US-Australia refugee deal

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Dead Dead
Dead2 on Thursday, February 2, 2017 – 02:22 pm

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US-Australia refugee deal

 

 

Under the arrangement, agreed by Obama and Turnbull in November within days of Trump's election, Australia would transfer around 1,250 refugees currently held in offshore detention centers on the Pacific Island nation of Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island to the US.

The transfer would be administered by the UN High Commission on Refugees.

Only those refugees in the centers at the time the deal was announced would be eligible. In November, Turnbull said it was a "one-off agreement (that) will not be repeated."

 

Turnbull to propose law that bans boat asylum seekers from Australia permanently

http://www.news.com.au/national/turnbull-to-propose-law-that-bans-boat-a...

 

For refugees, Australia rolls out the ‘Not Welcome’ mat

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/for-refugees-australia...

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Johnny D
skudebro on Monday, February 6, 2017 – 06:11 pm

I didn't know anything about this.  Thanks for sharing.

 

Interesting idea: an attempt to keep people from even trying to ply the dangerous waters in search of sanctuary.  Trying to save lives by forbidding them to come over...for life.


So, they are now stuck on tiny islands (or at least one of them is tiny) thousands of miles away from Australia and they are trying to get other countries to take them.  I imagine that President Obama felt that they deserved better.

 

Here are the last two paragraphs from the "Not Welcome: article:

 

These people have committed no crime, and yet according to reports and eyewitness testimony, they are routinely subjected to cruelty, abuse and trauma that would not be tolerated in the prison system of any civilized country. Australia’s policy has been condemned by United Nations agencies and numerous medical, legal and civil-liberties organizations.

Australia conveniently distances itself from the awful regime it created, insisting that the ultimate responsibility now rests with offshore governments paid to make an Australian problem go away. Such feeble self-absolution just doesn’t cut it. Australia needs to close its dead-end camps and come up with a refugee policy that is safe, hopeful and humane.