News Round Up In-Brief

US News

• More than 500 people and families from the Fresno area enrolled for free legal and health care assistance at an event at the Mexican consulate. With the help of legal experts and attorneys, more than 80 immigrants completed either first-time applications or renewed applications for the federal “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program.
• The National debate of immigration reform has caused turmoil in the lives of over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. An estimated 4.5 million children who are U.S. citizens live with at least one undocumented parent resulting in persistent fear of their parent being arrested and deported anytime leading to a constant state of disturbance for children.
• Undocumented immigrants are being forced to resort to emergency rooms for dialysis treatment due to lack of private insurance leading to medical bills that are almost triple the cost of receiving treatment in a private medical.
• U.S. Presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders has claimed that if he is elected president, he would take action to allow undocumented immigrants who have been living in the United States for at least five years to stay in the country without the fear of deportation and is focused on keeping immigrant families together, expanding the support for refugees, and ending the economic exploitation of immigrant workers. The senator also aims to provide immigrants with financial aid, health insurance, and close loopholes that allow federal agencies to use racial and ethnic profiling at the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Recent reports have shown that S. Presidential hopeful Donald Trump appeals to white, working-class Americans who believe that immigrants are taking their jobs and negatively influencing the country. Moreover, out of the 47 percent of Republican-leaning respondents who support the deportation of undocumented immigrants and oppose accepting refugees from Syria and other Mideast conflicts, 75 percent voters are in support of Trump.
• According to Silva Mathema, a policy analyst for the Center of American Progress (CAP), out of the 11.3 million undocumented immigrants present in the U.S., many do not own a form of ID such as foreign passport, birth certificate or drivers license, which results in difficult circumstances and by providing valid identification to the individuals, communities would become safer as people will be able to identify themselves and also individuals will be ensured that those who are driving cars have passed the driving test.

 

International News

• With the sudden influx of migrants and refugees in Europe, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking to ensure that all European countries are adequately prepared to withstand the added pressure that has come with treating the mass inflow of immigrants by drafting a common strategy on health care for the newcomers. The strategy includes topics ranging from prompt vaccination against measles and polio to dealing with childbirth complications.
• According to Canadian Minister McCallum, the government’s promise of bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada is still intact and the government is determined to bring the refugees quickly but in the right way by ensuring security and healthcare for the refugees as well as the citizens of the Canada.
• As Canada gears up to receive the Syrian refugees who are expected to arrive over the next few months with health issues such as amputations, war injuries, chronic diseases, PTSD and depression, the Government ensures that efforts are being taken to ensure that help will be readily available for them on arrival and previously cut health services for refugees will be restored.
• Canadian Health-care professionals have volunteered their time to help care for Syrian refugees arriving to the country.
• According to the Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the First Aid and Reception Centre in Pozzallo, Italy does not have adequate conditions and procedures for refugees.
• European Health Commissioner has requested for urgent resources on the Greek island of Lesbos as over 650,000 migrants and refugees have reached the islands and the number is growing everyday. The island is not equipped with adequate shelter and resources and over 500 immigrants including children have died.
• The National Kapodistrian University of Athens has launched a website which will help the more than 700,000 refugees and migrants arriving in Greece stay informed about the available health services in Greece, legal advice, information on diseases, and the cost of examinations.

 

New Book

An NBC news story highlights a new book about undocumented youth in the United States titled “Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America.”

 

Prepared by Priyanka Rao