Migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya are enduring ruthless and systematic human rights violations, including killings, torture, sexual violence and trafficking, according to a new report published today by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.
Tag Archives: asylum
National Guard Shooting & Immigration, Venezuela Latest, Ukraine Negotiations
The White House is moving swiftly to tighten legal immigration reviews after two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C. last week, escalating scrutiny on asylum seekers, green card holders and refugees already living in the U.S.
U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean are under growing scrutiny, as some lawmakers warn one attack may constitute a war crime.
And Ukraine enters a new round of negotiations without its top negotiator, after a corruption scandal forces out President Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff.
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p class=”readrate” data-rr=”18″ data-pm-slice=”1 1 []”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Anna Yukhananov, Tara Neill, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy and Lisa Thompson.
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p class=”readrate” data-rr=”18″>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
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p class=”readrate” data-rr=”18″>We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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Airbus A-320 Inspections, Afghan Asylum Seekers in Limbo, Real Video or AI Generated?
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p class=”readrate” data-rr=”16″ data-pm-slice=”1 1 []”>A JetBlue plane plunged uncontrollably last month prompting the parent company to issue an order to inspect all Airbus A-320 jets. It’s bad timing for holiday travel. Afghans waiting for asylum say they are in limbo after the Trump administration paused all asylum decisions. This comes after an Afghan national killed a National Guard soldier and wounded another. Tips on how to tell a real video from one generated by AI.
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Israel Expands War, Dems Enter Redistricting Fight, Setback For Asylum Seekers
There’s been pushback from around the world after Israel said it would take control of Gaza City. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to enter the redistricting fight. And some asylum seekers are getting letters saying their applications have been dismissed.
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Genocide? Even Afrikaner farmers laugh at Trump’s claims
Days before South Africa’s president meets his U.S. counterpart at the White House this week, Afrikaner farmers at the center of an extraordinary new U.S. refugee policy roamed a memorial to farm attacks in their country’s agricultural heartland, some touching the names of the dead – both Black and white.
Here in Bothaville, where thousands of farmers gathered for a lively agricultural fair with everything from grains to guns on display, even some conservative white Afrikaner groups debunked the Trump administration’s “genocide” and land seizure claims that led it to cut all financial aid to South Africa.
The bustling scene was business as usual, with milkshakes and burgers and tow-headed children pulled in wagons.
The late President Nelson Mandela – South Africa’s first Black leader — stood in Bothaville over a quarter-century ago and acknowledged the increasing violent attacks on farmers in the first years following the decades-long system of apartheid. “But the complex problem of crime on our farms, as elsewhere, demand long-term solutions,” he said.
Some at the agricultural fair said fleeing the country isn’t one of them.
“I really hope that during the upcoming visit to Washington, (President Cyril Ramaphosa) is going to be able to put the facts before his counterpart and to demonstrate that there is no mass expropriation of land taking place in South Africa, and there is no genocide taking place,” John Steenhuisen, minister of agriculture, told The Associated Press. He will be part of the delegation for Wednesday’s meeting.
The minority white Afrikaner community is in the spotlight after the U.S. granted refugee status to at least 49 of them claiming to flee racial and violent persecution and widespread seizures of white-owned land — despite evidence that such claims are untrue.
While many at the agricultural fair raised serious concerns about the safety of farmers and farm workers, others were quick to point out that crime targeted both Black and white farmers and farm workers, as shown by South Africa’s crime statistics.
Thobani Ntonga, a Black farmer from Eastern Cape province, told the AP he had been attacked on his farm by criminals and almost kidnapped but a Black neighbor intervened.
“Crime affects both Black and white. … It’s an issue of vulnerability,” he said. “Farmers are separated from your general public. We’re not near towns, we are in the rural areas. And I think it’s exactly that. So, perpetrators, they thrive on that, on the fact that farms are isolated.”
Other farmers echoed his thoughts and called for more resources and policing.
“Crime especially hits small-scale farmers worse because they don’t have resources for private security,” said Afrikaner farmer Willem de Chavonnes Vrugt. He and other farmers wondered why they would leave the land where they have been rooted for decades.
Ramaphosa, himself a cattle farmer, also visited the agricultural fair for the first time in about 20 years — to buy equipment but also do outreach as many in South Africa puzzle over the Trump administration’s focus on their country.
“We must not run away from our problems,” the president said during his visit. “When you run away, you’re a coward.”
Applying to be a refugee
The fast-tracking of the Afrikaners’ refugee applications has raised questions about a system where many seeking asylum in the U.S. can languish for years, waiting.
The State Department has not made details of the process public, but one person who has applied to be resettled told the AP the online application process was “rigorous.”
Katia Beeden, a member of an advocacy group established to assist white South Africans seeking resettlement, said applicants have to go through at least three online interviews and answer questions about their health and criminal background.
They are also required to submit information or proof of being persecuted in South Africa, she said. She said she has been robbed in her house, with robbers locking her in her bedroom.
“They’ve already warned that you can’t lie or hide anything from them. So it’s quite a thorough process and not everyone is guaranteed,” she said.
By the numbers
Violent crime is rife in South Africa, but experts say the vast majority of victims are Black and poor. Police statistics show that up to 75 people are killed daily across the country.
Afrikaner agriculture union TLU SA says it believes farmers are more susceptible to such attacks because of their isolation.
Twelve murders occurred on farms in 2024, police statistics show. One of those killed was a farmer. The rest were farm workers, people staying on farms and a security guard. The data don’t reflect the victims’ race.
Overall across South Africa last year, 6,953 people were killed.
Government data also show that white farmers own the vast majority of South Africa’s farmland — 80% of it, according to the 2017 census of commercial agriculture, which recorded over 40,000 white farmers.
That data, however, only reflects farmers who have revenue of $55,396 a year, which excludes many small-scale farmers, the majority of them Black.
Overall, the white minority — just 7% of the population is white — still owns the vast majority of the land in South Africa, which the World Bank has called “the most unequal country in the world.”
According to the 2017 government land audit, white South Africans hold about 72% of individually owned land — while Black South Africans own 15%.
Global hunger worsened in 2024, affecting 295 mln people: UN report
Global food insecurity and malnutrition continued to worsen in 2024, with 295 million people suffering from acute hunger across 53 countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its partners said in a report released on Friday.
The figure represents an increase of 13.7 million compared to 2023, marking the sixth consecutive annual rise in acute food insecurity in the world’s most fragile regions.
The findings were published in the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), an international alliance comprising the FAO, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and various governmental and non-governmental organizations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the figures as “another unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course.”
In the report’s foreword, he warned that “hunger and malnutrition are spreading faster than our ability to respond, yet globally, a third of all food produced is lost or wasted.”
He added that long-standing crises are now being compounded by a more recent one: a dramatic reduction in lifesaving humanitarian funding.
While acute food insecurity typically stems from a combination of factors – such as poverty, economic shocks, and extreme weather, the report emphasized that conflicts remained the primary driver in many of the worst-hit regions. Some populations face conditions beyond acute hunger.
Famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan in 2024, while catastrophic levels of food insecurity were recorded in the Gaza Strip, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali.
In Gaza, famine was narrowly averted thanks to stepped-up humanitarian aid, but the report warned that the risk could return between May and September 2025 if the large-scale military operation and blockade continue.
The report also highlighted the severe impact of forced displacement. Of the 128 million people forcibly displaced in 2024, nearly 95 million – including internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, and refugees – were living in countries already grappling with food crises.
In addition, economic shocks triggered food insecurity in 15 countries, affecting 59.4 million people, including Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Also, extreme weather events pushed 18 countries into crisis, impacting more than 96 million people, particularly in Southern Asia, Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa.
South Africa urges white farmers to stay amid U.S. refugee controversy
South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged white farmers, particularly Afrikaners, to remain in the country and work with the government to overcome challenges facing rural communities. His comments come in response to the departure of 49 white South Africans who were resettled in the United States as refugees this week under a policy initiative driven by President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the National Maize Producers Organisation (NAMPO) Show – Southern Africa’s largest agricultural exhibition – Mashatile sought to reassure the farming community of the government’s support.
“The farmers that we have met here today are saying they are happy to stay in South Africa,” Mashatile said. “All they need is for us to work with them to address the challenges they face. One of them is rural roads… Then there’s rural safety because we know over the years, people in the farming communities have been attacked, and crime has been rife. They want us to work with them on that.”
Mashatile emphasized that the government does not want Afrikaner farmers to leave the country, highlighting their essential role in agriculture and national development.
“We’re not going anywhere, and we do encourage those who are leaving to please stay. There’s no need to leave — let’s build this beautiful country,” he added.
U.S. Refugee Policy Reignites Controversy
The latest migration of white South Africans to the United States has reignited a long-standing controversy over race, violence, and political rhetoric. According to the U.S. State Department, the group of 49 Afrikaners brought to the U.S. as refugees qualifies under asylum laws and fulfills priorities set by President Trump.
“This has been a concern that the President has had for a very long time,” said Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. State Department. “He’s been clear about that for years – about the abuses we are seeing in South Africa. So this is a priority outlined by the president.”
Pigott insisted that the recent refugee arrivals “met the same standard that is across the board for refugees.”
Trump’s Genocide Claim Sparks Diplomatic Tension
Earlier this week, President Trump made headlines by accusing South Africa’s government of allowing a “genocide” of white farmers – his harshest statement yet since returning to office. The claim, which has been widely disputed, represents an escalation in Trump’s broader criticism of South Africa’s Black-led government, which he has repeatedly accused of enabling anti-white racism.
South African officials have rejected these accusations, calling them inflammatory and inaccurate. The government maintains that while rural crime is a national concern, violence affects all communities regardless of race, and policies are aimed at addressing security for everyone.
Historical and Political Context
The issue of white farmers in South Africa remains a sensitive topic in the country’s post-apartheid landscape. Land ownership, rural development, and safety have long been at the center of political debates. While crime in farming communities is a documented problem, analysts caution against using it to draw racially charged conclusions or justify migration narratives without nuance.
Amnesty International criticizes Rwanda’s deportation deal with the U.S.
Rwanda’s move to accept immigrants from the United States has drawn criticism from Amnesty International.
The rights group now says that the deal contravenes the Refugee Convention. They also faulted the asylum process, claiming it is a risk of violating international law on migration and that there is still no certainty in its success.
“What we have raised as a concern with the UK deal, for instance, over the past years was the fact that there was a risk of refoulement of people who were deported from the UK to Rwanda,” stated Christian Rumu, who is the Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International.
“That is in contravention of the refugee convention and that risk is still there right now. We also had an issue around the asylum processes in Rwanda, in particular with regard to appeal opportunities. They tried to fix that with the reform that happened last year but that hasn’t been tested yet. So in all, there is a real risk of violation of international law that Rwanda is putting migrants through with this deal,” concluded Rumu.
Rwanda has argued it has space to help alleviate what many countries in Europe – and the United States Human rights advocates have long raised concerns over the deaths in Rwandan custody of some perceived government critics, as well as the alleged killings of others who sought exile in places like South Africa.
Rwanda at times has responded with angry denials to reports documenting human rights abuses – including the abduction and imprisonment of a U.S. resident who was tricked onto a Kigali-bound aircraft while visiting Dubai. He was later freed after Biden administration pressure.
Rwanda is also criticized over its aggressive military actions in the region. United Nations experts have documented Rwandan support for the rebel uprising that this year seized two cities in neighboring eastern Congo, an area rich in mineral wealth.
The unrest led to fears of a resurgence of regional war, and a number of Western countries cut relations or restricted aid. Rwanda has said it is defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo.
The Trump administration, which sanctioned a Rwandan government minister and cited links to the rebels, is trying to broker a peace deal. Agreeing to take in deportees from the U.S. could improve Rwanda’s standing with Washington and others.
Rwanda in 2019 struck a deal with the U.N. refugee agency to help take in migrants removed from Libya, where many people trying to reach Europe have reported abuses in detention.
The U.N. says the transit center in Rwanda has capacity for 700 evacuees. Late last year, it said over 2,400 people had been assisted in what is meant to be a temporary stay during efforts to find “long-term solutions” including resettlement elsewhere.
Before its deal with Britain collapsed, Rwanda showed off another transit center, a refurbished hostel in Kigali, that could host 100 people, with more accommodation made available as needed.
Rwanda said migrants would have their papers processed within three months. People could stay or authorities would assist those who wished to return to their home countries. Rwanda said it would bear full financial responsibilities for five years.
It is not clear whether such terms would be part of a deal with the United States.
White South Africans welcomed in US not “refugees”, South African leaders and scholars say
South African leaders and scholars dispute the qualification of “refugees” for white South Africans relocating to the United States, after US authorities welcomed a first group of Afrikaners on Monday.
The group, made of 49 people according to Associated Press and 59 according to Reuters, were granted refugee status under a relocation programme announced by the Trump administration in February.
While obtaining for refugee status in the US can be a yearslong process, the US government fast-tracked applications from white South Africans, under the justification that they were the targets of persecution and racial discrimination in their homeland.
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that Afrikaners were victims of a genocide, echoing the far-right conspiracy theory supported by his South African-born adviser Elon Musk.
In February, a South African court dismissed claims of a white genocide in the country as “clearly imagined and not real.”
South African authorities have also repeatedly disputed allegations of persecution and discrimination against this white minority group.
“A refugee is someone who has to leave their country out of fear of political persecution, religious persecution or economic persecution, and they don’t fit that bill”, South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa said during a conference in Abidjan on Monday.
“Those people who have fled are not being persecuted. They are not being hounded. They are not being treated badly. They are leaving ostensibly because they don’t want to embrace the changes that are taking place in our country, in accordance with our Constitution”, he added.
Afrikaners, who mainly descend from Dutch settlers, are among the “most economically privileged” in the country, South Africa’s government said in a February statement.
“Certainly, these individuals don’t fall in the category of refugee,and the reason why the South African government has to insist on this is because it ys going to then give credibility to the lie that indeed they are being persecuted, that indeed they are running away from some conflict, some white genocide and so forth”, said Dr. Oscar van Heerden, senior research fellow at the centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg.
Dr. van Heerden said the US had to call white South African “refugees” to justify the expenses necessary to their relocation.
“We traditionally over the last 30 years have been a receiver of refugees from all over the Southern African continent”, he said.
“And now because of this stunt that is being pulled by the Trump administration, they are trying to say to the world that we ourselves have now become a country where people are seeking refugee status.”
In a phone conversation, South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa told Donald Trump he had received false information on Afrikaners’ situation.
Trump told reporters he planned to address the issue with South African leadership in a meeting next week.
The group of Afrikaners arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC on a private charter plane and were greeted by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar.
The US government has made the resettlement of white South Africans a priority, despite engaging in a wider crackdown on asylum seekers from other countries.
On the same day that Afrikaners arrived in the US, the Trump administration revoked temporary deportation protections for Afghan people, citing “an improved security situation” and a “stabilising economy” in Afghanistan, which is ruled by the Taliban
Reports of US plans to deport migrants to Libya spotlight rights abuses
News that the US may be planning to deport migrants to Libya has been met with consternation by rights groups.
The Trump administration continues to expand its efforts to remove migrants to third-party countries, despite legal challenges. On Wednesday, a US judge ruled that migrants could not be deported without being given the opportunity to challenge it in court.
Libya’s rival governments have also both said they would refuse to accept the deportees and the country’s highly restrictive asylum procedures also raise questions about the deportees status on arrival.
Libya is a major transit hub for asylum seekers trying to reach Europe and each year, thousands attempt a dangerous Mediterranean crossing. An estimated 800,000 migrants are currently in Libya and their mistreatment has been widely documented.
A United Nations-backed, independent fact-finding mission in 2024 found evidence that crimes against humanity had been committed against migrants in Libya. Victims were subjected to enslavement, forced disappearance, torture and murder, among other crimes, the investigators found. Dead migrants have been found in mass graves across the country, while tens of thousands of others have drowned trying to escape Libya on smugglers’ boats.
Deterrent factor
Libya’s brutal reputation for migrants may be part of the reason it appeals to Washington, says Camille Le Coz, Director of the Migration Policy Institute Europe.
“What’s striking about the choice of Libya is that this is a country where the conditions are particularly challenging for refugees and other migrants.
“Many migrants end up in detention centres, centres that are managed by militia or the government, where they get tortured, where their families get blackmailed to secure their release. There’s been repeatedly reports of mass graves, most recently in February, in different parts of the country. In 2024 International Organization for Migration reported that there’d been about 1,000 migrants who’d been killed in Libya, but we know the figures are likely to be much higher.”
“This type of operation is expensive, it’s difficult to set up, and so, we can speculate that it might be, you know, to show that if you get to the US you might be sent to this place that is extremely dangerous for migrant populations and that this may deter people from coming.”
Both the Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and its rival administration in eastern Libya controlled by military commander Khalifa Hifter have denied signing a deportation deal with the Trump administration.
Despite documented abuses in Libya, the European Union and Italy have for years funded, trained and equipped Libyan groups, including the coast guard, to stop migrants from reaching European shores.