department: Lawyers for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for sheltering children who illegally enter the country unaccompanied by a parent, have said the department has a policy of refusing to facilitate abortions, according to Metro News. And the director of the office that oversees the shelters has said he believes teens in his agency's care have no constitutional right to abortion. The order covers pregnant minors being held in federal custody after entering the country illegally. The American Civil Liberties Union brought a lawsuit on behalf of the minors, which the judge overseeing the case also Friday allowed to go forward as a class action lawsuit. The government can appeal the judge's order. We have been able to secure justice for these young pregnant women in government custody who will no longer be subject to the government's policy of coercion and obstruction while the case continues, said ACLU attorney Brigitte Amiri after the judge's order became public. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

crime gangs: It says he arrived in the country on a tourist visa on Feb. 24, according to Metro News. Saturday's statement says Villani was involved in illicit activities, but gives no details. The Morelos state prosecutor's office says in a statement that the body of 37-year-old Alberto Villani was found March 20 in the municipality of Tlaltizapan. Morelos is one of the states plagued by organized crime gangs. Three other Italian citizens disappeared in the north-central state of Jalisco in January and have not yet been found. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gratton: The lack of information has been unsettling for Gratton, who says the fog around his wife's final moments has left him with an open wound, according to Toronto Star. I just want answers, you know he said. None of the authorities involved not the jail, not the coroner and not the Canada Border Services Agency, which was holding his wife as an immigration detainee has told him how the woman with whom he had shared his life for more than 30 years came to be found in medical distress in her cell and pronounced dead shortly thereafter. I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Article Continued Below Teresa Michelle Gratton died Oct. 30 while being indefinitely detained in a maximum-security jail by the Canada Border Services Agency. Teresa Michelle Gratton, a 50-year-old grandmother, died Oct. 30 at the maximum-security Vanier Centre for Women, where she was being indefinitely detained not because she was criminally charged or sentenced, but because Canada's border police, the CBSA, wanted to deport her, and they believed she would not show up for her immigration hearing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mls game: The superstar Swedish forward scored twice in his first MLS game to cap the Los Angeles Galaxy's comeback from three goals down to beat LAFC 4-3 on Saturday, according to Metro News. I gave them Zlatan, Ibrahimovic said. Zlatan Ibrahimovic couldn't have scripted his Hollywood debut any better. Ibrahimovic won it in the opening seconds of stoppage time with a header off a cross by Ashley Cole to send a sold-out Stub Hub Center into hysterics. Ibrahimovic's first goal in America was more audacious, scoring on a 40-yard kick when he caught LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller off his line to tie the score 3-3 in the 77th minute. After that, I was like, 'Just stop the game now.' I don't want to feel any more adrenaline, Ibrahimovic said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

officer: Despite the claim, an immigration officer, identified by the court only as B. Au, concluded Nagarasa had provided insufficient evidence that his life would be at risk and that it would safe for him to return, according to Toronto Star. In the new Federal Court ruling, Justice Shirzad S. Ahmed described the immigration officer's approach as overzealous and unreasonable. The case involves GTA man Suresh Nagarasa, who claims he was tortured by Sri Lankan authorities on two occasions, a statement that is backed up by letters from a Sri Lankan legislator and justice of the peace. The immigration officer's decision is replete with findings of insufficient evidence,' wrote Ahmed. Ahmed rejected the immigration officer's decision and sent the case back to be reconsidered. Article Continued Below The officer's overzealous approach to scrutinizing the letters for hearsay, dates, and other allegedly missing details comes dangerously close to imposing an impossible standard that would effectively require letters from persons who were physically present during the alleged mistreatment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border closure: Fourteen of the marchers were killed and more than 750 wounded by Israeli fire in clashes along the border fence, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, according to Metro News. Another Palestinian was killed earlier Friday. It was the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 cross-border war between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military said thousands of Palestinians threw stones and rolled burning tires toward troops deployed on the other side of the border fence. The large turnout of the flag-waving marchers in the dangerous border zone was a testament to Hamas' organizing skills, but it also signalled desperation among Gaza residents after a decade-old border closure. It accused militants of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of mass protests, saying that in one incident, Palestinian gunmen fired toward soldiers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

downtown building: He said he was inspired by speakers at a rally at the downtown building on Monday and decided to write a song with his father, Bill, and community leader Lynn Jones to support the janitors, according to The Chronicle Herald. This is an issue I can lend my voice to and sing, Plaskett said in an interview. Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Joel Plaskett performed at a rally outside the Founders Square office building Thursday, capping a week of pickets protesting the treatment of the black cleaners. We're just trying to make some noise and make the world a more equitable and fair place. They accused the building's property manager, Armour Group, and an incoming contractor, Deep Down Cleaning Services, of racial discrimination. The janitors announced plans to file a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission last week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kenyan: Earlier this year he stood beside opposition leader Ralia Odinga during a mock inauguration to protest President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election, according to CTV. Miguna later was deported to Canada but a Kenyan court ordered authorities to allow him back into the country. A Kenyan court on Thursday fined top officials including the interior minister and national police chief for failing to appear in court to explain the treatment of Miguna Miguna, who was targeted amid lingering election tensions. His attempt to return this week ended up with him detained in an airport toilet for more than a day. Miguna says he holds Kenyan and Canadian citizenship but authorities have disputed his Kenyan status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

japanese journalists: The nickname belied the cell's brutality, according to The Chronicle Herald. In 2014 and 2015, it held more than 20 Western hostages in Syria and tortured many of them. The men, along with two other British jihadis, allegedly made up the IS cell nicknamed The Beatles by surviving captives because of their English accents. It beheaded seven American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers and a group of Syrian soldiers, boasting of the butchery in videos released to the world. They complained that they could disappear after Britain reportedly revoked their citizenship. Speaking to The Associated Press at a Kurdish security centre, the two men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey, repeatedly refused to address allegations they were part of the cell clearly having a future trial in mind. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

google instagram: The new proposal would vastly expand that requirement to cover some 14 million people each year who apply for non-immigrant visas, according to Toronto Star. The proposal covers about 20 social media platforms. Last September, the Trump administration announced that applicants for immigrant visas would be asked for social-media data, a proposal that would affect about 710,000 people each year. Most of them are based in the United States Facebook, Flickr, Google Instagram, Linked In, Myspace, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine and You Tube. Share your thoughts Read more Article Continued Below Trump to end program protecting Liberians from deportation Trump is privately pressing for the military not Mexico to pay for his border wall California sues Trump administration over citizenship question in 2020 census During his campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump promised extreme vetting of people seeking to enter the United States, and last March, the State Department directed consular officers around the world to step up scrutiny of visa applicants. react-empty 148 But the new proposal would add a tangible new requirement for millions of people who apply to visit the United States for work or pleasure, including citizens of such countries as Brazil, China, India and Mexico. But several are based overseas the Chinese sites Douban, QQ, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo and Youku; the Russian social network VK; Twoo, which was created in Belgium; and Ask.fm, a question-and-answer platform based in Latvia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

isis cell: The men were allegedly among four British jihadis who made up the ISIS cell nicknamed The Beatles by surviving captives because of their English accents, according to CTV. The cell held more than 20 Western hostages in Syria and became known for its brutality, torturing its captives and beheading several American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers and Syrian soldiers in 2014 and 2015. One of them said the killings of captives was a mistake and could have been avoided. The two men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey, spoke to The Associated Press from at a detention centre in northern Syria in their first interview with the media. They called the allegations that they belonged to the Beatles cell and were involved in kidnappings and killings propaganda -- but they refused to address specifics. They were captured in early January in eastern Syria by the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces amid the collapse of ISIS. They spoke openly of their membership in the Islamic State group but refused to say what their role was. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

limbo right: The inexplicable delay has them facing an uncertain future and questioning whether they are being discriminated against, according to CTV. Mojtaba Eslami has lived in Canada with his wife for four years. According to participants in the movement, there are at least 200 Iranians currently awaiting word on their application and their wait times have been considerably longer than those of applicants from other countries. The couple, who reside in Calgary, applied for permanent residency 16 months ago and, to date, have not received an update regarding their status. Aside from the mental stress and uncertainty associated with it, we cannot make any long-term decisions. We are living in limbo right now, said Eslami. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

naturalization ceremony: Lawyers for Hector Barajas said the government informed them Thursday their client should attend a naturalization ceremony on April 13 in San Diego, according to Metro News. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed the decision. Jerry Brown's pardon of a criminal offence last year. Barajas, 40, is founder and director of Deported Veterans Support House, which provides housing and other services in Tijuana, Mexico. He also plans to find a job and go to school in Los Angeles, while supporting his 11-year-old daughter and her mother. He said Thursday that he believes his advocacy contributed to his victory and that he planned to commute to Tijuana from the Los Angeles area for at least a year to continue his work. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

opposition fighters: Even as millions of South Sudanese flee their country in what the United Nations has called the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide, hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan's South Kordofan region have found a haven there, according to Metro News. Their presence brings concerns that their improvised camps are a hiding place for militants, and aid workers say they find it increasingly hard to do their jobs. After fighting broke out in neighbouring Sudan between the government and opposition fighters in the Nuba Mountains in 2011 and Osma's cousin and nephew were killed, the 24-year-old escaped with her daughters, 2 and 6 years old, to the world's youngest nation. The Associated Press visited one such camp of more than 50,000 people that South Sudan's government ordered closed almost two years ago. We believe Yida is proactively being used as a base or as a rest and relaxation location for fighters, said Veton Orana, head of the United Nations refugee agency's office in South Sudan's northern town of Jamjang. It continues to thrive, and officials worry that the rainy season that begins in May will bring more of the militants who have been fighting for more regional autonomy from Sudan's government. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

swat: Yousafzai is expected to return to London on Monday, according to Toronto Star. Activist Adnan Tabassum, also from Swat, met with Yousafzai on Thursday in Islamabad. Security was visibly beefed up in Mingora, the Nobel Peace Prize winner's hometown, but authorities wouldn't confirm whether she would be arriving there. She said Yousafzai told her that she wanted to travel to Swat to see her former school friends and relatives. Malala is not afraid of going to Swat, where the terrorists opened fire on her in 2012 and wounded her. Read more Back home in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai says she'll continue to fight for girls' education Article Continued Below According to Tabassum, 20-year-old Yousafzai asked authorities to allow her to go to Shangla village in Swat, where a school has been built by her Malala Fund. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tax-related problem: The B.C. government has made its first major move in the battle for housing affordability in Metro Vancouver and beyond by promising to raise the foreign-buyers tax to 20 per cent and institute a range of taxes to quell property speculation, according to Rabble. Now it looks as if the B.C. NDP is preparing to take on a more thorny challenge to confront the housing crisis. However NDP Attorney General David Eby is starting to do something about this. It's a tax-related problem that Liberal MLA Mike DeJong promised to address three years ago when he was finance minister, but never did. The challenge is the so-called bare-trust loophole, which wealthy individuals, both offshore and domestic, have long used to disguise their identities when buying and selling residential property in B.C. That way, they could avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes. The repercussions could be significant for increasing housing affordability. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

visa office: He was subsequently exonerated of the Mafia association charge by an Italian court, according to Toronto Star. In late 2016, after an assessment of the case, then immigration minister John McCallum issued instructions to the visa office in Rome to grant Figliomeni an authorization to return to Canada and a temporary resident permit to reunite with his Canadian wife and two children in Vaughan. At the centre of the fight is Carlo Figliomeni, 50, who was convicted of weapons possession in Italy in 1989 and of having ties to the Mafia a few years later. Read more I was starting to lose my mind,' former mobster tells cocaine trafficking trial Article Continued Below Court hears details of mob killings in secret recordings However, two months after Ahmed Hussen took over the Immigration Department in 2017 when McCallum was appointed the ambassador to China, the offer was rescinded. Sorbara, who represents Vaughan-Woodbridge, has been assisting the family and wrote to Hussen in support of Figliomeni's reunification with his family. react-empty 157 I fully believe that the family's and most predominantly, the children's well-being should be of paramount concern and as such reunification should be completed promptly, wrote Sorbara, who declined to be interviewed. The family's MP Francesco Sorbara, a Liberal, along with two former Liberal MPs, John Nunziata and Jim Karygiannis, are lobbying the Trudeau government to let Figliomeni back into the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asian people: On March 1, Steves tweeted about an open house on proposed modular housing for homeless people.article continues below Trending Stories Matthew Good collapses at concert but plans to continue tourU2 From 175 to 1,585 in 13 minutes Bill Clinton finds himself in Vancouver on June 29Whistler Blackcomb heli-guide dies in avalancherelated Richmond councillor's tweet accused of suggesting ethnicity-based divisions Man kicks librarian in stomach at homeless housing meeting Richmond council puts off decision on ALR home sizes It read, 500 Asian people go to a Public Information meeting, according to Vancouver Courier. The librarian gets Karate Kicked by an opponent to housing for homeless people. Harold Steves has apologized for a tweet that has created a bit of a backlash. South Asian landowners are campaigning for 10,764 sq ft houses in the ALR. Is this multiculturalism What on earth is happening to RichmondBC The tweet got more than 100 likes and nearly 100 retweets. I apologize for being hasty in doing that, Steves said at last Monday's council meeting. Steves apologized for retweeting information from an initial eyewitness account, associating the kicker with the people attending the meeting on housing an account later refuted by police. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

signature dish: The chain serves sweet and cheesy Filipino style spaghetti, and chicken so crispy and juicylicious' that even its name on the menu promises a feeling of happiness, according to NOW Magazine. Chickenjoy or Jolly Crispy Chicken Jollibee's signature dish, was apparently my favourite as a child. There is nothing more synonymous with Filipino fast food than Jollibee the happy looking little bee with a chef's hat. Now that they're finally opening a Toronto location on Sunday April 1 I'll be able to see if that still holds true. No, Jollibee stayed with me. When I moved to Toronto as a toddler, I unwittingly left behind the world of Jolly Spaghetti, Palabok Fiestas and Breakfast Joys traditional Filipino garlic rice, egg and meat-based breakfasts but I didn't forget about Jollibee. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

aura hernandez: Hernandez, a mother of two who used to clean homes, has lived illegally in the U.S. since 2005, according to Metro News. I am not going to keep quiet anymore. As she held her 15-month-old baby, Aura Hernandez spoke to reporters inside Fourth Universalist Society, a historic Upper West Side church, where she has been hiding from federal agents. I ask all of you to not keep quiet, to defend your rights, the rights of our children, she said in Spanish with tears in her eyes as her 10-year-old son, Daniel, stood by her side. She entered more than two weeks ago after spending two weeks inside another church, where she first sought refuge. Both of her children were born in the U.S. Hernandez, 37, vows to stay inside the church until her immigration status changes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian woman: The invisible line along the Aegean Sea that separates Turkey from Greece, and lures Syrian refugees into smugglers' boats by night, is also what sets the plot of A Dangerous Crossing in motion Audrey Clare, a Canadian woman operating an NGO on Lesvos, has gone missing, leaving behind two bodies killed with her gun A French Interpol agent and a young Syrian man named Sami, according to Rabble. Khattak and his partner, Sergeant Rachel Getty, are dispatched by the prime minister unnamed in this book, but unmistakeably modelled after Justin Trudeau to solve the mystery and find Audrey before word of her disappearance gets out and compromises efforts to resettle Syrians in Canada. Inspector Esa Khattak, Khan's protagonist and detective, sees the suspect identified on slogans spray painted on a concrete barrier outside a refugee camp in Chios, Greece no borders, no borders, no borders, the prayer of the stateless. Thus begins the fifth book in Khan's Community Policing series, a novel with a compelling premise and several intriguing moments but which nevertheless falters in its execution. At bottom, mystery novels tend to combine the pleasures of plotting and suspense with social critique, in that through solving a crime, the hero-detective also often exposes corruption the killer is the scion of a wealthy family; the murder is part of an extensive cover-up; the helpful bystander is in on the crime. With A Dangerous Crossing, Khan follows a similar formula to her other Khattak-Getty novels by wedding the conventions of a mystery novel to a social justice-oriented critique of globalization and power. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration cases: They're told that they'll need to appear in immigration court, but they typically aren't personally told that they only have a year to apply for asylum, the lawsuit argued, according to Metro News. Due to a backlog in immigration cases, the asylum seekers are often not given a hearing within a year, and thus, by the time they show up in court and learn about the deadline, it's already passed, Martinez found. In many cases, those asylum seekers are released from custody after officials have interviewed them and determined their fears to be credible. This means many asylum seekers who were previously going to have a door slammed in their face are now able to say, 'No, a federal court has said that I am timely filing my application and you need to accept it,' said Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and an attorney for the plaintiffs. The judge ordered the department to begin providing notice about the one-year deadline within 90 days any time an immigrant seeking asylum is released from custody pending deportation proceedings. Jonathan Withington, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of Homeland Security, said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

citizenship data: She also didn't provide context in asserting that a greater level of citizenship data is needed to comply with the Voting Rights Act, according to The Chronicle Herald. The decision to include the question in the 2020 census has stirred worry among opponents that it will intimidate immigrants, leading to an undercount and decreased political representation in Democratic-leaning communities where they tend to live. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders was flat-out wrong in claiming the citizenship question had been regularly included in the Census Bureau's decennial survey to all U.S. households in recent decades. Meantime, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who announced his department's move to change the 2020 census, appeared to skew the science behind his decision when he asserted that the impact of asking about citizenship had been well-tested. Press briefing Tuesday. Here's a look at some of the statements SANDERS, on the Trump administration's decision to ask people about their citizenship in the 2020 census This is a question that's been included in every census since 1965 with the exception of 2010, when it was removed. ... And again, this is something that has been part of the census for decades and something that the Department of Commerce felt strongly needed to be included again. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deportation arrests: The move is the latest effort to scrap immigration policies created in the final two years of Barack Obama's administration, according to Metro News. Shortly after Trump took office, rules that generally limited deportations to convicted criminals, public safety threats and recent border crossers were lifted, making anyone in the country illegally vulnerable. The new policy, which took effect in December but wasn't announced until Thursday, gives no blanket special consideration to pregnancy, though the agency says each case will be reviewed individually and women in their third trimester will generally be released. Deportation arrests have spiked more than 40 per cent under Trump's watch. All across our enforcement portfolio, we're no longer exempting any individual from being subject to the law, said Philip Miller, deputy executive associate director of ICE's enforcement and removal operations. Administration officials said new rules on pregnant women aligned with the president's executive orders last year for heightened immigration enforcement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

i transition: The day after receiving that sentence in 2014, she released a statement that read in part As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me, according to Rabble. I am Chelsea Manning. Manning, the most famous Army whistleblower, served seven years of a 35-year sentence for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified records about the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am a female. Appearing on the Democracy Now! news hour, she talked about her newfound freedom It's overwhelming. President Barack Obama commuted her sentence before he left office, and she has not wasted any time, announcing a run for the U.S. Senate seat in Maryland. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

text messages: The text messages are from 6,000 miles away in Santiago, Chile, where he's helping resettle a group of young Venezuelans trying to retrace his own immigrant's journey to a better future, according to The Chronicle Herald. Between deciphering data and writing code, he fields questions that come flying fast What's the fastest bus line downtown How do you apply for an immigrant ID card Any leads on a job Sometimes I'm rude and tell them to look on Google, or I have to just turn off my phone because I get five messages all at once, says the 34-year-old. At his stand-up desk in a Silicon Valley office complex, Guido Nunez-Mujica's phone buzzes nonstop as he tries in vain to concentrate on his work. The demands on Nunez-Mujica's time and energy are part of his solitary battle to give those trapped by his homeland's economic crisis a fresh start abroad. The acts of generosity range from a few months of free rent at an apartment he manages in Santiago to bus fare for a surgeon so he could move to Peru with his wife and daughter. Since the end of last year, he has shelled out around 40,000 of his own money helping some 40 Venezuelans most of them complete strangers migrate to other South America nations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.