Ex-Breitbart editor has vocally supported immediate deportations for anyone who can’t prove US residencyFar-right British media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the US after being detained on Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans in connection with what the agency said was expired authorization to be in the country and a deportation order.Yiannopoulos’s deportation to the UK occurred on Friday, said a statement on Saturday from a spokesperson fo
Ex-Breitbart editor has vocally supported immediate deportations for anyone who can’t prove US residency
Far-right British media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the US after being detained on Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans in connection with what the agency said was expired authorization to be in the country and a deportation order.
Yiannopoulos’s deportation to the UK occurred on Friday, said a statement on Saturday from a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE.
The Trump administration has deported thousands of immigrants to countries where they have no ties. Dozens were on the latest flight, to the Central African Republic.
The Trump administration has deported thousands of immigrants to countries where they have no ties. Dozens were on the latest flight, to the Central African Republic.
A privacy measure for immigration aid workers became a free speech cause for backers of Mr. Shirley, a right-wing YouTube star. Democrats say the furor is fueled by misinformation.
A privacy measure for immigration aid workers became a free speech cause for backers of Mr. Shirley, a right-wing YouTube star. Democrats say the furor is fueled by misinformation.
Nick Shirley, 24, has quickly become a hero in the MAGA movement as a YouTube influencer who has produced viral videos claiming to expose fraud in Democratic-led states.
Senator Jon Ossoff, the youngest sitting senator and the only Democrat seeking re-election this year in a state President Trump won in 2024, hasn’t moderated his message in his critical race.
Senator Jon Ossoff, the youngest sitting senator and the only Democrat seeking re-election this year in a state President Trump won in 2024, hasn’t moderated his message in his critical race.
At rallies across Georgia this summer, Senator Jon Ossoff has delivered a series of blistering rebukes of the president and a challenger for his seat, Representative Mike Collins.
Our White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs explains how so-called third-country deportations are sending immigrants to countries across the globe.
Our White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs explains how so-called third-country deportations are sending immigrants to countries across the globe.
Mr. Yiannopoulos, a prominent early supporter of President Trump, was detained at the New Orleans airport. The Trump administration publicized his arrest and shared a mug shot.
Mr. Yiannopoulos, a prominent early supporter of President Trump, was detained at the New Orleans airport. The Trump administration publicized his arrest and shared a mug shot.
The announcement has sent panic through a community that fled its country’s brutal military rule, civil war, religious persecution or some combination of the three.
The announcement has sent panic through a community that fled its country’s brutal military rule, civil war, religious persecution or some combination of the three.
Rohingya refugees in front of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur after being evicted from their home in July.
A former lieutenant colonel in Venezuela’s National Guard living in Florida was deported, interrupting a lawsuit that accused him of ordering violent raids and torture.
A former lieutenant colonel in Venezuela’s National Guard living in Florida was deported, interrupting a lawsuit that accused him of ordering violent raids and torture.
Flights to the Caribbean nation will increase from once a month to once a week now that the Supreme Court allowed President Trump to cancel a humanitarian program.
Flights to the Caribbean nation will increase from once a month to once a week now that the Supreme Court allowed President Trump to cancel a humanitarian program.
The two states have waged an unusual court battle over the agent facing charges over a shooting in Minneapolis. The agent could be released from jail on Thursday.
The two states have waged an unusual court battle over the agent facing charges over a shooting in Minneapolis. The agent could be released from jail on Thursday.
Christian Castro charged with assault after allegedly shooting Venezuelan man and remains in custody in TexasSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent accused of firing his gun and wounding a Venezuelan man in the leg is caught in an interstate extradition dispute between Texas and Minnesota – and could walk out of a Texas jail as soon as Wednesday after a federal judge refused to intervene.Christian Castro is charged in Minnesota with
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent accused of firing his gun and wounding a Venezuelan man in the leg is caught in an interstate extradition dispute between Texas and Minnesota – and could walk out of a Texas jail as soon as Wednesday after a federal judge refused to intervene.
Christian Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime by another, in relation to the incident in which he was involved in the wounding of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in January.
Joshua Aviles, a Navy sailor, said his father had been freed days after he was detained as Mr. Aviles returned from a lengthy deployment in the Middle East.
Joshua Aviles, a Navy sailor, said his father had been freed days after he was detained as Mr. Aviles returned from a lengthy deployment in the Middle East.
Administration moved away from high-profile raids that defined immigration enforcement approach last year but still deported record number of peopleThe Trump administration arrested and deported a record number of immigrants in July, according to newly released government data – apprehending an average of 1,500 people and removing 1,100 people daily.This latest data confirms what attorneys and immigrant advocates have been seeing across the US – although the administration has moved away from th
Administration moved away from high-profile raids that defined immigration enforcement approach last year but still deported record number of people
The Trump administration arrested and deported a record number of immigrants in July, according to newly released government data – apprehending an average of 1,500 people and removing 1,100 people daily.
This latest data confirms what attorneys and immigrant advocates have been seeing across the US – although the administration has moved away from the high-profile, militarized raids that came to define its immigration enforcement approach last year, it is quietly ramping up its operations.
Move by state department to limit access is part of Trump’s crackdown on both lawful and undocumented immigrationAll US immigrant visa applications have been paused by the Trump administration as the state department moves to tighten restrictions and limit access to applicants who they deem could end up relying on US assistance, a state department official confirmed Tuesday.The agency launched the initiative at all embassies and consulates in early August, according to the official and visa appo
Move by state department to limit access is part of Trump’s crackdown on both lawful and undocumented immigration
All US immigrant visa applications have been paused by the Trump administration as the state department moves to tighten restrictions and limit access to applicants who they deem could end up relying on US assistance, a state department official confirmed Tuesday.
The agency launched the initiative at all embassies and consulates in early August, according to the official and visa appointments had to be adjusted to accommodate “in-depth training”, according to the official. The state department has been working on updated guidance and training since early this year, “to ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently”, they added.
Agents arrest women who ‘almost died’ after they were hit by vehicle and their car flipped over four times, family sayAn Ecuadorian mother and daughter were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a hospital after a car crash in central Florida.On 20 August, Grace Stephanie Calero Cabanilla, 39, and her daughter, Giulianna Mía Carriel Calero, 19, were involved in a car crash in Poinciana, Florida, according to arrest reports reviewed by multiple news outlets. Continue rea
Agents arrest women who ‘almost died’ after they were hit by vehicle and their car flipped over four times, family say
An Ecuadorian mother and daughter were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a hospital after a car crash in central Florida.
On 20 August, Grace Stephanie Calero Cabanilla, 39, and her daughter, Giulianna Mía Carriel Calero, 19, were involved in a car crash in Poinciana, Florida, according to arrest reports reviewed by multiple news outlets.
Arrest of Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, sparked backlash as he was detained while his son, Joshua, was deployed in Middle EastThe father of a US navy sailor who has been deployed in the Middle East for a record-breaking nine months on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been released from immigration detention, according to his family.His arrest sparked intense backlash after the Associated Press reported that his son was entering his ninth month on the Lincoln with the navy when his father w
Arrest of Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, sparked backlash as he was detained while his son, Joshua, was deployed in Middle East
The father of a US navy sailor who has been deployed in the Middle East for a record-breaking nine months on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been released from immigration detention, according to his family.
His arrest sparked intense backlash after the Associated Press reported that his son was entering his ninth month on the Lincoln with the navy when his father was detained. The carrier had just set a US military record for uninterrupted time at sea and has raised concerns about supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among those serving onboard.
Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo, deported to Honduras, is latest military spouse to face removal amid Trump 2.0The wife of an active-duty US soldier was deported on Monday to her native Honduras, according to her family and the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS).Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo is at least the seventh spouse or parent of an active-duty US soldier to be deported under the immigration crackdown during Donald Trump’s second presidency. Continue reading...
Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo, deported to Honduras, is latest military spouse to face removal amid Trump 2.0
The wife of an active-duty US soldier was deported on Monday to her native Honduras, according to her family and the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo is at least the seventh spouse or parent of an active-duty US soldier to be deported under the immigration crackdown during Donald Trump’s second presidency.
The State Department, in a move that could affect as many as 200,000 visa holders and asylum applicants, has begun its review. Cancellations could occur in waves.
The State Department, in a move that could affect as many as 200,000 visa holders and asylum applicants, has begun its review. Cancellations could occur in waves.
“Obtaining a visa in order to seek asylum is fraud — which is grounds for visa revocation,” Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement.
The State Department, in a move that could affect as many as 200,000 visa holders and asylum applicants, has begun its review. Cancellations could occur in waves.
The State Department, in a move that could affect as many as 200,000 visa holders and asylum applicants, has begun its review. Cancellations could occur in waves.
“Obtaining a visa in order to seek asylum is fraud — which is grounds for visa revocation,” Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement.
Exclusive: internal correspondence reveals USCIS anti-fraud officers shifted on to two ‘high-priority’ initiativesAll US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by the Trump administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters.Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardi
Exclusive: internal correspondence reveals USCIS anti-fraud officers shifted on to two ‘high-priority’ initiatives
All US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by the Trump administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters.
Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in “the near future”.
The sailor, Joshua Aviles, was on his way home from the Middle East aboard the beleaguered aircraft carrier when he learned his father had been detained.
The sailor, Joshua Aviles, was on his way home from the Middle East aboard the beleaguered aircraft carrier when he learned his father had been detained.
Joshua Aviles, right, with his father, Luis Manuel Aviles, in 2025, shortly before Joshua shipped out for the Middle East aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
The president’s border wall plan could damage or destroy ‘the oldest-known books in North America’On an overcast summer morning, Carolyn Boyd, an archeologist at Texas State University, stood at the foot of a cave in west Texas, looking up toward a series of towering murals painted on a rock wall. Three massive human-like figures soared toward an overhang that had sheltered the painting from the elements since they were drawn here perhaps 4,000 years ago.An artist herself, Boyd knows how hard it
The president’s border wall plan could damage or destroy ‘the oldest-known books in North America’
On an overcast summer morning, Carolyn Boyd, an archeologist at Texas State University, stood at the foot of a cave in west Texas, looking up toward a series of towering murals painted on a rock wall. Three massive human-like figures soared toward an overhang that had sheltered the painting from the elements since they were drawn here perhaps 4,000 years ago.
An artist herself, Boyd knows how hard it would have been to paint these long, crisp lines. Before starting, the bands of Indigenous hunter-gatherers who lived in this west Texas valley, where the Pecos River empties into the Rio Grande, would have spent weeks pulverizing gypsum, hematite, limonite and manganese to make paint. They would have gathered massive quantities of sotol stalks to fold its fibers into scaffolding. The painting itself would have required teamwork and precision, with people at the bottom guiding artists on the wall as they painted figures stretching up to 30ft tall.
Joshua Aviles says he is on a nine-month Middle East deployment and learned his father has been arrested while he was waiting for green card approvalThe father of a US sailor on board the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier deployed in the Middle East during the Iran war has been taken into federal immigration detention, the sailor said.The border patrol arrested Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, originally from Nicaragua, after conducting a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida, a spokesperson for the US
Joshua Aviles says he is on a nine-month Middle East deployment and learned his father has been arrested while he was waiting for green card approval
The father of a US sailor on board the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier deployed in the Middle East during the Iran war has been taken into federal immigration detention, the sailor said.
The border patrol arrested Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, originally from Nicaragua, after conducting a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida, a spokesperson for the US homeland security department said on Sunday.
ICE charter carrying more than 160 Haitian nationals landed in Cap-Haïtien, after temporary protection status was revokedThe first deportation flight to Haiti since the US supreme court upheld Donald Trump’s power to strip 350,000 Haitians – and others – of a key type of legal status in the US landed in the troubled nation on Thursday.The flight was carrying more that 160 Haitian nationals and landed in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city, aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
ICE charter carrying more than 160 Haitian nationals landed in Cap-Haïtien, after temporary protection status was revoked
The first deportation flight to Haiti since the US supreme court upheld Donald Trump’s power to strip 350,000 Haitians – and others – of a key type of legal status in the US landed in the troubled nation on Thursday.
The flight was carrying more that 160 Haitian nationals and landed in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city, aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charter.
Pima county figures show highest number of monthly migrant deaths in two years as critics condemn US policyAccording to newly released data from the medical examiner’s office in Pima county, Arizona, the remains of 19 migrants, including children, were recovered along the Arizona-Mexico border last month.The figure accounts for the highest number of monthly deaths in that area since 2024 and brings the number of total remains found to 73 this year, 14 more than the same time period last year.Thi
Pima county figures show highest number of monthly migrant deaths in two years as critics condemn US policy
According to newly released data from the medical examiner’s office in Pima county, Arizona, the remains of 19 migrants, including children, were recovered along the Arizona-Mexico border last month.
The figure accounts for the highest number of monthly deaths in that area since 2024 and brings the number of total remains found to 73 this year, 14 more than the same time period last year.
This article was updated on 21 August 2026 to correct the name of Octavio Fuentes.
Business owner Assim Alkhawaja was arrested by ICE as he dropped off Lyft passengers at a military base. Now he’s stuck in a terrifying fight to stay in the USDeep within the bowels of San Diego’s federal courthouse, Assim Alkhawaja sat on the floor outside a nondescript office, waiting to be called for his ICE-mandated immigration appointment. He stared straight ahead, his posture tense, his face a mask.The hallway was brown, as was the carpet. Above Alkhawaja’s head hung a framed stock photo o
Business owner Assim Alkhawaja was arrested by ICE as he dropped off Lyft passengers at a military base. Now he’s stuck in a terrifying fight to stay in the US
Deep within the bowels of San Diego’s federal courthouse, Assim Alkhawaja sat on the floor outside a nondescript office, waiting to be called for his ICE-mandated immigration appointment. He stared straight ahead, his posture tense, his face a mask.
The hallway was brown, as was the carpet. Above Alkhawaja’s headhung a framed stock photo of a waterfall. A few paces away, official government signs encouraged people without legal status to self-deport. “Leave on your own terms,” they read, in several languages. “Claim a free flight and an exit bonus for each member of your family.”
With plentiful jobs and community support, one Mexico City neighbourhood has become a haven for those who have lived much of their lives in the USWith its wide avenues lined with tall palm trees, its quaint cafes and old-school cantinas, as well as the mix of English and Spanish spoken on the street, the Tabacalera neighborhood in downtown Mexico City has a certain US feel – so much so that it is has become known as Little LA.The nickname is about more than appearances, however. In recent years,
With plentiful jobs and community support, one Mexico City neighbourhood has become a haven for those who have lived much of their lives in the US
With its wide avenues lined with tall palm trees, its quaint cafes and old-school cantinas, as well as the mix of English and Spanish spoken on the street, the Tabacalera neighborhood in downtown Mexico City has a certain US feel – so much so that it is has become known as Little LA.
The nickname is about more than appearances, however. In recent years, this corner of the metropolis has become a haven for many Mexicans deported from the US, particularly those who spent years or decades living across the border and for whom Mexico feels like a foreign country. In Little LA, they have found a more familiar place to belong.
DHS says Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana is in US illegally after lying to border patrol when he entered in 2007The captain of a boat that capsized in the New York harbor, resulting in the death of a woman and her infant daughter, has been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the federal agency saying it intends to deport him.The deadly incident unfolded near the Statue of Liberty on 8 August. Authorities said a 911 call was received at approximately 10.25pm that
DHS says Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana is in US illegally after lying to border patrol when he entered in 2007
The captain of a boat that capsized in the New York harbor, resulting in the death of a woman and her infant daughter, has been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the federal agency saying it intends to deport him.
The deadly incident unfolded near the Statue of Liberty on 8 August. Authorities said a 911 call was received at approximately 10.25pm that prompted a major emergency response including multiple boat teams, a scuba team and a helicopter unit.
The five men were part of the first group of deportees to be sent to the West African nation by the Trump administration. The Liberian government has not clarified their status.
The five men were part of the first group of deportees to be sent to the West African nation by the Trump administration. The Liberian government has not clarified their status.
Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. The U.S. deportation deal with Liberia is one of the largest so-called third-country deportation agreements struck by the Trump administration so far.
Agreement is among largest third-country deportations driven by Trump administration’s immigration crackdown Twenty deportees from the United States arrived in Liberia on Thursday, as part of a new agreement that will see the west African country receive as many as 1,200 people under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.The group arrived at the Roberts international airport outside the capital, Monrovia. The Liberia-US agreement is one of the largest third-country deportation arrange
Agreement is among largest third-country deportations driven by Trump administration’s immigration crackdown
Twenty deportees from the United States arrived in Liberia on Thursday, as part of a new agreement that will see the west African country receive as many as 1,200 people under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The group arrived at the Roberts international airport outside the capital, Monrovia. The Liberia-US agreement is one of the largest third-country deportation arrangements pursued by the administration since Trump returned to office last year.
The reversal of the plan, which had not been publicly disclosed, comes amid mounting confusion about how the administration is protecting the rights of unaccompanied minors.
The reversal of the plan, which had not been publicly disclosed, comes amid mounting confusion about how the administration is protecting the rights of unaccompanied minors.
After reviewing claims of persistent safety and sanitary failures, the court named two experts to monitor detention conditions across several facilities.
After reviewing claims of persistent safety and sanitary failures, the court named two experts to monitor detention conditions across several facilities.
The arrangement is one of the largest known deals that the Trump administration has struck to expel migrants who cannot be sent back to their home countries.
The arrangement is one of the largest known deals that the Trump administration has struck to expel migrants who cannot be sent back to their home countries.
The first group of 20 deportees is expected to arrive in Liberia on Thursday, the country’s government said in a statement. It asserted that its agreement with the United States was “not a transaction with a quid pro quo.”
The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.
The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.
Over the objections of environmentalists, local sheriffs and some state leaders, the Trump administration appears to be moving ahead with border infrastructure in one of Texas’ most beloved parks.
Over the objections of environmentalists, local sheriffs and some state leaders, the Trump administration appears to be moving ahead with border infrastructure in one of Texas’ most beloved parks.
The government said it could not prove that a man accused of threatening federal agents had committed a crime, adding to the scores of cases in the administration’s deportation efforts that have unraveled.
The government said it could not prove that a man accused of threatening federal agents had committed a crime, adding to the scores of cases in the administration’s deportation efforts that have unraveled.
On Jan. 14, after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot a Venezuelan migrant following a high-speed chase in Minneapolis, protesters broke into a couple of vehicles that belonged to F.B.I. agents.
As the Trump administration sends a growing number of immigrants to countries they have no connection to, some find themselves imprisoned with no way out.
As the Trump administration sends a growing number of immigrants to countries they have no connection to, some find themselves imprisoned with no way out.
Claims swirled that Morocco, perhaps spurred by Israel and the United States, organized a recent border disaster. That unproven speculation, experts said, was exacerbated by the region’s complicated history.
Claims swirled that Morocco, perhaps spurred by Israel and the United States, organized a recent border disaster. That unproven speculation, experts said, was exacerbated by the region’s complicated history.
Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa waiting on a beach for humanitarian assistance after about tens of thousands of people, mostly from Morocco, surged across the border into Ceuta, Spain, this month.
A wave of disinformation online contributed to a surge of migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta who were trying to reach Europe, resulting in about 90 deaths.
A wave of disinformation online contributed to a surge of migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta who were trying to reach Europe, resulting in about 90 deaths.
En quelques jours, plus de 1 500 personnes – dont plusieurs centaines hier – sont arrivées par la mer en provenance du Maroc dans l’enclave espagnole de Ceuta.
Les corps de neuf personnes qui avaient tenté de rejoindre la rive à la nage ont été repêchés.
Le gouvernement espagnol a déployé des militaires.
Il a indiqué que les personnes entrées illégalement seront rapatriées vers le Maroc.
Ceuta, située à la pointe nord du Maroc, est l’une des deux enclaves espagnoles en Afr
En quelques jours, plus de 1 500 personnes – dont plusieurs centaines hier – sont arrivées par la mer en provenance du Maroc dans l’enclave espagnole de Ceuta.
Les corps de neuf personnes qui avaient tenté de rejoindre la rive à la nage ont été repêchés.
Le gouvernement espagnol a déployé des militaires.
Il a indiqué que les personnes entrées illégalement seront rapatriées vers le Maroc.
Ceuta, située à la pointe nord du Maroc, est l’une des deux enclaves espagnoles en Afrique du Nord.
C’est une frontière terrestre de l’Union européenne sur le continent africain.
Il paraît que l’Allemagne et le Danemark devraient servir d’exemple au Québec en matière de politique migratoire. C’est ce que laisse entendre le député Alex Boissonneault dans une vidéo voulant défaire le « mythe » que « plus d’immigration veut dire moins de pénurie de main d’œuvre ». Selon lui, les gouvernements allemand et danois ont changé leur politique d’immigration après avoir réalisé que l’immigration ne règle pas la pénurie de main-d’œuvre. M. Boissonneault connaît-il réellement la poli
Il paraît que l’Allemagne et le Danemark devraient servir d’exemple au Québec en matière de politique migratoire. C’est ce que laisse entendre le député Alex Boissonneault dans une vidéo voulant défaire le « mythe » que « plus d’immigration veut dire moins de pénurie de main d’œuvre ». Selon lui, les gouvernements allemand et danois ont changé leur politique d’immigration après avoir réalisé que l’immigration ne règle pas la pénurie de main-d’œuvre. M. Boissonneault connaît-il réellement la politique migratoire de ces deux pays et leurs fondements?
À gauche: Alex Boissonneault, député d’Arthabaska-l’Érable depuis 2025 À droite: Mette Frederiksen, première ministre du Danemark depuis 2019
« Il y a plusieurs exemples de pays qui ont changé de politique en matière d’immigration parce qu’ils ont constaté cette situation. C’est le cas de l’Allemagne. L’Allemagne qui comptait beaucoup sur l’immigration pour combler ses postes vacants mais qui a constaté en 2023 que l’augmentation de l’immigration avait créé une pénurie de main d’œuvre dans les secteurs névralgiques. Donc il y a eu changement de politique. »
C’est complètement faux. La modification de la politique migratoire allemande en 2023 n’a rien à voir avec des considérations économiques ou sociales. Au même moment où le gouvernement d’Olaf Scholz renforçait le contrôle des frontières, l’Allemagne cherchait à attirer des travailleurs étrangers, en particulier les travailleurs qualifiés, notamment en réduisant les barrières administratives. Voici ce qu’affirmait Scholz en novembre 2024: « Aucun pays du monde ne peut connaître de croissance économique avec une main-d’oeuvre qui diminue. C’est la vérité à laquelle nous sommes confrontés. » Dans le même discours, le chancelier allemand défend le droit de l’Allemagne de choisir qui est admis en son sein, donc de repousser les réfugiés. Le problème de l’Allemagne n’est pas que l’immigration ne suffit pas à combler la pénurie de main-d’oeuvre, mais qu’elle ne parvient pas à attirer une main d’oeuvre de souche européenne en assez grande quantité.
« Même chose pour le Danemark avec un gouvernement social-démocrate, normalement considéré de gauche. Le gouvernement danois a constaté que l’augmentation de l’immigration a eu des conséquences négatives sur les services à la population. Il y a donc eu un changement de politique. »
Encore une fois, ce « changement de politique » du gouvernement danois n’a rien à voir avec l’économie ou avec les services à la population. C’est une question purement idéologique et, ce gouvernement ne s’en cache pas, raciste.
Commençons par dire que le racisme n’est pas une question de droite ou de gauche. On peut très bien être à gauche économiquement et à droite sur le plan de l’identité nationale. C’est le cas de la première ministre danoise, Mette Frederiksen, très attachée à l’État-providence danois, mais ouvertement raciste. En 2018, elle proposait de renvoyer les migrants « non occidentaux », non seulement du Danemark, mais de l’Europe, et de les placer dans des camps de concentration en Afrique sous supervision des Nations unies. À son arrivée au pouvoir en 2019, Frederiksen a promis de faire du Danemark un pays « sans demandeur d’asile ». En 2021, le gouvernement danois a voté une loi pour expulser les demandeurs d’asile hors d’Europe en attendant le traitement de leur demande, en contradiction totale avec les traités internationaux et les directives européennes. En 2022, une entente est signée avec le Rwanda. En gros, le Danemark paie le Rwanda pour détenir les demandeurs d’asile. Un bien triste revirement pour le premier pays à avoir signé la Convention de 1951 sur les réfugiés. Ce n’est pas sans raison que ce gouvernement « social-démocrate » est appuyé par l’extrême droite danoise.
En soi, la politique de Frederiksen et des sociaux-démocrates ne jure pas avec celle des administrations précédentes. Depuis le début des années 2000, le gouvernement danois est hostile à l’immigration. Le délai nécessaire pour obtenir la résidence permanente est passé de trois à huit ans. La « loi sur les étrangers » est modifiée régulièrement pour devenir toujours plus restrictive et viser des groupes en particulier. Elle a été modifiée 42 fois entre 2017 et 2019. Et la loi danoise est ouvertement raciste en ciblant des groupes spécifiques. En 2016, les Syriens ont été directement ciblés par une loi restreignant l’accés au regroupement familial pour les réfugiés et confisquant leurs objets de valeur pour financer leur séjour. En 2018, des mesures sont prises pour que des peines plus sévères soient infligées aux « résidents non occidentaux ». Des amendes importantes sont infligées aux personnes venant en aide aux « immigrants irréguliers ». Et pour bien montrer que la politique danoise est motivée par le racisme et non pas par des préoccupations économiques ou sociales, le Danemark a ouvert grand ses portes aux réfugiés ukrainiens fuyant l’invasion russe.
Ironiquement, ces dernières années, c’est la droite (modérée) qui a commencé à demander un assouplissement des politiques migratoires au Danemark. Pas pour des raisons humanitaire, mais pour des raisons économiques. Il y a une pénurie de main-d’œuvre, voyez-vous. Et les employeurs aimeraient bien qu’on leur permette de recruter à l’étranger les travailleurs qu’ils ne trouvent pas localement.
Christèle Meilland, chercheuse à l’Institut de recherches économiques et sociales (IRES), explique que la politique migratoire danoise s’appuie sur un discours « assimilant les étrangers, et particulièrement les réfugiés, à un fardeau pour l’État-providence ». Ça vous rappelle quelque chose?