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Executive Summary for July 6th

We review the latest issues related to refugees, including the U.S. renewing Temporary Protected Status for Yemenis, the U.N. human rights chief warning Rohingya returnees were arrested by Myanmar and a second NGO rescue boat reaching port in Spain.

Published on July 6, 2018 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

U.S. Renews Temporary Protected Status for Yemenis

The United States Department of Homeland Security has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months for some 1,250 Yemenis who have been in the U.S. since early 2017.

Around 400 Yemenis who arrived in the country since then are not covered by the extension, according to the International Rescue Committee.

The Trump administration has declined to renew the temporary status, granted in the aftermath of wars or disasters, for Haitians, Salvadorans and Hondurans, but has extended the status for Syrians.

Rohingya Returnees Arrested by Myanmar

Rohingya refugees continue to flee Myanmar and many of those who returned voluntarily have been detained, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

Despite a deal with U.N. agencies to pave the way for returns, none have gone back under any formal agreement. Meanwhile, 58 Rohingya who went back on their own in the first four months of 2018 were arrested, convicted and received a presidential pardon, but are still being held in a “reception center” that resembles administrative detention, Al Hussein said.

After 700,000 Rohingya poured out of Myanmar in response to atrocities in Rakhine state last year, a further 11,400 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh this year, while 140 reached Malaysia and Indonesia by boat and 10 people died en route, he said.

A Deeper Look

The Associated Press: Out of the Shadows: Rohingya Rape Survivors’ Babies Arrive

“Theirs is a misery spoken of only in murmurs. Some ended their pregnancies early by taking cheap abortion pills available throughout the camps. Others gave birth to unloved babies; some agonized over whether to give them away.”

Second NGO Rescue Boat Finds Port in Spain

An NGO ship arrived in Barcelona with 60 people it had rescued off the coast of Libya after they were turned away by Malta and Italy and spent another four days at sea to reach Spain.

During that time, there were no other NGO rescue boats at sea and several hundred people drowned. “We haven’t saved 60 people,” said ProActiva founder Oscar Camps. “We have let 340 people die.”

Meanwhile, 52 people flew to France after their rescue boat was allowed to dock in Malta last week on condition that the passengers were distributed to European Union countries. Several countries agreed to take in some of the 234 passengers of the Lifeline ship.

Recommended #MustReads

“The use of numerical targets with little contextual or practical relevance has detached the promises of politicians from accountability for their actions and divorced public debate from the more tangible impacts of migration, positive and negative.”

“In fragile states, it’s in the best interests of aid groups and development agencies to let the home country get credit for big-ticket aid interventions and rebuilding efforts – even if their role was to negotiate the deal.”

“When it comes to migration and refugee policies, Spain is not essentially different from the rest of Europe. The only reason why the current Spanish government appears to be moving forward is because most of the other E.U. member states are moving backwards.”

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