Dear {contact.first_name},

Welcome to the new PICUM newsletter, where we will update you about issues concerning undocumented people every month. The updates will focus on systemic issues including regularisations, criminalisation of solidarity, detention and returns, labour rights and channels, access to health-care, access to justice, undocumented children and families.

We will focus on the European context, where the bulk of our work lies, but we will also include news from outside Europe whenever relevant.

UN Human Rights Expert Calls States to Stop Criminalising Solidarity With Migrants

UN Independent Expert on International Solidarity Obiora Chinedu Okafor has published a report calling States to end the criminalisation of solidarity with migrants. The report notably calls States to introduce solidarity exemptions in human smuggling legislation to avoid the criminalisation of humanitarian acts, including when implementing the EU Facilitation Directive. Read the report here. More in this brief from Human Rights At Sea.

Italian Court Lifts Entry Ban for Riace Mayor

The Tribunal of Locri, Italy, has lifted the order prohibiting Domenico (Mimmo) Lucano, former Mayor of Riace, from entering his home town. Mr. Lucano had been Mayor until October 2018 when he was arrested with charges of facilitating irregular migration and abuse of office and prevented from entering Riace. The trial against him is still pending. More on InfoMigrants.

India: New Policy Deprives Millions of Citizenship and Residence

The Indian authorities are requiring people in north-eastern state of Assam to prove their elders were born there before Bangladesh became independent. Those who will not be able to prove their lineage will be considered irregular migrants. An estimated 1.9 million people are at risk of losing their citizenship and residence status and becoming undocumented. More on BBC.

Fundamental Rights Agency Publishes Paper on Returns of Unaccompanied Children

The EU Fundamental Rights Agency has published a focus paper on the fundamental rights of unaccompanied children in return procedures. The paper aims at ensuring authorities carry out returns under full rights compliance by carrying out best interests determination procedures.

Migrant Children Denied Protection in France

Unaccompanied children arriving in France’s Alpine region undergo flawed age assessment procedures that deny many access to needed protection. Human Rights Watch found that examiners whose job is to certify the child is under 18 are not complying with international standards. 

Access to Healthcare in France: PICUM Consulted amidst Concerns of New Restrictions

PICUM was heard by the French Inspectorate General for Social Affairs, as the French government is re-assessing the financial sustainability of granting access to health care for undocumented people. Although the total cost is estimated to be only 0.3% of the country’s public health coverage, civil society organisations in France fear that this exercise is likely to result in new restrictions. More on our news post and on Le Monde (in French).

France: Undocumented Workers Protest against Abusive Conditions at Delivery Company Chronopost

Near Paris, France, some 40 undocumented workers are striking against delivery company Chronopost, their employer, citing abusive working conditions, including unpaid extra hours, pressure and threats. More on InfoMigrants (in French).

Belgium: Flemish Employers Call for Swifter Regularisation of Undocumented Workers

Some 50 Flemish employers have addressed an open letter to Belgian politicians asking for swifter regularisation of undocumented workers. More on RTBF (in French).

PICUM Joins Calls for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work

Violence against sex workers is rife and criminalisation is making it worse, especially for those undocumented. PICUM Chair Edel McGinley explains why we’re calling for decriminalisation of sex work in this blog post. More on our position paper here.

Undocumented Filipino Truck Drivers Receive Unpaid Wages in Germany

Several undocumented Filipino truck drivers working for a letter-box company based in Poland were granted unpaid wages thanks to the efforts made by the International Transport Workers' Federation and Dutch trade union FNV-VNB. More on European Transport Workers’ Federation.

UN Set Review Process for Global Compact on Migration

In July 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution outlining the process to review the implementation of the Global Compact on Migration by States. The reviews will be presided by the International Migration Review Forum, and will be held every four years (the first one will be held in 2022 in New York). Civil society will have a day of informal hearings one day before the official start. Governments will not be required to report on their progress towards the GCM but will speak during the thematic round tables during the Forum, and will agree on a Progress Declaration. Read the full resolution here.

Belgian Advocates Win First Battle to End Child Detention

In August 2018, Belgium started to once again detain migrant children  in a closed centre next to the Brussels airport. Eight months later, Belgian civil society, including human rights organisations, national bars and psychologists' associations, obtained its suspension through strategic litigation because of poor detention conditions. Eva Gangneux from Defence Children International - Belgium  , one of the organisations which challenged the detention of migrant children, tells us more in this blog.

Proposed New Returns Directive Steps Up Deportations by Restricting Rights

In a recent analysis of the proposed revised Returns Directive, Statewatch finds that the key aim of the changes is to restrict individual rights in the name of improving the effectiveness of the EU’s deportation system. Read their report here.

Hungary Extends State of Crisis to Tackle “Mass Migration”

Hungary has extended its “state of crisis”, adopted in 2015, until March 2020 to tackle incoming migration flows. Among other provisions, it allows law enforcement authorities to push back across the border fence irregularly staying migrants who wish to seek asylum in the country, without any opportunity to challenge this measure. More on AIDA.

France to Step Up Deportations of Afghans

The French parliament ratified a European agreement with Afghanistan to ease the deportations of undocumented Afghan nationals. Amnesty International France has denounced the agreement, citing increasing violence in the third country. More on La Croix (in French).

EU Extends Operation Sophia without Ships

The EU's Political and Security Committee has extended for another six months the mandate of Operation Sophia without granting any boats for rescue at sea. The operation was launched as a naval mission in 2015 and was already renewed as an aerial-asset only mission at the start of 2019 because of political pressure from the Italian government. More on Politico.

Frontex Accused of Replacing Rescue Ships with Surveillance Drones

The EU’s border agency Frontex has been purchasing drones to purportedly surveil migrants’ boats in the Mediterranean, without any parallel investment in search and rescue operations. Media report accusations that Frontex shares intelligence gathered by the drones with the Libyan coast guard. More on The Guardian.

Four EU Countries Agree on Automatic Relocation

Germany, France, Italy and Malta have agreed on a plan to automatically relocate asylum-seekers who were rescued in the Mediterranean after search and rescue operations, on a voluntary basis. The plan will be presented by the Finnish Presidency to the other EU countries on 8 October. More on EU Observer.

Dutch Advocates Publish Guides To Retrieve Documents For Residence Applications

PICUM’s Dutch member ASKV Refugee Support has published a series of guides on how to retrieve documents from several countries, to help undocumented migrants apply for residence status in the Netherlands. You can read more about the project here, and find the first guide on Uganda here.