Algeria Moves to Defuse Racist Campaign by Giving Status to Migrants
Algeria will offer residency and work permits to some African migrants. The move comes partly in response to an anonymous online hate campaign against migrants already in the country.
Hashtags appeared last month on Facebook and Twitter saying “No to Africans in Algeria” and were widely shared. The campaign blames African migrants for AIDS and job shortages.
Algeria prides itself on its relative stability in the Sahel region and the government has moved to formalize the status of some of its estimated 100,000 African migrants and counter the perception that it is out of control.
Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune said a migrant census would be launched and security services would screen potential candidates for residency. He said that migrants “will get a residency document which will allow them to get a job.”
Although youth unemployment runs at 30 percent, there are shortages of workers in some sectors such as farming and construction.
New Zealand Election Campaign Marked by Promises to Take More Refugees
Political parties in New Zealand are competing to accept more refugees into the country. With voters going to the polls, parties are jockeying to increase the modest 750 refugees per year quota.
The National party said it would bump that figure to 1,600 in the coming years. Labour said it would increase it to 1,500, while the Greens promised 5,000 places within six years with a further 1,000 covered by private sponsorships.
Even the NZ First nationalist party said it would take in more refugees – but only if net migration overall was brought down. New Zealand has net migration of 73,000 in a population of over 4.5 million.
Rights groups have pointed out that if New Zealand followed Canada’s lead on refugee resettlement the equivalent annual total would be 14,000.
NZ First’s Winston Peters tempered progressive voices with a string of demands for tougher migrant checks as well as requirements that incomers “sign up to our flag, our laws, our values, the belief in the rights of other religions to exist and respect the equality of women.”
Otherwise “they can naff off,” he said.
Saudi Ex-Pat Tax Attacked for Hitting Yemeni and Syrian Visa-Holders
Saudi Arabia has been criticized for new levies that hit vulnerable refugees. The Kingdom has raised expatriate taxes without making exemption for those fleeing conflict in Syria and Yemen.
Expatriates have to pay $26 a month for each dependent on top of existing charges. While some companies cover those costs for foreign workers they will hit more vulnerable refugees who have sought visas in Saudi.
“People displaced by war who have no means of subsistence cannot be equal to others coming to the country for tourism, work or studies and who fall under the expats category,” human rights group Euro-Med said in a statement.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must take into account the humanitarian and living conditions of the newcomers to the kingdom, Syrians and Yemenis in particular, who entered the kingdom in search of safety for them and their children.”
Recommended Reads
- Newsweek: Europe Refugees: ‘Reckless’ Leaders Blamed for Rise in Deaths at Sea
- The Financial Times: A Fresh Approach to Tackling Europe’s Refugee Crisis
- The Guardian: Limbo: A Virtual Experience of Waiting for Asylum – 360 Video
- Open Democracy: Seeking Refuge in Refugees