Texas judge temporarily blocks attempt to shut down Annunciation House
United States RNS A state judge has temporarily blocked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to investigate and close Annunciation House, a volunteer-run network of Catholic migrant shelters based in El Paso. Paxton attempted to “run roughshod over Annunciation House, without regard to due process or fair play,” wrote state District Judge Francisco Dominguez in […]
Church of England agonises over asylum seekers’ bogus conversions row
London, UK Reuters The Church of England will not adopt a set of cast-iron criteria when deciding whether to baptise asylum seekers as it was impossible to see into someone’s heart, a bishop said on Tuesday amid a row over fake conversions to Christianity. The centuries-old church launched a review into its advice to clergy […]
UK plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda suffers first parliamentary defeats
London, UK Reuters British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffered his first defeats over his legislation to send asylum seekers to Rwanda after the upper house of parliament demanded greater protections to be introduced before deportation flights can take off. Under the Rwanda plan, which has yet to be carried out, asylum seekers who arrive on […]
UK’s Rwanda plan for asylum seekers could cost more £600 million
London, UK Reuters The British Government’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda might end up costing more than 600 million pounds to deport 300 refugees, parliament’s spending watchdog said on Friday. Under the policy first announced in 2022, asylum seekers who arrive on England’s southern coast in small, inflatable boats would be sent […]
US judge blocks Texas law cracking down on illegal border crossings
Reuters A federal judge in Texas on Thursday blocked the Republican-led state’s new law giving officials broad powers to arrest, prosecute and order the removal of people who illegally cross the US-Mexico border. US District Judge David Ezra in Austin agreed with Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration that the law known as SB4 interferes with […]
Church of England mulls asylum seeker change amid conversion row
London, UK Reuters The Church of England is considering updating its guidance to clergy on supporting and ministering to asylum seekers, amid concerns that religious conversions are being exploited by people seeking to stay in Britain. The church’s role in the asylum system has been in the spotlight since media reports that faith leaders had […]
Barriers to entry: For Iranian converts claiming religious persecution, European courts require proof of faith
HANNA VIOQUE, of Religion News Service, reports how judges across Europe are having a tough time deciding whether asylum-seekers claiming religious persecution are ‘genuine’ Christians…
Britain’s Rwanda asylum plan raises deep concerns: UN rights chief
Geneva. Switzerland Reuters Britain’s revived plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would drastically strip back courts’ ability to scrutinise decisions and risks dealing a “serious blow to human rights”, the United Nations rights chief said on Monday. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is pushing legislation through parliament that would declare Rwanda a safe country for […]
Safe haven?: LGBTQ+ refugees face hardships in Kenya’s Kakuma camp
TONNY ONYULO reports on the plight of the LGBTQ asylum-seekers and refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya…
Essay: We can have secure borders without denying those fleeing persecution
JAMIE IVEY and BRI STENSRUD say, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that restricting access to asylum shouldn’t be part of serious immigration reform…