By David Elkins, IPS, Mar. 2 2011

WASHINGTON – A new report from the Global Detention Project (GDP) on Israel’s immigration detention policies reveals the tough reality behind the feel-good story offered in the Academy Award-winning “Strangers No More”, an inspirational documentary about students from migrant families who attend the Bialik-Rogozin school in Tel Aviv. The film focuses on the exceptional work of Bailik-Rogozin’s teachers in providing education for children who have escaped political instability – even genocide – in their own countries in Africa and elsewhere. But “Strangers No More” fails to highlight the threat of detention and deportation faced by many young immigrants and asylum seekers.

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By Don Butler, Postmedia News, Feb. 28 2011

OTTAWA — The parallels in the five refugee cases are striking. All feature women seeking to remain in Canada because of well-founded fears for their safety in their home countries. All had their applications rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board or officers of Citizenship and Immigration Canada even though, in 1993, Canada became the first country in the world to establish formal guidelines for refugee claims by women facing gender-related persecution. And in the past month, the Federal Court has overturned all five decisions and ordered new hearings.

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By David Bacon, In These Times, Feb. 28 2011

Radio host and author Thom Hartmann has a new book, Rebooting the American Dream. Hartmann has a progressive reputation, and his book supports unions, calls for eliminating tax cuts for the rich and advocates other sensible ideas. But like many liberals, when it comes to immigration his tune changes. In one chapter, Hartmann says he wants to “Put Lou Dobbs Out to Pasture.”  But Hartmann, like Dobbs, criticizes corporate power and then turns his fire on workers and immigrants. Instead of taking Lou Dobbs on, Hartmann repeats many of the stereotypes and falsehoods that gave Dobbs a reputation as one of the most anti-immigrant commentators in U.S. media. Hartmann, like Dobbs, claims to speak for the interests of working people. And his ideas do reflect the thinking of a certain section of the U.S. working class. That makes it important to understand the impact of his recommendations.

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by Ben Sichel, Halifax Media Co-op, Feb. 27 2011

HALIFAX – Roouf Ahmad and Fakhira Chaudhry have won the right to have their family’s application to stay in Canada re-reviewed, according to reports on the Chaudhry family solidarity website.

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By Ben Hartman, Jerusalem Post, Feb. 25 2011

NGO’s expressed their outrage following reports this week that the Population, Immigration and Borders Authority was building a detention facility to house illegal residents of Israel and their children as they await deportation. Rotem Ilan, founder of the NGO Israeli Children, an advocacy and support group for the children of foreign workers, said Wednesday that “400 children and their families do not present a demographic threat to Israel like the population authority asserts. The only threat to the state of Israel is the moral stain that will be left by the expulsion of children.”

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