Platform for Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

⭐ SPECIAL ISSUE ⭐ What will the new European Commission do on migration and what could it mean for undocumented people? We've analysed all the mission letters that Von der Leyen has sent the Commissioner-designates to find out what they say about migration. Key takeaways: 😭 doubling down on criminalisation, border control and deportations 😭 new Mediterranean portfolio looks set to usher in more anti-migration deals 😭 equality portfolio has been sidelined 😊 new equality and anti-poverty strategies 😊 promising opening on exploitation of undocumented workers ...read this special issue of The Migration Papers to find out more! #migration #humanrights #EUelections *** 📲 Read the latest issue of The Migration Papers below - and hit the subscribe button! You'll get automatic notifications from LinkedIn as soon as we publish a new issue. 💌 If you prefer to read The Migration Papers on email, sign up on https://lnkd.in/eTxrmu6d

We need leaders who can chart a bright future for an open and kind Europe. But today's European Council only gives us anger, fear and despair. The string of declarations by Europen leaders gathered by POLITICO Europe is a choir singing the same sad litany of miseries: close the borders, push people back, lock people up inside and outside Europe, deport people - even to places of harm and death. This is not the Europe we want: angry, scared and miserable. We want to live in a Europe that is open and kind to (new) people, and looks with hope to a future where we can all thrive together. And this Europe is still alive. We see it in over 500,000 people asking to grant residence permits to undocumented people in Spain. We see it in over 600,000 people asking to make it easier for people to get citizenship in Italy. We see it in doctors and teachers, librarians, unions and churches resisting obligations to denounce undocumented people to immigration authorities in Sweden. We see it in trade unions fighting for the rights of migrant and all workers. We see it in anti-racist demonstrations in European cities. We see it in the daily work of countless groups, from grassroots associations to Brussels NGOs, working tirelessly to make Europe a better place for everyone. What we need to see is political leaders celebrating and standing up for this Europe. Follow POLITICO Europe's liveblog on https://lnkd.in/d2EfvUQb

Von der Leyen has just called for "return hubs" outside the EU. Only days after media exposed what such a thing does in Turkey. Last week, investigative journalists at Lighthouse Reports and partner publications have exposed how the EU is paying Turkey millions of euros to detain and deport Syrians and Afghans to places of harm. While locked in EU-funded removal centres, men, women and children face torture and abuse, and are then forcibly deported to sometimes deadly conditions – with EU senior officials being in full knowledge of this abusive system. Only days after this investigation was made public, the President of the European Commission sent a letter to member states where it calls for "return hubs" to be established outside the EU. And encourages member states to "draw lessons" from the Italy-Albania deal on the externalisation of migration management. The full letter can be read on https://lnkd.in/dm3QiSEv The EU prides itself on being founded on values of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights. We don't see any of these in funding systems - inside or outside the EU - that harm people and families. Read the full investigation on https://lnkd.in/eERHFErH

The EU Migration Pact will affect hundreds of thousands of children each year. We tell you how in our new briefing 👇 Adopted in May, the final text of the Pact normalises the arbitrary use of immigration detention, including for children and families, increases racial profiling, uses “crisis” procedures to enable pushbacks, and returns individuals to places where they are at risk of violence, torture, and arbitrary detention. In our new briefing, we focus in particular on: 📌 involvement of child protection actors 📌 detention and risk of de facto detention 📌 access to a secure residence permit 📌 procedural guarantees in asylum and border procedures 📌 guardianship 📌 age assessments 📌 registration and use of children’s data, including biometric data 📖 Read the full analysis on https://lnkd.in/dFBKACYj

Being undocumented brings its own mental health burden. Think about the impact of poverty, exclusion, re-traumatising migration procedures, detention or the constant fear of being deported. In addition to these very taxing experiences, undocumented people also face barriers to health care, including mental health care. If we're serious about improving things, we must recognise and address the mental distress that comes with being undocumented, and promote resilience. Read more in our briefing: https://lnkd.in/gKy3Nmgf #migration #humanrights #mentalhealth

❤️ "We help migrants and we won't hide it" - in the Basque country, people show us the pride in helping others while facing trial in court. Every two years in March, traditional race Korrika links the Basque cities of Irun (Spanish side) and Hendaye (French side). This year, a dozen organisations helped 36 migrants participate in the race and so reach France. Seven months later, on October 2, seven people were summoned to the Bayonne police station, where they were held in custody for several hours before being released. That's when they found out they were being investigated for "aiding the entry and stay of people in an irregular situation," in an "organized gang". This latest case shows us once again how many European governments are ready to put people in courts and jails simply because they helped other people coming from outside the EU. In 2023, at least 117 people faced judicial proceedings in the EU for helping migrants. This must stop. Solidarity should be celebrated, not criminalised. The Basque activists have been summoned to the Bayonne court on January 28, 2025. Stay tuned as we'll monitor this case. 📰 Source: https://lnkd.in/egDq7FZ9 #migration #humanrights

One year since the start of the war in Gaza, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to impact the work of our members - in the Middle East and in Europe. In our new briefing, we gather accounts, in members' words, of their responses and perspectives. This is just a snippet of what you can find in the briefing: 💚 In Belgium, CIRÉ asbl has denounced abusive practices of the Immigration Office, namely the withdrawal of Belgian nationality from children born in Belgium to Palestinian parents and the refusal to grant family reunification on this basis. 💚 In Germany, the Refugee Council of Lower Saxony has been calling for visa-free stay to all Palestinians living in Germany after their original visa expires. 💚 In Israel, Kav LaOved - Worker's Hotline supports Palestinian workers affected by the ban to work in Israel. 💚 In Italy, health care grassroots organisation NAGA has been calling for a boycott of medications produced by the Israeli company TEVA and its subsidiary Rathiopharm. 💚 In Spain, Accem launched the "Gaza project" to assist people displaced from the war in Gaza to find a safe place and care in Spain. 💚 Many have issued or joined petitions calling for a ceasefire and for the respect of international humanitarian and human rights standards in Gaza. ❤️ A big thank you to all the PICUM members who generously shared their organisation’s experiences, perspectives and actions, and who continue to do important work to support individuals and call out injustice. 📖 Read the full briefing on https://lnkd.in/d2eUPysB

🔔 Looking for a job in migration in Europe? Here's the latest roundup from our network and partners: [Belgium] SAAMO, Community worker – Project People With Irregular Status | Opbouwwerker Project mensen zonder wettig verblijf – 20 October https://lnkd.in/dFBri7KA [Greece] SOLIDARITYNOW, Communications Assistant – 13 October https://lnkd.in/dteyQFS6 [Malta] aditus foundation, Junior Lawyer – 18 October https://lnkd.in/dqg3WTm6 [Malta] aditus foundation, Research Coordinator (provision of services) – 18 October https://lnkd.in/dCapYehP   [Netherlands] Dokters van de Wereld Nederland, Program Support (Arabic, Farsi or Tigrinya speaking | Programmaondersteuner (Arabisch, Farsi of Tigrinya sprekend) - 16 October https://lnkd.in/egqBzcku   [Norway] Kirkens Bymisjon, Lawyer | Jurist - 6 October https://lnkd.in/dMQeR6xw   [Slovakia] Human Rights League (Liga za ľudské práva), Junior lawyer (Ukrainian speaking) | Junior právnik/právnička s ukrajinčinou - 16 October https://lnkd.in/d_tnDny9   [Spain] Movimiento por la Paz, Lawyer – International Protection | Abogado/a de protección international – 10 October https://lnkd.in/dn5Y9S4T   [UK] Refugee-Led Research Hub, Director of Academic Programmes - 15 October https://lnkd.in/d3RNAxb3   #jobs #jobfair #migration #humanrights

Frontex is about to turn 20. This latest investigation shows how it's unable and unwilling to prevent violence at the EU's borders. Reporters at Balkan Insight have revealed that Frontex officers at the Bulgarian-Turkish border have been witness to violent pushbacks and intimidated into silence. This investigation adds to accusations of serious rights violations by the EU anti-corruption watchdog OLAF, and complicity in human rights violations in the Mediterranean by international NGO Human Rights Watch and many other civil society actors. We need an agency that protects people, not abuses. Read more on https://lnkd.in/d9BiweyE #migration #humanrights

📰 In the latest issue of The Migration Papers: centre left forces are the latest to cave in to far right narratives on migration. And also: ⛔ the Dutch government vows to escalate detention and deportations 💰 Sweden plans to increase incentives for migrants to leave 👩⚕️ in Finland, civil society denounce plans to restrict health care for undocumented people 🛠 Spain strikes new labour migration deals in West Africa ...and much more, including: 📚 links to publications from NGOs and institutional bodies; 💻 a selection of interesting articles, videos and podcasts. *** 📲 Read the latest issue of The Migration Papers below - and hit the subscribe button! You'll get automatic notifications from LinkedIn as soon as we publish a new issue. 💌 If you prefer to read The Migration Papers on email, sign up on https://lnkd.in/eTxrmu6d