as an indirect response to the migrant crisis.

Neighborhoods along the Border highway say adding lights to their neighborhood will help them feel safer.

"They pass by and sometimes they hide. I would prefer it to be lit up. Honestly, it makes me scared," said a resident of Ben Swain Dr, near the Border highway.

"I think lights will be a lot, a lot better to be honest with you, said Iutisone Tiliaia, a resident of Ben Swain Dr.

"Well, yes, it would help," said Antonio Garcia, a resident of Ben Swain Dr.

Monday, during the City Council session, Representative Cassandra Hernandez said residents have reached out to her requesting additional roving and some lighting due to migrant encounters.

"Those are the two only requests, and I think theyre reasonable," said Cassandra Hernandez, during the council meeting.

The areas in question are along the Border highway at the intersections of Fonseca Yarbrough and Midway. A main neighborhood affected is Ben Swain dr.

Residents of Ben Swain Dr believe adding lights will help curb migrant encounters.

"Well, I'm hoping that they do, you know, but if they get in they want to get in, they'll get in anyways," said Garcia.

"Light is a lot of help. See, I keep my light. I put my light over here myself. It cost me money. But I'm protecting my family," said Tiliaia.

Another resident of the neighborhood says her son added lights and camerasaround herproperty because of the migrant encounters. She even changed her work schedule because of it. She says she would feel safer with additionallights.

That's why I asked for the day shift because at night I would always arriveat eleven or ten," said a resident of Ben Swain Dr. "Of course with the lights turned up I would be comfortable to go out and walk a while. I used to walk before from the corner over there now I'm scared.

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Residents along Border Highway ask for lighting to be installed to ... - KVIA

Migrant fleeing Texas police plummets from El Paso overpass – New York Post

News

exclusive photos

By Stephanie Pagones and MaryAnn Martinez

March 22, 2023 | 6:53pm

An apparent migrant jumped from a Texas overpass and several others were taken into custody on Wednesday after a police pursuit in El Paso, according to exclusive photos.

The group, riding in an SUV, led Texas Department of Public Safety agents onto US Route 85 near Texas State Highway Spur 1966 in El Paso around 9:45 a.m., according to photographs and an eyewitness account. They then allegedly ditched the vehicle in the middle of the roadway.

The passengers dispersed, with several running into oncoming traffic, the witness said. Meanwhile, two others ran in a different direction. One of the men ran toward the edge of an overpass and jumped off the structure plummeting roughly 100 feet to the ground below, the eyewitness said.

The second was following in tow, but an agent ultimately caught up to him, photographs show.

The eyewitness said police administered CPR to the motionless man for more than 25 minutes. Details regarding his condition were not immediately available.

The remaining others were subsequently taken into custody, photos show. Border Patrol agents were also spotted at the scene.

A DPS spokesperson could not immediately provide The Post with information related to the incident. A US Customs and Border Protection rep said the agency was not involved.

El Paso boasts a population of over 867,000, census data show. The west Texas city, which borders Mexico, became the center of ongoing migrant crisis during 2022 as it was the busiest border crossing in the US with up to 6,000 asylum-seekers a week attempting to enter the country.

Last month, 17 migrants in El Paso wererescued from a storm drainafter becoming stuck while attempting to illegally enter the country.

The onslaught of migrants led to thecitys mayor declaringa state of emergency in December.

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Migrant fleeing Texas police plummets from El Paso overpass - New York Post

‘Bheed’ film review: Compelling tale of the migrant crisis, sanitised of any political commentary – The New Indian Express

By Kartik Bhardwaj| Express News Service |Published: 24th March 2023 08:51 PM'Bheed'.

You dont write about the horrors of war. No. You write about the kids burnt socks lying on the road. Richard Prices writing tip finally hits home for director Anubhav Sinha in his latestBheed. He seems to have taken some learnings fromAnek(2022) as well. Firstly,Bheeddeftly avoids crowding ideas. Secondly, he has toned down the preachiness. Most importantly, he lets the images do the talking. But then, he piles up another image conveying the same message. And another is addedbecause he probably thought the previous one didnt quite hit the spot. In a Sinha war feature, there would be socks, shoes, a red dress, and finally the blood-smeared toe of a kid.

Still, Bheed paints a poignant picture of a turbulent period. It starts off with a message appearing on the screen, conveying that the film is telling the story of a time when fake news on Covid-19 was spreading faster than the virus itself. This satisfied my burning query as to why characters were not wearing masks in the trailer. Bheed also comes to the point quickly. It doesnt resort to migrant workers plight-porn. There are no low-angle shots of labourers dizzying under the sun or singing songs of resilience in the back of a truck. Once the stage is set, the action jumps to a state border and is contained there. Director Anubhav Sinhas writing shines when events unfold in restricted environments, like the court in Mulk (2018) or the police station in Article 15 (2019).

Most of Bheed happens around a stretch of road, a vacant shopping mall, and a row of barricades. The plot concerns three types of characters: the affected, the authority and the witnesses. There is a divorced mother (Dia Mirza), who is determined to rescue her daughter from her college hostel before her ex-husband does; a self-serving watchman (Pankaj Kapur) who has taken it upon himself to provide for his family; a father (Omkar Das Manikpuri) who cant let go of the bottle, despite the incessant chagrins of his daughter; a senior cop (Ashutosh Rana), tasked with arranging a Quarantine centre for the incoming crowd, but he is unable to get a bed for his own ailing parents; an inspector (Aditya Shrivastav) who wont rest even during a calamity to make a quick buck, and a news reporter (Kritika Kamra) debating the makings of Incredible India. All of them are concentrated at the state border, waiting to pass through. Each tale, like a wrench, ably tightens the nuts of the narrative. One of them, though, threads through the entirety of the film, and surprisingly, its a love story.

Rajkummar Rao plays Surya Kumar Singh Tikus, a cop from a scheduled caste, in love with Bhumi Pednekars Renu Sharma, a medical practitioner. Sinha had already proved his grip on caste nuances in Article 15. With Bheed, he touches upon something unexplored in mainstream cinema: the psychological trauma of caste discrimination. In a telling scene, after being unable to perform in bed, Tikus confesses to Sharma that since childhood he has been told what to touch and what not to, so when he touches her, his hand trembles. It is a scene that stands on its ground but then Sinhas commercial director genes kick in and we get an unnecessary sequence of the couple making love. Except for cheap titillation, it adds nothing.

Rao plays Tikus with charming humility. His cop is torn between following orders and looking out for his people. Another star act is Pankaj Kapurs Trivedi. The veteran actor embodies the role of a mercurial watchman with humorous volatility. Trivedi is a character who can be parachuted inside a western and wont even feel the difference. Ashutosh Rana and Aditya Shrivastav bring necessary humour to a serious narrative. When Kapurs Trivedi picks up the gun, Ranas senior cop tells Shrivastav, I think we can shoot him now, since he has become a Naxalite. Its an absolute hoot.

Bheed touches upon a lot but leaves out even more. It sticks to being a social commentary and distances itself from political overtones. There is mention of Corona Jihad but no murmur of arrests of members of the Tablighi Jamaat. After the screen fades to black, white texts keep on appearing, in quick succession, informing us of the happenings that werent covered. Stories of migrants dying after a lorry toppled or them being run-over on the railway track. It misses out on a crucial one: No data available on migrants deaths during lockdown, says government in Parliament.

Bheed

Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Pankaj Kapur, Ashutosh Rana, Dia Mirza, Kritika Kamra, Aditya Shrivastav

Directed by: Anubhav Sinha

Written by: Sonali Jain, Saumya Tiwari and Anubhav Sinha

Rating: 3/5 stars

(This story originally appeared on cinemaexpress.com)

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'Bheed' film review: Compelling tale of the migrant crisis, sanitised of any political commentary - The New Indian Express

Biden announces new northern border deal, fentanyl coalition with Canada as immigration crisis rages – Fox News

President Biden on Friday officially announced a new deal with Canada for both countries to be able to turn back illegal migrants at their shared border -- as well as a new global effort to combat fentanyl smuggling.

Fox News Digital previously reported that the agreement means that migrants who attempt to cross illegally between ports of entry into either country will be returned, which officials anticipate will deter irregular migration at the U.S.-Canada border. It updates a 2004 Safe Third County Agreement, which did not deal with illegal immigration.

Additionally, Canada is committing to accept an additional 15,000 migrants over the next year from the Western Hemisphere, as part of its commitments made under the Los Angeles Declaration last year -- which committed nations to a regional response to the migration crisis.

Such a move would be accepted to lessen the pressure facing the U.S. southern border, which has faced a historic migrant surge since 2021.

US SECURES DEAL WITH CANADA TO RETURN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS CROSSING NORTHERN BORDER

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for photos with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at Rideau Cottage, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Ottawa, Canada. ((AP Photo/Andrew Harnik))

In a speech to the Canadian Parliament on Friday, Biden said he applauds Canadas commitment to take 15,000 migrants as part of the regional response to the crisis.

"At the same time, the United States and Canada will work together to discourage unlawful border crossings and fully implement the updated Safe Third Country agreement," he said. "Finally, as we advance our shared prosperity and security must never lose sight of our shared values, because our values are the linchpin holding everything else together. Welcoming refugees and seeking asylum seekers is a part of who Canadians and Americans are."

The agreement marks a diplomatic victory for President Biden, who had championed a regional approach to the crisis when he unveiled the Los Angeles Declaration at the Summit of the Americas last year along with other leaders.

"We know that safe, orderly and legal migration is good for all our economies," he said. "But we need to halt the dangerous and unlawful ways people are migrating and the dangerous ways. Unlawful migration is not acceptable, and we'll secure our borders, including through innovative, coordinated actions with our regional partners."

The move comes amid an increase in migrant encounters at the northern border which, while not as substantial as the historic surge being seen at the southern border, has left some authorities overwhelmed, with one sector reporting an 846% increase. Fox News recently reported that Border Patrol was appealing for volunteers to deal with the surge, which was attributed to "Mexican migrants with no legal documents."

There were over 109,000 migrant encounters at the northern border in FY 2022, up from 27,000 in FY 2021. The border, which is 5,525 miles, only has 115 ports of entry.

It comes after the administration announced a new rule last month that when implemented will bar illegal migrants at the southern border from claiming asylum if they have entered through another country without claiming asylum there first.

BORDER PATROL CALLS FOR AGENTS TO VOLUNTEER AT NORTHERN BORDER AMID 846% SURGE IN ONE SECTOR

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Canada renewed their commitments to thwarting the trafficking of deadly drugs like fentanyl -- which is primarily trafficked from Mexico into the U.S. and is responsible for over 70,000 U.S. deaths a year.

In his remarks, Biden called fentanyl, which is 50-100 times more potent than morphine and can be fatal in small doses, a "killer."

"And almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by this, lost a child or lost a friend. Canada and the United States are working closely with our partner Mexico to attack this problem at every stage and the precursor chemicals shipped from overseas to the powders to the pills to the traffickers moving into all of our countries."

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Biden said that the U.S. and Canada are announcing "a commitment to build a new global coalition of like-minded countries led by Canada and the United States to tackle this crisis."

"This is about public health," he said.

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Biden announces new northern border deal, fentanyl coalition with Canada as immigration crisis rages - Fox News