immigration & asylum – International Justice Resource Center

New Council of Europe Guidance on Rights of Trafficking Victims

June 24, 2020 IJRC European System, immigration & asylum, international human rights, regional human rights protection

The Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published new guidance for States on the entitlement of victims of trafficking, and persons at risk of being trafficked, to international protection. See Council of Europe GRETA, Guidance Note on the entitlement of victims of trafficking, and persons at risk of being trafficked, to

European Court Allows Spain’s “Push Back” of Undocumented African Migrants

February 21, 2020 IJRC European System, immigration & asylum, international human rights, regional human rights protection

Overturning a previous chamber decision, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that Spain’s summary expulsion of two would-be migrants from Africa did not violate the European Convention on Human Rights because they were part of a large group that scaled the Melilla border fence between Morocco and Spanish territory. See ECtHR, N.D. and

IACHR Publishes Guidelines on Internal Displacement in the Northern Triangle

August 28, 2019 IJRC immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, migrants, regional human rights protection

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has launched a report on internally displaced people in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; it analyzes a years-long increase in internal migration due to violence and the forceful expulsion of Indigenous and farming communities, details the rights of internally displaced people, and provides human rights-based guidelines for essential policy reforms. See IACHR, Internal

ILO Advances Socio-Economic Integration Plan for Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees

May 16, 2019 IJRC ILO, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, regional human rights protection, Universal system

On May 7, 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO) announced the launch of a new plan including a series of urgent interventions aimed at addressing the security, economic, and social integration needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. See ILO, Appeal: Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean. Under this

African Rights Court Orders Tanzania to Limit Body Cavity Searches

April 10, 2019 IJRC African System, conditions of detention, due process & judicial protection, immigration & asylum, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, reparations

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) recently issued its judgment in the case of Lucien Ikili Rashidi v. Tanzania, finding the State violated a non-citizen’s rights when its agents detained him, subjected him to an anal search, and did not resolve his legal claims for seven years after he was arrested for not having his passport and

UN Member States Adopt Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees

December 18, 2018 IJRC immigration & asylum, international human rights, migrants

More than 160 countries adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (Compact), the first-ever intergovernmental agreement negotiated to holistically and comprehensively cover all aspects of international migration, following a two-day conference in Marrakech, Morocco that took place from December 10 to 11, 2018. [UN News: Marrakech; NYT] The document presents a framework for international cooperation and proclaims

Australia Urged to Act as Health Conditions of Asylum Seekers Worsen

October 23, 2018 IJRC children, immigration & asylum, international human rights, migrants

International pressure on Australia is mounting as concerns grow regarding the conditions in its offshore facilities in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, where thousands of asylum seekers and refugees have been detained since 2012. Those monitoring the situation at the facilities warn of a dire health emergency as people, many of them children, remain without access to the critical physical

Mandatory HIV/AIDS and Drug Testing Violates Rights to Privacy & Equal Protection

August 14, 2018 IJRC discrimination, equal protection, immigration & asylum, international human rights, migrants, privacy, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

During its 123rd Session, the United Nations Human Rights Committee issued its first decision on the privacy and equal protection implications of mandatory HIV/AIDS and drug testing for individuals seeking a visa extension. See Human Rights Committee, Vandom v. Republic of Korea, Communication No. 2273/2013, Views of 12 July 2018, UN Doc. CCPR/C/123/D/2273/2013. The case concerned an American English teacher,

July 2018: UN Treaty Bodies, Human Rights Council, and Regional Bodies in Session

July 2, 2018 IJRC civil society, corporate accountability, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, European System, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, migrants, monthly overview, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN treaty bodies, Universal system, women's rights

In the month of July, various universal and regional bodies will assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations through the consideration of State and civil society reports, country visits, and the review of individual complaints. Three United Nations treaty bodies will meet in July to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related to civil and political rights, the

Ten Human Rights Standards Implicated by U.S. Immigration Policy Changes

June 27, 2018 IJRC children, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, right to life, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

Recent changes in the United States’ immigration policies have drawn fresh condemnation from human rights experts and civil society, particularly as news spread that authorities had separated approximately 2,000 children from their parents at the country’s southern border. [IACHR Press Release; OHCHR Press Release; UNHCR Press Release] These changes include automatic criminal prosecution and detention of adults – including asylum