Immigration Act gives UK Border Agency customs powers | Home Office
22 July 2009
UK border controls were strengthened today as thousands of customs and immigration officers, sharing wide ranging powers, created a new unified force at the border following Royal Assent of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009.
Frontline customs and immigration officers now work together as the UK Border Agency, with the power to quiz passengers on immigration and customs matters. This means many passengers will face just one primary check point when coming in to the UK, speeding up their journey.
Since the creation of the UK Border Agency (new window) in April 2008, bringing together immigration, customs and visa checks, more than 3,500 officers have already been trained with the skills to carry out passport and customs checks.
From 5 August 2009, 4,500 HM Revenue and Customs (new window) staff will formally become part of the UK Border Agency. This is a further step in the transformation of the Agency and strengthens its ability to crack down on those attempting to smuggle drugs and weapons into the UK and ensures Britain continues to have one of the strongest borders in the world.
The UK Border Agency, since April 2008, has already:
* stopped over 30,000 individual attempts by illegal migrants to get into Britain through France and Belgium
* stopped over 12,900 dangerous weapons, including firearms, stun guns and knives, reaching the street
* seized over £379m worth of illegal drugs
* seized in excess of 923 million cigarettes - representing a potential loss of £174m in tax revenue.
Statement from the Border and Immigration Minister
Phil Woolas said, 'This is part of the biggest transformation of our border controls in a generation. A unified force at the border with the powers to carry out customs and immigration checks allows us to continue the crack down on illegal immigration and the smuggling of drugs and weapons.
'I am determined that Britain’s border remains one of the strongest in the world. This Act is an important part of ensuring it stays that way.'
The Act also ensures that migrants who want to become British citizens earn the right to stay by speaking English, paying taxes and obeying the law.
It will speed up the path to citizenship for those who contribute to the community by being active citizens. Under the new system full access to benefits and social housing will be reserved for citizens and permanent residents — a route that can take up to ten years.
Mr Woolas added:
'This new Act ensures that those who want to stay earn the right to do so, learn to speak English and play by the rules. Those that don't will not be allowed to become citizens, making our system both firmer and fairer.
'I want to go further and within the next few weeks we will publish a consultation to examine how the current points based system for economic migrants, which has proved to be an effective and powerful tool for controlling migration, could be applied to citizenship.'
In the next few weeks the Home Office will publish proposals to extend the points based system to citizenship. This will build on the reforms to citizenship in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act, providing even greater controls over the number of people who want to settle permanently in the UK. It will allow for a more flexible approach with the ability to raise and lower the threshold depending on the needs of the UK.
Notes to editors
The UK Border Agency (new window) was established in April 2008 with a budget of over £2bn and 25,000 staff that work in local communities, at the border and in 135 countries around the world.
The Act also enshrines in law a duty on the UK Border Agency to ensure that it safeguards and promotes the welfare of children in all of its work. The UK government has also signed and ratified the UN convention on the rights of the child.
The provisions in relation to the common travel area - to prevent abuse of the UK and the Republic of Ireland border by third-country nationals – did not form part of the final Act. They will be brought back to parliament at the first possible opportunity.
Zapatero propondrá en su presidencia aumentar los medios de Frontex y negociar acuerdos de repatriación - Yahoo! Noticias
lunes, 13 de julio, 15.08
Europa Press
España propondrá en su presidencia de la UE en la primera mitad de 2010 "aumentar" los medios de la Agencia Europea de Control de Fronteras Exteriores (Frontex) contra la inmigración ilegal y alcanzar acuerdos para la repatriación de 'sin papeles' negociados a nivel europeo con los países de origen y tránsito, ha avanzado hoy el presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
En rueda de prensa conjunta con el primer ministro griego, Kostas Karamanlis, con quien ha hablado de la próxima presidencia española de la UE, Zapatero reconoció que Frontex "necesita más medios y compromiso de los países de la Unión", pero advirtió de que para controlar la inmigración irregular resulta "esencial" construir una política de cooperación en la materia con los países de origen y tránsito de la inmigración, como la que España ha elaborado con Marruecos.
El fortalecimiento de la política europea de inmigración será una de las prioridades de la presidencia española de la UE, que apostará por que la Unión "lidere" las negociaciones para conseguir acuerdos comunes de repatriación, en lugar de los pactos que existen de forma bilateral entre ciertos países comunitarios y africanos, según Zapatero. Karamanlis señaló que los acuerdos de readmisión tendrán que ir acompañados de ayuda financiera para los países africanos.
Zapatero destacó que la elaboración de una política europea de asociación con los países emisores y de tránsito de la inmigración debe constituir una de las grandes políticas exteriores de los Veintisiete.
Para ello, Zapatero y Karamanlis acordaron proponer en los próximos meses la creación de "un nuevo espacio de concertación política" en torno a la inmigración ilegal dentro de la Unión por el Mediterráneo, la asociación que integra a los Veintisiete con sus vecinos de la ribera sur. "Sin una fuerte asociación, no se pueden conseguir los objetivos", advirtió el presidente español.
Karamanlis confió en que la presidencia española de la UE sirva para dar un "nuevo empuje" a la Unión por el Mediterráneo, una iniciativa del presidente francés, Nicolas Sarkozy, que bebe del Proceso de Barcelona lanzado en la década de los 90 a propuesta de España.
Al margen de la inmigración, Zapatero y Karamanlis repasaron el estado de la situación económica internacional y de las perspectivas sobre la entrada en vigor del Tratado de Lisboa. Zapatero calificó de "muy buenas" las relaciones entre España y Grecia, al que se refirió como el país, junto con Portugal, con el que España más coincide en lo político.
La prensa griega se interesó por si los dos líderes hacían una lectura en clave nacional de los pasados comicios europeos. Zapatero, como ha dicho en anteriores ocasiones, indicó que las elecciones del pasado 7 de junio eran para renovar el Parlamento Europeo y aseguró que su partido "saldrá a ganar" en los próximos comicios generales.
ekathimerini.com | New law increases threat of deportation
An amendment to Greece’s existing legislation, which could be passed through a reduced summer session of Parliament later this week, may lead to foreigners living in the country legally as well as those who are here illegally being deported over misdemeanors even if they are not convicted.
With immigration becoming a pressing political issue, the government has embarked on an effort to adopt a series of measures that will stem the flow of illegal migrants arriving on Greek shores.
Sources told Kathimerini that the amendment would allow authorities to classify as “dangerous for public order and safety” any foreigner who is charged with committing a crime that carries a prison sentence of three months or more.
This means that the person can then be deported to his homeland before even standing trial, as long as that country has signed a bilateral repatriation agreement with Greece.
The provisions of the proposed law have prompted a backlash from human rights activists.
“It is totally unacceptable in a just state for someone to face devastating consequences before it has been established in a fair trial whether he is guilty and before he has exercised every legal right to defend himself,” said an organization called Greek Action for Human Rights.
“It is absurd for foreigners who have been in the country for a long time, including those from the European Union, to face the danger of deportation simply if they are charged with minor infractions,” said the www.diavatirio.net site lawyer Vassilis Chronopoulos, who foresees a backlog of cases building up in the courts.
allAfrica.com: Botswana: Law for Exiles Needs Fixing
17 June 2009
editorial
Botswana's Refugees Act is obsolete and it needs revamping, some sections of the community urge.
It is gratifying that already there are initiatives to review the act. Last week, at the University of Botswana, the law department held a workshop on the review of the refugees act.
During the deliberations, some panelists raised issues about the prevailing practice in the country where asylum seekers are detained while their applications for asylum are processed.
Some of these applicants are kept in holding cells with illegal immigrants who are awaiting deportation to their countries of origin. Put differently, criminals are put together with asylum seekers. Some of these asylum seekers are children.
This practice has come under condemnation for flouting international best practices as it exposes children and other asylum seekers to security risks. The practice also has the potential to cause far reaching psychological problems for children when they mix with outlaws, some of whom are violent.
While Botswana has over the years tried very hard to be hospitable to asylum seekers, it is important that we maintain international best practices to ensure that we make refugees safe. They should feel at home even though they have fled their countries.
The Refugees Act should be reviewed and all the relics of the past that still exist in the act should be modernized. We believe this review exercise will eventually lead to such a process.
Youth must embrace 'day of African Child'
June has been set aside as the African continent's youth month. More specifically, June 16 has been adopted by the African Union as the 'Day of the African Child'. That gives the African youth an opportunity on that date to see how far they have progressed since the students of South Africa rose up in 1976 against education in the language of the settler community that spoke Afrikaans.
It does appear though, that since that historical milestone, must the African continent and its youth should now urgently consider availing economic resources to young people.
The youth too, have a great challenge, and they should be encouraged to take their destiny into their own hands.
American Civil Liberties Union : Senate Overturns Obama Decision Wednesday To Rescind Flawed Bush “No-Match” Immigration Rule (7/9/2009)
Vitter Amendment Requires Employers To Fire Workers Unable to Resolve Discrepancies In Social Security Records
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate passed by voice vote today an amendment offered by Senate David Vitter (R-LA) requiring employers to fire workers, including U.S. citizens, who are unable to resolve discrepancies in their Social Security records. The Senate vote seeks to overturn President Obama’s decision Wednesday to rescind the fatally flawed Bush administration Social Security no-match rule by prohibiting the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) from implementing any changes to it.
In passing the Vitter amendment, the Senate has taken a dangerous step that would threaten the jobs of tens of thousands of U.S. workers at a time when our economy is in great peril. The Social Security no-match rule, promulgated by the Bush administration in 2007, has been strongly opposed by groups across the political spectrum – business, labor, immigration, civil rights, and civil libertarian groups. Due to a federal injunction issued in 2007 as a result of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the ACLU and other groups, the no-match rule has not gone into effect.
“While the Senate might think it has taken a step to fix illegal immigration, it has actually set into motion a rule that will jeopardize the jobs of tens of thousands of U.S. citizens who could be unjustly fired under the rule due to SSA database errors,” said Joanne Lin, ACLU Legislative Counsel.
The no-match rule would unlawfully use the error-ridden Social Security database for immigration enforcement purposes by requiring employers to fire workers, including U.S. citizens, who are unable to resolve discrepancies in their Social Security records within 90 days of receipt of a no-match letter. If an employer does not resolve a data mismatch, DHS may conclude that the employer had “constructive knowledge” that an employee is not authorized to work, and may prosecute the employer accordingly.
“Social Security no-match letters were never designed to be immigration enforcement tools, and they cannot and will not solve the problem of illegal immigration,” added Lin. “Moreover, the no-match rule will harm people with disabilities and senior citizens by forcing them to deal with longer waits and more bureaucratic hassles in order to get their Social Security benefits checks. At a time of great economic instability, the Senate has taken a step towards jeopardizing the livelihood of U.S. workers, senior citizens, and people with disabilities.”
In 2007, a federal court blocked the no-match rule after the ACLU, AFL-CIO, and National Immigration Law Center sued DHS. The court concluded that the no-match rule would affect more than eight million workers nationwide and lead to the firing of tens of thousands of U.S. citizens. According to the Social Security Administration’s own Inspector General, more than 70 percent of the discrepancies in the SSA database belong to U.S. citizens. An economist hired by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that the total number of authorized workers who will be fired under the no-match rule because of their inability to resolve the data mismatch could top 165,000.
ASGI12.06.2009
Rafforzato il diritto dello straniero al rilascio di un permesso di soggiorno per motivi umanitari su segnalazione della Commissione territoriale per la protezione internazionale.
La Corte di Cassazione, a Sezioni Unite Civili, ha , per la prima volta affermato la giurisdizione del giudice ordinario su un provvedimento del Questore di diniego di rilascio del permesso di soggiorno per motivi umanitari, richiesto ai sensi dell'art. 5, sesto comma del d.lgs n. 286 del 1998. La Corte, per affermare questo nuovo orientamento, ha valorizzato il mutato quadro normativo del regime giuridico del permesso per ragioni umanitarie, emergente dall'inserimento dell'art. 1 quater (ex art. 32 L. n. 189 del 2002) del d.l. n. 416 del 1989, convertito nella l. n. 39 del 1990, ai sensi del quale le Commissioni territoriali competenti a decidere delle domande di asilo devono, nei casi in cui non accolgano la domanda di protezione umanitaria, trasmettere gli atti al Questore per l'eventuale rilascio del permesso di soggiorno, quando ricorrano gravi motivi di carattere umanitario. Questa rilevante innovazione, entrata in vigore il 20 aprile 2005 e puntualmente confermata nella successiva normazione di derivazione comunitaria sulla protezione internazionale (art. 32 del d.lgs n. 25 del 2008 non derogato dal d.lgs n. 159 del 2008), ha radicalmente modificato, secondo l'interpretazione delle S.U., il rapporto tra attribuzioni della Commissione territoriale e poteri del Questore in quanto le Commissioni sono dotate di tutte le competenze valutative, di natura esclusivamente tecnica e non politico discrezionale in ordine alla pluralità di misure di protezione umanitaria previste dall'ordinamento (status di rifugiato, protezione sussidiaria e misure residuali e temporanee desumibili dall'art. 5, sesto comma del d.lgs n. 286 del 1998) mentre al Questore residua il compito di dare attuazione a tali deliberazioni senza alcun margine di autonoma valutazione sulla condizione "umanitaria" dello straniero.
Corte di Cassazione, Sezioni Unite civili, sentenza del 21 aprile 2009, n. 11535
ASGIConsiglio di Stato, Sezione Sesta, ordinanza del 5 giugno 2009, n. 3765
Il Consiglio di Stato ha respinto il ricorso della Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri e del Ministero dell'Interno contro il provvedimento con cui nel mese di gennaio il TAR del Lazio ha accolto la domanda di sospensiva del Decreto Flussi per l'anno 2008.
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Consiglio di Stato -Decisione 3765/2009 (19.16 KB)
Consiglio di Stato, Sezione Sesta, ordinanza del 5 giugno 2009, n. 3765
Pacchetto sicurezza, ong olandese presenta ricorso contro Italia a Consiglio d'Europa - Il Sole 24 ORE11 giugno 2009
di Samantha Agro
Il pacchetto sicurezza e i discorsi razzisti e xenofobi hanno portato a misure contrarie al rispetto dei diritti umani in particolare, ma non solo, di Rom e Sinti in Italia. Questa la tesi sostenuta dall'organizzazione non governativa Cohre, che si occupa di difendere il diritto alla casa e prevenire gli sfratti, nel ricorso collettivo contro l'Italia presentato al Comitato per i diritti sociali, organismo del Consiglio d'Europa incaricato di valutare se gli Stati membri rispettano quanto previsto dalla Carta sociale europea. Nel ricorso, registrato con il numero 58/2009, presentato lo scorso 29 maggio, ma di cui si e' avuta notizia solo oggi, l'organizzazione sostiene che le autorita' italiane hanno violato 5 articoli della Carta sociale europea. Secondo il Cohre, l'Italia avrebbe violato il diritto delle famiglie Rom e Sinti a godere di protezione sociale, legale ed economica (art. 16) e il diritto alla protezione e assistenza dei lavoratori immigrati e delle loro famiglie (art. 19). Inoltre, nel ricorso si sostiene la violazione dell'articolo 30 che impone agli Stati di garantire a Rom e Sinti, cittadini italiani, la protezione contro la poverta' e l'esclusione sociale e dell'articolo 31 che sancisce il diritto alla casa. In ultimo, nei confronti di Rom e Sinti le autorita' avrebbero anche violato il diritto alla non discriminazione come previsto dall'articolo E della versione rivista della Carta sociale europea.
11 giugno 2009
allAfrica.com: South Africa: Rethink on Special Visas for Zimbabwean Migrants
Wilson Johwa
9 June 2009
Johannesburg — Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is reviewing the dispensation that allows undocumented Zimbabwean migrants to live and work in SA
HOME Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has referred back to the drawing board the proposed special dispensation giving undocumented Zimbabwean migrants already in SA the right to live and work for up to a year.
Her department is also reviewing the recently introduced visa-free entry facility that allows Zimbabwean passport holders the right to work in SA for 90 days .
Home affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said yesterday Dlamini- Zuma was reviewing all processes in the department.
The proposed special dispensation for Zimbabweans was among the measures sent back for discussion on the "nature, scope and implication of the decision".
Government insiders said that in some quarters it was believed there had not been enough consultation before announcing the measures.
Other concerns were that neighbouring countries did not have renewable visa-free entry for Zimbabweans, and visitors to SA from countries such as Mozambique qualified only for a limited period during the year, and had no right to work.
Set to be rolled out from the department's new refugee reception centre in Pretoria, the facility was aimed at addressing the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe, where many now live off foreign remittances.
Registration of border jumpers was also meant to improve the security situation. In addition, the special permit for undocumented Zimbabwean immigrants would have saved money spent on deporting people who almost always returned to SA.
Loren Landau, head of the Forced Migration Studies Programme at the University of the Witwatersrand, suspects that any change of plans by home affairs was for the sake of short- term domestic interests.
During an "economic downturn and job losses, there will always be sentiments against immigration", he said yesterday.
Shortly before the elections, then Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced that the department would introduce a special permit meant for undocumented Zimbabwean migrants in SA.
Valid for 12 months, the proposed document would have given the holder access to services such as health and education.
In April, home affairs suspended deportations while granting Zimbabwean passport holders reciprocal visa- free entry into the country with the option to work. Such a provision was unusual in the region. While Mozambican, Lesotho and Swazi nationals enjoy visa-free access into SA, they do not have an automatic right to work.
The government was keen on implementing a uniform policy for all neighbouring countries but it was under pressure from local and international rights groups to accommodate Zimbabweans fleeing the crisis.
Last week Medecins Sans Frontieres called on the government and United Nations agencies to urgently address the humanitarian needs of Zimbabweans refugees.
"Every day, despite claims that Zimbabwe is 'normalising', thousands of Zimbabweans continue to cross the border into SA, fleeing economic meltdown, food insecurity, political turmoil and the total collapse of their health system," said the medical group's SA head, Rachel Cohen.
Csm: giustizia a rischio paralisi con il reato di clandestinità - Il Sole 24 ORE10 giugno 2009
Comporterà la «totale paralisi» di «molti degli uffici giudiziari» l'introduzione del reato di clandestinità. Ad avvertire delle «pesanti ripercussioni negative» che la novità avrà è la Sesta Commissione del Csm nel parere al pacchetto sicurezza approvato all'unanimità. Oltretutto, sottolineano i consiglieri, la nuova norma «non appare idonea a conseguire l'intento di evitare nel nostro Paese la circolazione di stranieri entrati irregolarmente». Ma non solo, secondo l'organo di autogoverno della Magistratura alcune norme del pacchetto sicurezza sarebbero lesive dei diritti dei clandestini e dei loro figli. Ad esempio quella che richiede per la dichiarazione di nascita l'esibizione del permesso di soggiorno da parte del genitore. A metterlo nero su bianco è la Sesta Commissione del Csm in un parere al ddl approvato all'unanimità e che oggi sarà discusso dal plenum di Palazzo dei marescialli.
10 giugno 2009
ekathimerini.com | UNHCR slams bill for stricter asylum law
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) yesterday criticized a draft bill under consideration that it fears will compromise the fair examination of asylum applications in Greece, the first port of call in Europe for thousands of migrants.
According to the UNHCR, the draft presidential decree, which foresees a reorganization of the asylum-processing system, “would deprive asylum seekers of access to an effective remedy as required by EU law.” The bill also gives no guarantee that “non police bodies” will have an effective role in the process, the UNHCR said. Greece has one of the lowest rates for asylum application approval of all EU countries, with only 344 appeals accepted last year out of 19,884 applications submitted in 2008. Authorities reportedly have a backlog of 30,000 appeals lodged by asylum seekers whose initial applications were rejected.
ASGIOrdinanza del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri del 1 giugno 2009, n. 3776
Disposizioni urgenti di protezione civile dirette a fronteggiare lo stato di emergenza in relazione agli insediamenti di comunita' nomadi nel territorio della regione Piemonte.
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OPCM 1 giugno 2009 Piemonte (9.94 KB)
Ordinanza del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri del 1 giugno 2009, n. 3776. (09A06573)
[Pubblicata nella Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 129 del 6 giugno 2009]
Harry Reid Calls Immigration a Priority for U.S. Senate
By Ben Pershing
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 6, 2009
With President Obama on a historic foreign trip, a Supreme Court nomination pending and massive health-care and climate change bills percolating in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) managed to draw headlines on a completely separate front Thursday: immigration.
At a news conference with Hispanic leaders to tout Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court candidacy, Reid said a comprehensive immigration bill is "going to happen this session, but I want it this year, if at all possible." Reid called it one of his three top priorities this year, along with health care and energy.
His comments drew renewed attention to the immigration issue, which has been largely dormant on Capitol Hill since a comprehensive reform measure failed in the Senate in 2007. Despite the hopes of Reid and other advocates, however, with Congress and the White House preoccupied with a packed legislative calendar, immigration reform looks unlikely to pass this year.
House Democratic leaders have already said they want the Senate to move on immigration first, and the Senate can take weeks to process a major bill. Both chambers have to grapple with a full complement of issues this year, including the usual slate of appropriations bills as well as the health-care and energy measures, both of which will be controversial.
Brent Wilkes, the national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, was standing with Reid on Thursday and said he understands why Democrats are not committing to a firm timetable. "They're cautious about the immigration bill, because things have a tendency to slip in Washington," he said.
Last summer, candidate Barack Obama pledged on a LULAC questionnaire, "I will put comprehensive immigration reform back on the nation's agenda during my first year in office." The White House is hosting a meeting of key lawmakers and advocacy groups to discuss immigration June 17, but the administration has given no hint of an intensified push on the issue. Administration aides have said repeatedly that Obama wants to "start the debate this year," but the president has not asked for a bill to sign in 2009.
Obama himself said in April, "We want to move this process," before adding that he does not "have control of the legislative calendar."
Reid does, and his spokesman, Jim Manley, said yesterday he thinks an immigration bill could pass the Senate this year, though he acknowledged the agenda is packed. "It's an ambitious schedule, but it's doable with a little bit of cooperation" from Republicans, he said.
But there is little evidence that such cooperation is forthcoming or that any consensus is forming around a compromise bill, so Republicans do not think moving a measure this year is realistic.
"The real estate is rapidly shrinking," said Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). "Although we can always do more on border security, there are still a number of unresolved issues before the Congress that are going to take us well into the latter part of the year."
Despite those obstacles, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said he plans to draft and introduce a new immigration measure later this year. Wilkes said that would get the ball rolling, and that 2010 is a more likely target for final action on the issue.
"I think spring is realistic," he said.
LeTemps.ch | Une démocratie risquéeAnalyse samedi6 juin 2009
Par Denis Masmejan
Quelle est la place des initiatives contraires au droit international?
Analyse
Le débat sur la validité ou non de l’initiative a souligné une nouvelle fois la nécessité d’élaborer une doctrine pour apporter des réponses cohérentes à une question très complexe sur le plan juridique et politiquement délicate: faut-il ou non continuer à soumettre au vote populaire les initiatives qui violent le droit international et comment, en cas de vote positif, en assumer les conséquences?
Des clarifications seront apportées ces prochains mois par le Conseil fédéral, qui s’est engagé à rendre un rapport à ce sujet. Les données du problème sont connues: à s’en tenir à sa lettre, la Constitution paraît limiter les possibilités d’invalider les initiatives populaires contraires au droit international au cas où ces dernières ne pourraient être appliquées sans violer un petit noyau dur de règles juridiques réputées communes à l’ensemble des nations et auxquelles celles-ci ne sauraient déroger – qui vont de la prohibition des crimes de guerre à l’interdiction de la torture.
Scénario impensable
Bien que la question soit discutée, il n’y a pas eu jusqu’ici de consensus pour faire figurer au nombre des règles impératives l’ensemble des libertés fondamentales garanties par plusieurs accords, dont la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme. Le Conseil fédéral s’est toujours prévalu de cette conception pour justifier que des initiatives contraires à la convention européenne soient malgré tout soumises au vote populaire, mais n’a jamais été clair sur les conséquences qu’il convenait d’en tirer si l’initiative venait à être acceptée, et la Constitution ne l’est pas davantage. Ni le gouvernement ni les Chambres n’ont en tout cas jamais évoqué la dénonciation de la convention – la Suisse serait la première à le faire depuis la Grèce des colonels. Une renégociation à la baisse paraît en outre irréaliste, et aucune réserve ne peut être acceptée après coup.
La Suisse s’apprête donc, une nouvelle fois après le scrutin de 2004 sur l’internement à vie et après celui de l’an dernier sur les naturalisations par les urnes, à voter sur un texte dont la mise en œuvre la mettrait, au moins virtuellement, en contradiction avec ses engagements internationaux, sans que personne ait une vue très claire de la manière dont la contradiction devrait être surmontée.
On attend du rapport à venir du Conseil fédéral qu’il y apporte une réponse circonstanciée. Pour les juristes, il est hors de doute que le droit international est de toute façon appelé à l’emporter au final, car rien ne permet de penser que la Suisse se soustrairait à un jugement de Strasbourg. La question reste donc de savoir jusqu’où la contradiction entre une initiative et le droit international est un risque inhérent à la démocratie dont il faut s’accommoder. Un risque dont certains observent qu’il n’est pas propre qu’à la Suisse et que s’il venait au président de la République française de faire voter une révision de la Constitution contraire à un traité, rien, aucun mécanisme juridique n’y ferait obstacle, le Conseil constitutionnel n’étant pas le juge de la conformité de la Constitution au droit international.
Valley Park's immigration law upheld - STLtoday.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS
06/05/2009
ST. LOUIS -- A federal appeals panel has upheld Valley Park's ordinance prohibiting employment of illegal immigrants, a case that could have national implications.
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday unanimously affirmed a lower court's ruling in favor of the city of Valley Park.
The town of 6,500 residents has been involved in court battles since passing the immigration law in 2006. A St. Louis County judge struck down the original ordinance as well as a revised one.
Then, in 2007, the city revised the law again, this time to repeal a provision prohibiting renting to illegal aliens, but keeping the provision prohibiting hiring them.
The suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which did not return phone messages seeking comment.
EU unlikely to agree on African refugees in June | Prague Monitor
ČTK |
5 June 2009
Luxembourg, June 4 (CTK) - The European Union is unlikely to reach an agreement on how to help countries like Italy and Malta cope with waves of illegal migrants under the Czech EU presidency that will last till the end of June, Czech Interior Minister Martin Pecina told journalists Thursday.
Thousands of illegal immigrants get from north Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe every year.
"The discussion has only just started," said Pecina who headed an EU meeting dealing with the issue Thursday.
Pecina said he believes some form of voluntary cooperation will be agreed on.
France and Portugal have already accepted some refugees from Malta, for example.
EU Commissioner Jacques Barrot, in charge of justice, freedom and security, Thursday also spoke about voluntary help.
However, Italy would like other EU countries to help it compulsorily. Some EU countries seem to consider this unacceptable.
According to the Italian authorities, 36,900 refugees reached Italy's shores in 2008, which was 75 percent more than in 2007.
The Italian parliament passed a new law in May that considers the country's illegal entry and illegal stay a crime. Italy has returned some 500 migrants to Africa based on the law since then. This was criticised by the United Nations, the Catholic Church and humanitarian organisations.
The issue is to be discussed at the EU summit on June 18-19, but a compromise solution will probably be sought by the Swedes to whom the Czechs will hand the EU presidency.
timesofmalta.com - Italy insists on EU burden sharing, says latest proposals not enoughThursday, 4th June 2009 - 16:23CET
Italy today joined Malta in appealing to the European Union to oblige member states to share the burden by taking in migrants.
Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said before a meeting with EU counterparts in Luxembourg that recent proposals from the executive European Commission on asylum were "interesting, but ... not sufficient".
"We asked for obligatory burden sharing, the proposal foresees a voluntary system -- so those who don't want to needn't take in any refugees," he told reporters.
In a Financial Times interview published today, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi called the Commission proposals a step forward, but expressed disappointment that fellow EU states had not agreed to take on asylum seekers.
Maroni said Libya, to where Italy has returned migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean, had given him concrete requests for help from Europe to fight illegal immigration and he would pass these to EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot.
Barrot has criticised Italy's recent decision to return migrant ships intercepted on the voyage across the Mediterranean from Libya, saying it did not distinguish between illegal migrants and those deserving asylum.
He has proposed that the European Union work with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to set up screening centres for asylum seekers in Africa to stop them falling into the clutches of human-trafficking networks.
He has urged UNHCR to work with Libya to establish a scheme for receiving and protecting asylum seekers that meets international standards.
Maroni has argued that Italy's policy is working and the arrival of migrant boats from north Africa has practically stopped, but it has been sharply criticised by non-governmental organisations dealing with refugees.
Yesterday, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, a network of 69 refugee assisting organisations in 30 countries, said Italy should face sanctions under EU rules for "flagrant violation" of human rights principles.
ASGI05.06.2009
Mercoledi' 10 giugno 2009 verra' discusso il parere approvato dalla sesta commissione del Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura.
L'introduzione del reato di immigrazione clandestina avra' un impatto pesante sugli uffici giudiziari che versano gia' in una difficile situazione. Sui centri di identificazione ed espulsione (Cie) inoltre, pur essendoci stati miglioramenti rispetto alla norma originaria, non puo' essere il giudice di pace ad esprimersi su un provvedimenti di limitazione della liberta' personale. Sono le principali critiche espresse nel parere redatto dalla sesta commissione del Csm sul nuovo reato contenuto nel pacchetto sicurezza, parere che verra' discusso in plenum mercoledi' prossimo.
Fonte : AdnKronos
Asylum a) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member States responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person (recast) (LA) b) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council concerning the establishment of "Eurodac" for the comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of the Regulation establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member States responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person (recast) (LA) c) Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council amending Council Directive 2003/9/EC laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers (recast) (LA) d) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a European Asylum Support Office.
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