U.N. rights chief attacks EU and U.S. over migrants and Dreamers

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...KCN1GJ1IZ?il=0


GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief said on Wednesday he was shocked at repressive policies being pursued in the United States and Europe, especially the increasingly harsh treatment of migrants.

In an annual report to the U.N. Human Rights Council, High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein also took democracies to task for failing to respect basic rights.

“In the United States, I am shocked by reports that many migrants intercepted at the southern borders, including children, are detained in abusive conditions – such as freezing temperatures – and that some young children are being detained separately from their families,” he said.

“Detentions and deportations of long-standing and law-abiding migrants have sharply increased, tearing families apart and creating enormous hardship.”

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had also ended the Central American Minors Refugee and Parole Programme, which offered adolescents and children “a lifeline to safety”, and ended Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of people.

“I deplore the continuing uncertainty about beneficiaries of the DACA program,” Zeid said, referring to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protects roughly 700,000 “Dreamers” - mostly young Hispanics - from deportation and lets them work.

The protections are due to start phasing out in March under Trump’s move to end DACA, but Congress so far has failed to pass legislation to address the fate of the “Dreamers”.

Zeid also expressed concern about U.S. proposals that could “drastically reduce social protections”, particularly for poorer Americans.

In many European Union (EU) countries the trend towards “racism, xenophobia and incitement to hatred” was now dominating the political landscape, as shown in Italy’s recent election campaign, he said.

“I am deeply concerned about the current overriding focus of EU States on preventing migrants from reaching Europe, and rushing to deport many who do,” Zeid added.

By pushing migrants back from its borders, the EU risked “subcontracting their protection” to states such as Libya, where they faced a real risk of torture, sexual violence and other serious violations, he said.

He attacked Austria’s planned crackdown on Muslim schools and mosques and expulsions of irregular migrants, and Hungary’s plans to restrict non-profits that sought to help migrants.

He decried discrimination against the Roma minority in the Czech Republic and its program of surgically castrating sex offenders.

“I am disturbed... by the extraordinary recent legislation which could lead to up to three years’ imprisonment for those who refer to the Nazi concentration camps in Poland as ‘Polish’,” Zeid told the Council.

It's a humanitarian crisis because we don't know other country but the USA. We are children of this country yet they want to kick us out.

DAP fellows: 13 years ago, Spain granted amnesty to its undocumented population. It was the viable solution to a social, economic, human rights, justice conundrum. It can be done here in an accountable way. This report goes to show you how cruel the Trump administration is towards Dreamers and all other u documented. Jeff Sessions is an equally horrible human being obsessed with punishment and prosecution.

"Spain grants amnesty to 700,000 migrants

Queues in scramble to meet deadline for acquiring official status

Giles Tremlett*in Madrid

Sun 8 May 2005*21.12*EDTFirst published on Sun 8 May 2005*21.12*EDT

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Spain declared an amnesty yesterday for about 700,000 illegal immigrants, bucking a Europe-wide trend of cracking down on economic migrants, while striking at exploitation of those working secretly and fearfully in the black economy.

The Socialist government claimed that a three-month qualification period which ended at the weekend - during which illegal workers and their employers could apply for residency and work permits - had attracted most of the country's illegal workers.

"We can feel very satisfied," said the labour minister, Jesús Caldera. "Almost 700,000 jobs brought out of the black economy - that represents 80% to 90% of all such jobs held by immigrants in*Spain."

Officials said that, with workers' families included, more than a million people would no longer have to hide from police or labour inspectors.

Long queues had built up outside government offices as the deadline for the amnesty drew near. Ecuadorians, Romanians, Moroccans and Colombians made up most of the applications"

Spain grants amnesty to 700,000 migrants | World news | The Guardian
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/20....gilestremlett

I can't wait for this to be over, so that when people look back in history they know how messed up this was.

It is shameful for the United States to treat dreamers and immigrants in this manner. Shame on the GOP and their racist bigots!

In the mid 2000s, Brazil also passed an immigration reform, where 600,000 people qualified and were able to become legal residents and eventually citizens.

It’s doable, but here in the USA, political interests and xenophobia will always block any path to compromise

Even Mexico has normalized illegal immigrants several times in history. Most recently tens of thousands of Haitians and Cubans.