Sep30
The Often Fine Line Between Asylum Seeker and Smuggler
Canada, September 30, 2015
In February of this year, the Supreme Court of Canada heard four cases of sea-borne asylum seekers found to be ineligible for refugee protection because they helped other refugees come to Canada illegally. This is the first time in the history of international refugee law that the highest court of a country will address this issue.
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Sep17
Moving Beyond the Asylum Muddle
September 17, 2015
Hungary’s decision this week to seal its border with Serbia with massive coils of barbed wire is an affront to any notion of good faith implementation of refugee law obligations.
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Aug22
Hispaniola: A Current Stateless Issue and a Looming Refugee Crisis
Dominican Republic, August 22, 2015
Julie Kornfeld Third-year student at the University of Michigan Law School. On Hispaniola, the island divided between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the early stages of a potential major refugee...
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Aug6
Palestinian Refugees and the Protection Gap
Syria, August 6, 2015
In April, the UN issued a press statement regarding the desperate condition of Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, Syria. Due to the UNRWA’s inability to provide protection for certain Palestinian refugees who fall within their operational definition, an unprotected population of refugees has been created.
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Jul20
Uighur Refugee Dispute Sheds Light on Thai Asylum Practices
Thailand, July 20, 2015
In March, a Thai court ruled that a group of 17 Uighur refugees would remain in detention until their nationalities were proven. Although the Turkish government had provided the group and other Uighur refugees with passports and travel permission, China claimed they were Uighur Muslims from Xinjiang, and asked Thailand for repatriation to China. The ensuing diplomatic tension has resulted in the repatriation of many Uighur refugees to China and shed light on Thai asylum practices.
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Jul12
How to Sink a Boat: A Legal Analysis of the Right to Seek Asylum
European Union, July 12, 2015
In a surprisingly bold move, the European Union (E.U.) recently asked the United Nations to green light the use of force against boats containing “smuggled” immigrants on the Mediterranean Sea. This disturbing news has been met with a wave of protest from advocates and scholars alike, who deplore the E.U.’s plan because it denies these immigrants their fundamental rights. Many have been left wondering, what is the legal basis for the E.U.’s actions? And could the United Nations conceivably approve such a plan?
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Jun3
Privacy and Impunity in South Africa
South Africa, June 3, 2015
On September 26, 2014 the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria handed down its decision in CoRMSA v President of the Republic of South Africa, upholding the grant of refugee status to former Rwandan general Faustin Kayumba Nywamwasa despite allegations of his involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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Jun1
Refugee Protection for Homeschoolers? Congressional Efforts to Amend the Refugee Definition and Restrict Protection for Central American Refugees
United States, June 1, 2015
The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee recently passed H.R.1153, the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015 (“the ARBP Act”), a bill that restricts immigration to the United States, except for families fleeing persecution because they homeschool their children. This article discusses the ways in which the proposed Act is in direct contravention with U.S. domestic and international obligations and argues Congress should instead invest in the asylum officer corps and immigration court system to provide adjudicators with the resources and support they need to reach reasoned and fair decisions.
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May12
Syrian Asylum Seekers Face Difficulties in Japan
Japan, May 12, 2015
Recently, four Syrian asylum seekers have decided to sue the government of Japan for its failure to recognize their claims for refugee status. This litigation move comes amid reports published by the Ministry of Justice, which states that Japan recognized only six asylum seekers in 2013 and only 11 in 2014, despite a clear upward trend in the number of asylum applications.
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May12
The Michigan Guidelines on Risk for Reasons of Political Opinion
May 12, 2015
The University of Michigan Program in Refugee and Asylum Law hosts the bi-annual Colloquium on Challenges in International Refugee Law, which brings leading academic experts and practitioners from around the world to Ann Arbor to work with students and identify a strategy for confronting a cutting-edge problem in refugee protection. The purpose of the Colloquium is to tackle one difficult issue via preparatory study and a three-day debate and policy formulation meeting, thus producing the Michigan Guidelines on that particular issue. The 2015 Michigan Guidelines take up how best to interpret “political opinion” in a manner that ensures both fidelity to international law and the continuing vitality of the Convention.
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