News Round Up In-Brief

US News

• According to recent reports, despite the push to get more people enrolled under Obamacare, 962,805 residents in New York City still remain uninsured out of which 57% of the population is foreign born. Many authorized immigrants don’t have information about signing up or don’t realize that they qualify, while undocumented immigrants are ineligible for most plans under the federal law.
• Termination of health care insurance by the Centers for Medicare and Medical Services for lack of proper immigration documentation or income status has led to over 400,000 immigrants being kicked off private insurance plans by the government following review of their eligibility status.
• The “Undocumented Americans’ Bill of Rights” has been released which calls for the acknowledgement that the undocumented immigrant community should receive equal treatment and legal status with dignity and respect as they are already living on U.S. soil and their existence cannot be viewed as “illegal” or “alien”.
• According to author Diana Gordon, Hispanic immigrants have helped Greenport, New York recover from decades of stagnation as they form the backbone of its labor-dependent tourist economy, they patronize local businesses all year and have strengthened the village’s history as a supporter of diversity.
• Recent reports show immigrants play an increasingly important role in the economy as they account for nearly 37% of New York City’s population and make up 43% of the city’s workforce, which has resulted in the generation of $257 billion in economic activity.
• According to studies from Drexel University, the inclusion of undocumented Latino immigrants in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace Exchange would prompt more primary care visits, which would help reduce costly long-term chronic care in federally funded health centers.
• In New Bedford, MA, a group of organizations have trained community health workers meet with immigrant residents to educate them on and screen for colorectal cancer.

• US Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said for the first time during a presidential debate that undocumented individuals in the country should be allowed onto the health exchanges created through “Obamacare,” which sharply contrasts her previous views on healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

• The Obama administration has urged undocumented immigrant youth to enroll in high school and college and the Education Department has warned schools against asking students about their immigration status with an attempt to normalize their experience of being undocumented immigrants.
• According to recent reports the rate of uninsured in Ohio has dropped drastically to 8.7 percent and the number of uninsured residents in Texas dropped from 19 percent to 16.3 percent in Bexar County in 2014. Undocumented immigrants continue to make up a large percentage of the uninsured groups in both locations.

International News

• Canada’s minister of immigration, refugee and citizenship, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada through government sponsorship by forming a subcommittee to co-ordinate the government’s efforts.
• Canada’s new Immigration minister John McCallum, who has committed to reverse the cuts on refugee health care, claims that the former government’s decision to cut refugee health care was “economically foolish” as it put pressure on taxpayers and denied refugees vital health care.
• Bangladeshi migrant women who return home after being tortured and sexually abused do not receive the necessary psychological, social and financial support as there is no national strategy or any action plan to address the reintegration of the returnee.
• Reports suggest that the influx of younger workers during the migrant surge in Europe will help to boost the economy by around 0.2% which will lead to higher growth of the European Union.
• The U.K. law states that General Practitioner services and any treatment that is deemed urgent is free for all regardless of their legal status due to which doctors are being told to register health tourists at their surgeries without checking passports or IDs as they are not expected to act as immigration officials.
• According to reports, due to procedural delays, errors and poor decisions concerning immigration casework by the people at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, a growing number of refugees are being made to endure “prolonged uncertainty” about their immigration statuses in the UK.
• Reports suggest that due to the sudden influx of criminals and individuals who have failed the immigration systems’ tough character tests joining general asylum seeking population at the detention center in Australia, the Christmas Island riot was inevitable.
• Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of Pakistan said last week that the country is temporarily suspending a 2010 agreement with the European Union countries except Britain, which allows them to deport Pakistani citizens entering the continent illegally, citing “blatant misuse” because they often deport the Pakistani immigrants labeling them as terrorists.
• The Australian Medical Association and Victoria’s health minister have supported the Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital doctors’ and medical staffs’ decision to defy federal immigration authorities by refusing to return children in their care to detention. This has been done with an aim to stop immigration detention for children.

• Germany has been tasked with providing food, shelter and essential health care and medical services for up to 1.5 million refugees in 2015 due to which access to health care for migrants will be provided in three stages depending on the length of their status and length of their stay in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the system.
• The European Union has pledged more than $3 billion in aid to Turkey and has urged the country to keep the Syrian refugees and other immigrants in order to help get a hold of the immigrant crisis in Europe.

• With Europe’s growing immigrant crisis and Austria having over crowded asylum centers, several Syrian refugees have claimed that they are being pressured into leaving Austria for Slovakia and if they do not co-operate they are thrown out on the streets with no provisions for basic food or shelter.

• With temperatures in Germany dropping towards zero degrees, 42,000 asylum seekers were found to be sleeping in tents across the country and are pleading for authorities to find them alternative housing.

Prepared by Priyanka Rao