VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Aug. 6-12

Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

US Move Gives Hope to Stateless People Living in America

Geopolitical events such as war or the dissolution of a government, like the collapse of the Soviet Union, can leave people without a country. In the United States, more than 200,000 people are living in a stateless status. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros has more. Camera: Adam Greenbaum. 

Ukrainians Move to North Dakota for Oil Field Jobs to Help Families Back Home

Maksym Bunchukov remembers hearing rockets explode in Zaporizhzhia as the war in Ukraine began. Now, about 18 months after the war broke out, Bunchukov is in North Dakota, like thousands of Ukrainians who came over a century ago. Story by The Associated Press.

Immigration around the world 

VOA in Photos: Migrants of African origin are crammed onboard a small boat as the Tunisian coast guard prepares to transfer them onto their vessel while at sea between Tunisia and Italy.

Boat Carrying Rohingya Migrants Capsizes in Bay of Bengal, Killing at Least 17

A boat carrying minority Rohingya migrants from Myanmar has capsized in the Bay of Bengal, leaving at least 17 people dead and about 30 missing, a rescue official said Thursday. The Associated Press reports.

VOA60 World — Doctors Without Borders Says 41 Migrants Are Dead and 4 Survived a Shipwreck Near Italy

Rescuers say the boat carried migrants from Tunisia’s Sfax, a hot spot in the migration crisis, but capsized and sank after a few hours near the Italian island of Lampedusa.

UK Moves Asylum-Seekers to Barge Off Southern England in Bid to Cut Costs

A small group of asylum-seekers has been moved onto a barge moored in southern England as the U.K. government tries to cut the cost of sheltering people seeking protection in the country, British news media reported Monday. The Associated Press reports.

Poland Says Belarus, Russia ‘Organizing’ New Migrant Influx

Poland’s government on Monday accused Belarus and Russia of orchestrating another migration influx into the European Union via the Polish border in order to destabilize the region. Reported by Agence France-Presse.

Dozens of Migrants Saved by Italy From Shipwrecks

Dozens of migrants were dramatically rescued by Italy as they foundered in the sea or clung to a rocky reef Sunday after three boats launched by smugglers from northern Africa shipwrecked in rough waters in separate incidents over the weekend. Survivors said some 30 fellow migrants were missing from capsized vessels. Reported by The Associated Press.

Health Conditions Deteriorate as More People Flee Sudan

U.N. agencies warn that health conditions are deteriorating in Sudan and neighboring countries as growing numbers of people flee escalating fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Malawi Seeks Donations to Feed More Than 50,000 Refugees

Malawi is seeking donations to feed more than 50,000 refugees facing shortages at the country’s only refugee camp. Government officials said the camp’s food stock is expected to be depleted by December. The appeal comes after the World Food Program last month cut by half the food rations for the refugees because of funding problems. Reported by Lameck Masina.

Cameroon Government, Aid Groups Begin Emergency Food Distribution

Aid groups and the government of Cameroon say they distributed rice, millet and beans to at least 30,000 people this week along the central African state’s northern border with Chad and Nigeria. Refugee populations and host communities are among the recipients. Reported by Moki Edwin Kindzeka.

News in Brief

— The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced an update and modernization of the Cuban and Haitian family reunification parole processes. According to DHS, applicants will be able to complete most of the process online, “eliminating the burden of travel, time and paperwork and increasing access to participation. The process is still available on an invitation-only basis.”
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