Why it may be ‘impossible’ for Canada to sever ties with the monarchy

Shibani Gokhale

·Editor

Mon, October 10, 2022 

Here are ten things you need to know:

• Support for the monarchy in Canada has declined

Canadians are wondering whether it makes sense for the country to be tied to the monarchy this day in age. A 2022 poll by the Angus Reid Institute shows at least 51% of Canadians want to abolish the monarchy in Canada.

• It's virtually "impossible" to abolish the monarchy

Canada’s Constitutional framework makes it incredibly difficult to sever ties with the monarchy.

“I did say that it is virtually impossible to abolish the monarchy in Canada because of the rule of unanimity. And that's not likely to change any time soon,” says Constitutional law expert David Schneiderman.

Canada's Constitution makes it incredibly challenging to cut ties with the monarchy

• The move would require unanimity across the country

Canada would need approval from the House of Commons and the Senate, as well as the unanimous consent of all 10 provinces to amend the Constitution and then abolish the monarchy.

The approval from the three territories is not required since they don’t have independent governing powers but their opinion would be considered as a part of general consensus.

• This is not how amendments to the Constitution typically work

Normally you need the consent of the Senate, House of Commons and seven provinces to amend the Constitution. But some some parts of the Constitution can be modified only with the unanimous consent of all the provinces and the two Houses of Parliament.

These include making changes to the monarchy, the use of the English or the French language, the composition of the Supreme Court of Canada and changing the amendment procedure itself.

• The last time the Houses and the provinces agreed on an issue was in 1992

The Canadian Houses of Parliament and provincial governments proposed The Charlottetown Accord in 1992. They aimed to obtain Quebec’s consent to the Constitution Act, 1982 which would have recognized Quebec as a distinct society, decentralized some federal powers to the provinces and addressed the issue of Indigenous self-government. But it was submitted to the Canadian public in the form of a referendum and failed.

• Canada may need a referendum to abolish the monarchy

“When you're engaging in significant constitutional reform and, you know, an amendment that requires unanimity by its on its arm would suggest that it's significant that that a referendum is required, but it's not legally or constitutionally mandated,” says Professor Schneiderman.

The Angus Reid poll from April 2022 shows that 26% Canadians are unsure of their stance and 24% support continuation of the monarchy. So a public referendum is "unlikely to be successful soon."

• Why Barbados succeeded but Australia did not

Barbados was successful at severing its ties to the monarchy whereas Australia attempted a similar move that was unsuccessful.

"Barbados is an interesting counterexample because there was no nationwide referendum. They avoided that risk by running an election campaign on the promise of abolition. And so once the government was elected, the Prime Minister could then take steps to fulfill that election promise, and that's how that was done," Professor Schneiderman explained.

Australia, on the other hand, conducted a nationwide referendum, which failed.

“The Australian public, though approving of moving towards abolition, didn't approve of the scheme that was devised to replace it. And this is why nailing down these kinds of details about what functions a head of state, who is not a member of a family that is part of this hereditary monarchy.”

• These details are actually very hard to nail down

Before you can even ask the House of Commons, the Senate, the provinces and the people of Canada, a plan needs to be devised.

While the monarch is only the nominal head of Canada, there are some constitutional functions that he performs in the country.

These have to do with prorogation and dissolution of Parliament, identifying the Prime Minister, who is then invited to form government after an election or after a vote of confidence. But these are actually performed by the King's Delegate in Canada, the Governor-General.

“So if we were to imagine a different form of government, we would require either somebody to serve in this capacity in lieu of the king and his delegates, the governor general. So some president, some figurehead,” says Professor Schneiderman.

This is exactly what Barbados did. They nominated a president in lieu of the King who is now a largely symbolic figure in their democracy.

• The entire process could take forever

“Proposals to amend or resolutions to amend the Constitution that require unanimity don't have a due date on. And that's because it's harder to cobble together unanimous consent. So if a resolution were to pass out of a legislative assembly, it could be sitting kind of on the table forever, ” Professor Schneiderman said.

• The monarchy in Canada was designed to be difficult to abolish

Professor Schneiderman does not think the monarchy in Canada will be abolished any time soon.

“It's not going to happen. And so the Crown will continue on into perpetuity, which was precisely the design.”

        IMPROBABLE AT LEAST 

New rules fix 'flaw' for families seeking Obamacare coverage


The healthcare.gov website is seen, on Dec. 14, 2021 in Fort Washington, Md. More families who are offered expensive health insurance premiums from their employers will get a discount if they sign up instead for coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace this fall. The Treasury Department announced new rules that determine the tax breaks for certain families when they buy private health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act. 

Tue, October 11, 2022 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Families who get expensive health insurance through employers could see a price break if they sign up instead for coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace this fall.

The Treasury Department on Tuesday announced new rules that determine the tax breaks for certain families when they buy private health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act.

The new interpretation of the Obama-era health law aims to fix the “ family glitch, ” which determines a family’s eligibility for ACA tax credits based on the cost of an individual’s work-sponsored health insurance plan rather than the cost of the plan for the whole family.

Since the law was enacted more than a decade ago, people who have access to health insurance plans through their employers are supposed to get price breaks on the Affordable Care Act marketplace if they pay more than 9.5% of their income toward monthly premiums.

But for years, the Internal Revenue Service arrived at that calculation based on the cost of a work-sponsored health insurance plan for a single individual, instead of a more expensive family plan. That meant many families didn't qualify for the tax breaks offered through the ACA, popularly known as “Obamacare.”

“Today’s action resolves a flaw in prior ACA regulations to bring more affordable coverage to about one million Americans,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Our goal is simple: leave no one behind, and give everyone the peace of mind that comes with health insurance.”

The number of uninsured Americans has dipped to a historic low of 8% this year, with an estimated 26 million people in the U.S. still without health insurance.

Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act marketplace begins Nov. 1.

India will weigh what Russia has to offer 

on Sakhalin-1 ownership revamp

Mon, October 10, 2022 

By Marianna Parraga and Gary McWilliams

HOUSTON (Reuters) -India maintains a "healthy dialogue" with Russia and will look at what is offered following an announced ownership revamp to the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Reuters.

Russia last week issued a decree allowing it to seize Exxon Mobil's 30% stake and gave a Russian state-run company the authority to decide whether foreign shareholders including India's ONGC Videsh can retain their participation in the project.

"We’ll look at what is the state of play and what’s on offer," Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Reuters in an interview on Monday following meetings with U.S. oil executives in Houston.

India is "actively monitoring" Saudi Arabia's Asia premium over oil prices after OPEC+ last week agreed to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day beginning next month, Puri said.

"At the end of the day, consumers start playing a role when situations like this evolve,” he said referring to global energy balance and the "unintended consequences" of the OPEC+ decision. Too high oil prices could exacerbate inflation and tip the global economy in recession, reducing oil demand, he added.

On the proposed European Union price cap on Russian oil purchases, he suggested it is not yet firm. “If the Europeans come with a plan, let’s see how it evolves," he said.

Puri this week met U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Energy Security adviser Amos Hochstein in Washington, where they discussed collaborations on biofuels and clean energy in addition to energy security.

"At no stage have we ever been told not to buy Russian oil," he said, referring to talks with officials on global energy supplies.

In Houston, he met executives from Exxon Mobil, oilfield service provider Baker Hughes, and with liquefied natural gas producers after launching a bidding round for offshore oil and gas exploration areas.

India is interested in the U.S companies' technical expertise in offshore production, ethanol and sulfur recovery in oil refineries, Puri added.

"For getting to green energy, you have to survive the present," he said.

There are also discussions underway with Guyana, Brazil and Colombia for joint investment and extra supplies of crude for Indian refiners, he said.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga and Gary McWilliams; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Japan says will decide steps on Sakhalin-1 in consultation with partners


Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura arrives at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official residence in Tokyo

Mon, October 10, 2022 
By Yuka Obayashi

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will decide what to do about the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project in Russia's Far East in consultation with its partners as it reviews details of a decree by Moscow, Japanese industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Tuesday.

Russia last week issued a decree allowing it to seize Exxon Mobil's 30% stake, and gave a Russian state-run company the authority to decide whether foreign shareholders, including Japan's SODECO, can retain their participation in the project.

"We will consult with stakeholders and consider specific responses while confirming detailed conditions and procedures of the decree," Nishimura told a news conference.

"The Sakhalin-1 remains an important project for Japan in terms of energy security," Nishimura said, adding that the project is a key energy source outside the Middle East, on which Japan relies for more than 95% of its oil supply.

Any immediate impact on Japan's oil supply, however, will be limited as the country stopped importing crude from the project in May, he said.

The ministry is also investigating the extent of the damage to the Malaysia LNG Dua liquefaction terminal, and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply impact on Japanese companies after Malaysia's Petronas declared force majeure, Nishimura said.

Petronas issued the declaration on Oct. 4 after a pipeline leak caused by soil movement at the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline on Sept. 21.

"We have strongly requested Petronas to minimize the impact of the supply outage through early restoration and providing alternative supply for Japan," Nishimura said.

"Japan will continue to hold close discussions with the Malaysian government and Petronas to ensure the stable supply of LNG in Japan," he added.

The disruption comes as Japan and many countries in Europe are scrambling to ensure gas supply for peak winter demand as they face the threat of an energy cut-off from Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Yuka ObayashiEditing by Shri Navaratnam and Gerry Doyle)

Palestinian, 12, dies of gunshot wound from Israel army raid

ZIONIST ETHNIC CLEANSING OF A GENERATION OF PALESTINIANS

Israeli security forces patrol in Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. A manhunt follows a Saturday shooting attack at a military checkpoint in east Jerusalem where a Palestinian gunman fled from the scene after he opened fire, killing a female Israeli soldier and wounding three others, one of them seriously. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)More
559

Mon, October 10, 2022

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A 12-year-old Palestinian boy died Monday after being shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers during a September army raid in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Mahmoud Samoudi was shot in the abdomen on Sept. 28 during an army raid in Jenin, a refugee camp and stronghold of armed Palestinians.

On Monday, the ministry mistakenly reported the boy was wounded during the weekend, but the Israeli military said the incident happened in September and the ministry has since corrected its initial reporting.

The Israeli army said it was “aware of an allegation regarding injuries to a minor who participated in the violent riots and hurled stones at the security forces.” It said the circumstances surrounding the event are being examined.

Israel has been carrying out nightly arrest raids across the West Bank since a spate of attacks against Israelis in the spring killed 19 people. The army said it had traced some of the perpetrators of those attacks back to Jenin.

Israeli fire has killed more than 100 Palestinians during that time, making it the deadliest year in the occupied territory since 2015.

The Israeli military says the vast majority of those killed were militants or stone-throwers who endangered the soldiers. But several civilians have also been killed during Israel’s monthslong operation, including a veteran journalist and a lawyer who apparently drove unwittingly into a battle zone. Local youths who took to the streets in response to the invasion of their neighborhoods have also been killed.

Israel says the arrest raids are meant to dismantle militant networks. The Palestinians say the operations are aimed at strengthening Israel’s 55-year military occupation of territories they want for an independent state.

Also on Monday, Israeli soldiers entered the Shuafat refugee camp and searched homes and shops for a Palestinian suspected in the killing of an Israeli soldier over the weekend. Dozens of camp residents threw stones at the soldiers who fired tear gas.

Saturday night’s shooting happened at a checkpoint near the camp in east Jerusalem. Police said at the time that the assailant got out of a car and opened fire, seriously wounding the female soldier and a security guard before running into the camp. The army announced early Sunday that the woman, who was 19, had died.

How Liz Truss' controversial climate policy is roiling Britain


Devika Rao, Staff writer

THE WEEK
Tue, October 11, 2022 

Liz Truss. Illustrated | Getty Images

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has had a whirlwind of a start to her term. Elected by her Conservative Party, not in a general election, Truss' economic proposals quickly sent British markets reeling, but her climate policy has also attracted controversy and drawn out a number of eco-protesters. At a time when Europe is facing an energy crisis and just ended its hottest summer on record, taking climate action has become a top priority both for Europe and the world. Here's everything you need to know about Liz Truss' controversial climate policy:
What is Truss' platform on climate?

Even before Truss assumed the position of prime minister, she wasn't exactly known as an environmentalist. She pledged during her leadership campaign to move the U.K. closer to United Nations net-zero carbon emission goals by 2050, but other pieces of her platform are contradictory. Many of her policies encourage the use of fossil fuels and make it difficult to expand renewable sources of energy.


For example, Truss has pledged to suspend the U.K.'s "green levy," which is a system where a portion of people's energy bills go to fund green energy projects, BBC News reports. The charges currently make up about 8 percent of a typical energy bill, and Truss says suspending the tax would reduce energy bills as gas and oil prices soar due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and OPEC+ production cuts. Many experts counter that that green projects can curb the cost of energy and that just removing the levy would not decrease bills by much.
Drill, Britain, drill?

Truss also lifted a 2019 moratorium on fracking. In her first speech as prime minister, she said lifting the ban "could get gas flowing in as soon as six months, where there is local support."

Lifting the ban was controversial in Britain, where polls show that only about 27 percent of the public supports fracking, CNBC reports. During a speech about how her policies will encourage growth, Truss was interrupted by two members of Greenpeace, an environmental nonprofit, holding a sign saying reading, "Who voted for this?" Truss had security escort them out and then called them part of the "anti-growth coalition," Politico reports.

Truss has also announced new North Sea oil and gas licenses, pitching the future increase of domestic production as a way to "reduce reliance on authoritarian regimes." The U.K.'s National Grid has warned of potential rolling blackouts if Britain runs short on gas this winter.

Truss has also sparked concern with her Cabinet picks. Despite saying she will aid in the net-zero goal by 2050, her two main Cabinet picks that would be working on that goal are vocal climate change skeptics.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, has advocated for extracting "every last drop" of North Sea oil and has voiced his doubts about climate science. Ranil Jayawardena, the environment secretary, has dismissed the idea of more solar farms in the countryside. He has noted the potential for wind energy, but neither he, Truss, or Rees-Mogg have jumped at the opportunity to expand it, BBC News reports.
How do her policies compare to other countries?

Overall, Western Europe has seen quite a rightward shift in leadership, and several major countries have similarly eased their ambitious climate goals. Italy elected far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, for example, and the Sweden Democrats, a party based on neo-fascist roots, placed second in September elections. France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen came within striking distance of unseating President Emmanuel Macron. With conservative leaders come conservative climate policies.

An analysis done by the Italian Climate Network found that Meloni's administration scored low in moving away from fossil fuels and environmentalist ambition, for example. Meloni and her party, Brothers of Italy — also with neo-fascist roots — have proposed increasing domestic natural gas production, and renewables are absent in their agenda. The Sweden Democrats have promised to cut gas prices and call the Swedish emissions targets too ambitious, Politico notes.

France's Macron, on the other hand, has been a climate advocate. In last week's inaugural European Political Community meeting in Prague, Macron openly dismissed the construction of the giant MidCat pipeline, a proposed conduit that would bring gas from Spain to Germany and the rest of Europe. He also opened France's first offshore wind farm amid the energy crisis.
What does Truss' climate shift mean for Britain?

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Truss' Conservative predecessor, set tough climate goals after having a change of heart. He talked enthusiastically about the economic opportunities of clean energy at COP26, even though Britain's Conservatives were already eyeing a new leader. Johnson left behind a lot of unfinished climate business that will languish under Truss' leadership, Politico explains.

Truss never hid skepticism about the net-zero pledge even as she campaigned on pushing toward that goal. And she hasn't been ambitious about keeping the pledge. Instead, there has also been confusion as to who will attend the COP27 Summit in Egypt this November.

King Charles III had been set to attend the climate conference before his accession to the throne, but Truss quickly advised him to cancel his plans. The new king has been a long-standing environmental activist and made a speech at COP26 last year in Glasgow. Instead, Truss herself and climate skeptic Rees-Mogg will reportedly attend the summit, The Guardian reports.

"There was a broad sense that we were reflecting [at COP26] the kind of country we want ourselves to be," says Alok Sharma, the Tory Cabinet minister who served as president of last year's COP26 summit. "This government is now betraying all of that."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. CROWLEY

                          

                                        EPILOUGE TO THE BOOK OF THE LAW

                                              (LIBER AL vel LEGIS)

Magick in theory and practice / by the Master Therion (Aleister Crowley). | Wellcome Collection

 

 

 

Vladimir Putin's 'gas blackmail' is failing as an LNG revolution allows Europe to end its dependence on Russia, says Yale professor

Brian Evans
Tue, October 11, 2022 

Russian President Vladimir Putin.Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images

Russian efforts to upend the European gas market are on the brink of backfiring, according to Yale's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld.

He said Monday that the relationship between Russia and European buyers is shifting in the EU's favor.

"Gas is becoming a buyers market," he wrote.

Russia's plan to wreak havoc on the European gas flows could sharply backfire as the market shifts in the European Union's favor, according to Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld.

Sonnenfeld wrote in a Financial Times column Monday that the relationship between Russia and Europe has changed, and Europe no longer depends on the Kremlin's energy flows. However, he says, Moscow still depends on European buyers.

"Much attention has been focused on the demand side of the market equation: the reduction or destruction of demand, rationing and switching away from natural gas," Sonnenfeld said. "Basic economic reasoning, however, means we should not forget the supply side."

Sonnenfeld added that upon further analysis, Europe is actually fully capable of replacing Russian supply "without any need for demand destruction or even substitution away from gas." Europe is already purchasing enough gas and liquefied natural gas from alternative sources to make up for the loss of Russian flows.

He estimated that the EU now sources just 9% of its gas from Russia, down from 46% before the war, as pipeline-delivered supplies from Norway and Algeria as well as LNG from the US and elsewhere have helped offset cuts from Moscow.

"It is easy to overlook this revolution because it is still very new. But a review of every large LNG development project, liquefaction terminal and production field shows that this year alone, more than 100bn cubic metres of additional supply is expected to be brought online. This is a 20% increase in total LNG supply," Sonnenfeld said.

And as demand for LNG is declining in other parts of the world, especially in China, the additional supplies should fully replace the gas Europe consumed from Russian pipelines, he added.

However, separate reports have shown that Europe has outbid less wealthy countries in Asia, such as Pakistan, for LNG shipments, leaving them with shortages ahead of winter.

And some analysts have warned that next winter will be more difficult for Europe than the upcoming winter, which is still benefiting from a trickle of Russian gas that will likely be completely cut off by next year.

Still, Sonnenfeld noted that while gas prices remain high, the volumes that Europe has been able to secure on global markets have dispelled fears of a supply crunch and will deprive President Vladimir Putin of $100 billion a year in lost gas revenue.

"Having undermined his country's reputation as a reliable energy supplier, which the Soviet Union maintained even at the height of the cold war, Putin has very little existing export capacity and faces difficulties in building more given icy conditions and the challenges of Arctic shipping. The single pipeline connecting Russia to China carries 10% of the capacity of Russia's European pipeline network, and China is not rushing to build any new ones. So the only losers from this gas blackmail are Putin and his enablers," he concluded.

 Business Insider

WAR'S SILVER LINING

Weather chief: Ukraine war may be 'blessing' for climate


 Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), presents the report "2021 State of Climate Services: Water", during press conference, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on Oct. 5, 2021. The head of the U.N. weather agency says the war in Ukraine “may be seen as a blessing” from a climate perspective because it is accelerating the development of and investment in green energies over the longer term — even though fossil fuels are being used at a time of high demand now. 

(Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) 

JAMEY KEATEN
Tue, October 11, 2022 

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the U.N. weather agency says the war in Ukraine “may be seen as a blessing” from a climate perspective because it is accelerating the development of and investment in green energies over the longer term — even though fossil fuels are being used at a time of high demand now.

The comments from Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, came as the world is facing a shortfall in energy needs — prompted in part by economic sanctions against key oil and natural gas producer Russia — and prices for fossil fuels have risen.

That has led some countries to turn quickly to alternatives like coal. But rising prices for carbon-spewing fuels like oil, gas and coal have also made higher-priced renewable energies like solar, wind and hydrothermal more competitive in the energy marketplace.

The energy crunch has also led many big consuming countries in Europe and beyond to initiate conservation measures, and talk of rationing has emerged in some places.

Taalas acknowledged that the war in Ukraine has been a “shock for the European energy sector,” and has prompted an upturn in the use of fossil energies.

“From the five- to 10-year timescale, it’s clear that this war in Ukraine will speed up our consumption of fossil energy, and it’s speeding up this green transition,” Taalas said.

“So we are going to invest much more in renewable energy, energy-saving solutions,” and some small-scale nuclear reactors are likely to come online by 2030 as “part of the solution," he said.

"So from climate perspective, the war in Ukraine may be seen as a blessing,” Taalas added.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other leaders in the U.N. system have repeatedly made the point “that as well as the tragic human impacts, the conflict underscores the rising costs of the world’s fossil fuel addiction, and the urgent need to accelerate the shift to renewables, to protect people and planet," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Taalas was speaking as WMO issued a new report that said the supply of electricity from cleaner sources of energy needs to double within the next eight years to curb an increase in global temperatures.

The latest “State of Climate Services” annual report — based on contributions from 26 different organizations — focuses this year on energy.

Taalas said the energy sector currently is responsible for about three-quarters of emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and he called for a “complete transformation” of the global energy system.

He warned that climate change is affecting electricity generation — and it could have an increasing impact in the future. Among the risks, nuclear plants that rely on water for cooling could be affected by water shortages, and some are located in coastal areas that are vulnerable to sea-level rise or flooding.

In its report, WMO noted that in 2020, some 87% or global electricity generated from thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric systems — which produce less CO2 than plants run by fossil fuels — depended on water availability.

US immigration: Why Indians are fleeing halfway around the world

Bernd Debusmann Jr - BBC News
Mon, October 10, 2022 

An Indian family seeking asylum in the US at the Arizona-Mexico border on 20 May

As an openly gay man living in a deeply conservative part of India's Punjab, life had long been hard for Jashan Preet Singh.

Over the years, Mr Singh, 24, had grown accustomed to daily discrimination in his hometown of Jalandhar - harassment and beatings doled out by his neighbours, and a family that had largely turned its back on him.

But what happened late last year was different.

"There were 15 or 20 people who tried to kill me," he told the BBC from Fresno, California. "I ran away from there and saved my life. But they cut various parts of my body." The attack left him with a mutilated arm and a severed thumb.


Mr Singh's escape set him on a journey that took him through Turkey and France. Eventually, it led him to the US-Mexico border, nearly 8,000 miles (12,800km) away, where he crossed into California to begin a new life in the US.

He is not alone - for years, the arrival of Indian migrants in the US has been slow but steady, amounting to dozens or hundreds each month.

This year, however, the figures have spiked.

Since the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year that started last October, a record 16,290 Indian citizens have been taken into US custody at the Mexican border. The previous high of 8,997 was recorded in 2018.

Experts point to a number of reasons for the increase, including a climate of discrimination in India, an end to pandemic-era restrictions, a perception that the current US administration is welcoming to asylum seekers and the ramping-up of previously established smuggling networks.

Indian migrant detentions at US-Mexico border . . The number of Indian migrants detained at the border has risen steadily since 2014. .

While some migrants are coming to the US for economic reasons, many are fleeing persecution back home, said Deepak Ahluwalia, an immigration lawyer who has represented Indian nationals in Texas and California.

The latter group range from Muslims, Christians and "low-caste" Hindus to members of India's LGBT community who fear violence at the hands of extreme Hindu nationalists, or supporters of secessionist movements and farmers from the Punjab region, which has been shaken by protests since 2020.

Conditions for many of these groups have deteriorated in recent years, international observers say.

Tough decisions

For Mr Singh, the decision to leave his country wasn't an easy one. He first considered moving to another Indian city, but feared that he would be treated just as badly.

"The culture is not open-minded for gay people," he said. "Being gay over there is a big issue."

India only decriminalised gay sex in 2018 and same-sex marriage remains illegal.

His brother soon put him in touch with an India-based "travel agency" - part of a sophisticated and expensive smuggling network that took him first to Turkey - where "life was very tough" - and then to France, where he briefly considered staying but was unable to find work. The entire trip took him just over six months.

Indian nationals being processed by US immigration officials after crossing the border on 26 September

Eventually, his "travel agent" arranged for him to join a small group of Indians headed to the US, where many - Mr Singh included - had family members.

"He charged us a lot of money," Mr Singh said. "[But] from France he got me to Cancun, and from there to Mexico City and north."
A difficult journey

Immigrants such as Mr Singh often see the US as "the ultimate gateway" to a better life, said Mr Ahluwalia, the lawyer.

The enormous distances involved, however, make the trip to the US extremely challenging.

Traditionally, Indian migrants who arrive at the US-Mexican border use "door-to-door" smuggling services, with journeys arranged from India to South America. They are often guided the entire way and travel in small groups with their fellow countrymen who speak the same language, rather than individually or with only family members.

These networks often begin with India-based "travel agents" which outsource parts of the journey to partner criminal groups in Latin America.

Jessica Bolter, an analyst at the Washington DC-based Migration Policy Institute, said that the number of Indian migrants is also rising as a result of a "ripple effect" that takes place when those who have used these services successfully recommend them to friends or family back in India.

Armed guards provided for threatened lesbian couple

'I was jailed because I'm gay'

"It naturally expands and draws more migrants," she said. "Of course, that doesn't happen without migrants wanting to leave originally."

The experiences of Manpreet - a 20-year-old from Punjab who asked that only his first name be used - are typical of those who have taken the southern route in the past. A vocal critic of India's ruling BJP (Bharatiya Jannata Party), he fled the country after being persecuted for his political beliefs.

"From Ecuador I took a bus to Colombia, and from Colombia I took a bus to Panama," Manpreet recalled in an interview with the BBC from California. "From there, via a boat, I [went to] Nicaragua and Guatemala, and then Mexico and entered the US."

Even guided by seasoned smugglers, the trip to the border is often one that is fraught with dangers, including robberies and extortion at the hands of local gangs or corrupt authorities or extreme weather, injuries and illness.

These dangers were highlighted in 2019, when a 6-year-old Indian girl from Punjab was found dead in the scorching desert near the border town of Lukeville, Arizona - a case that made headlines in India. It was later reported that she died in temperatures of over 42 C (108 F) after her mother left her with a group of other Indians to search for water.

Indian migrants at a humanitarian camp in Panama in 2019

An uncertain fresh start

Once in the US, migrants such as Mr Singh begin a long legal process to apply for asylum. Most often, it begins with what US officials term a "credible fear interview," in which they must convince authorities they face persecution if returned home.

"This first step is the most important," Mr Ahluwalia explained. "If he [the officer] deems there is no credible fear, your case is never going to move forward. That is very catastrophic."

If an asylum officer believes these fears are credible, would-be asylum seekers are likely to be issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge who will consider their request.

The process is lengthy - with wait times of several years now the norm across the US - with no promise of a positive outcome.

Mr Singh, for his part, has been in the US since late June. At the moment, he is saving up money to hire a lawyer.

While his long-term future in the US is by no means guaranteed, and his journey was long, it was better than the alternative, he said.

"I would always fear for my life," he added. "Since I have been here, I have never felt such a thing."

An unprecedented number of Indians are trying to enter the US via Mexico



Ananya Bhattacharya
Mon, October 10, 2022 

For decades, Indians migrating to the US chase the American dream of socio-economic upliftment—a better job, a dollar salary, education for kids, and more—come as students or working professionals. But new data show a spike in brushes with the Customs and Border Patrol, suggesting new factors add urgency to Indians’ journeys.

A record number of Indian migrants have been trying to make their way into the US illegally from the nearly 2,000-mile long land border the country shares with Mexico. More than 16,290 people were taken into custody by the CBP between October 2021 and August this year. The previous high recorded in 2018 was a far lower 9,000.

Indians’ border transgressions, charted

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Why are so many Indians coming to the US now?

These Indians are not simply migrating, but rather fleeing. There’s a number of reasons why:

🙅🏾‍♂️ Growing discrimination and persecution in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled India—often on the basis of religion, sexuality, or political allegiance—is forcing people to seek refuge in the US, Deepak Ahluwalia, an immigration lawyer who has represented Indian nationals in Texas and California, tells the BBC

🗺️ In April this year, president Joe Biden lifted pandemic-era restrictions along the US-Mexico land border, making the route seemingly easier

🤗 In a contrast to the Trump era, the current US administration seems to be a lot more asylum seeker-friendly, giving people hope

✈️ Ramping-up of previously established smuggling networks
An expensive undertaking

Indians typically pay human traffickers between $20,000 and $75,000 for a door-to-door service that takes them from India to America.

Those attempting the journey risk robbery, rape, and even death to walk through dangerous terrain at excruciating temperatures. In 2019, a six-year-old Indian girl who had just crossed the border died in the Arizona desert when her mother went looking for water.

Once in the US, asylum seekers have to file a form and wait to appear before a judge. It can take multiple hearings and years for a decision. Typically, the share of Indians whose asylum applications are accepted rank in the low single-digits.
Taking “donkey flights”

With sought-after legal routes to enter the US in short supply, those fleeing their countries are easy prey for smugglers, who operate “donkey flights”—a term derived from a Punjabi proverb that means “to hop from one area to another”—to give migrants backdoor entry to a foreign country. It’s a way to exploit immigration loopholes by entering a foreign country via multiple stops in other countries.

For example, Indians can get a tourist visa for a Schengen-zone country in order to enter the United Kingdom. For the US, they can fly to South American countries.

A YouTube search for “USA Donkey” returns how-to videos in Hindi or Punjabi about illegal border crossing. One vlog even shows a group passing through a Panama jungle to reach the border. But others simply learn about the process through friends and family. Jessica Bolter, an analyst at the Washington DC-based Migration Policy Institute, told the BBC about the “ripple effect” amplifying these services.

Bollywood calling

Superstar Shahrukh Khan’s upcoming movie “Dunki,” directed by Rajkumar Hirani, is expected to tell the story of a Punjabi youth entering Canada via one such donkey flight.

Dunki | Title Announcement | Shah Rukh Khan | Taapsee Pannu | Rajkumar Hirani | 22 Dec 23

Related stories

💰 This is how much it costs to be smuggled over the US border

📷 These photos show a decade of the immigration debate from every angle

🎗 US border officers die by suicide 30% more often than other cops

🎬 An Indian tech worker’s movie shows the anxiety of being an H-1B immigrant in Silicon Valley

Amazon workers in Albany prepare for pivotal union vote

Alexandra Garfinkle

·Senior Reporter

Tue, October 11, 2022 

Amazon (AMZN) workers at an Albany warehouse are set to start voting tomorrow in a pivotal union election that sets up another clash between the company and the independent Amazon Labor Union (ALU).

"[This vote is] vitally important for the ALU," John Logan, director of labor studies at San Francisco State University, told Yahoo Finance. "They need to show they can replicate the remarkable success they had at JFK8. ... Albany will be a test... but if they win, it will give a huge boost to organizing nationwide at Amazon and beyond."

The stakes are high for Amazon as the ALU's first victory at a Staten Island warehouse in April has proven to be a thorn in the e-commerce giant's side. The company failed to overturn the vote and increasingly has faced pressures coming out of Washington, including a labor investigation by OSHA, scrutiny by the FTC, and a boosted tax bill put in place by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

The union election is also taking place as macroeconomic challenges ripple through the economy. Inflation is squeezing consumers, workers, and companies, and the Federal Reserve shows no sign of backing down from aggressively hiking interest rates. Meanwhile, a choppy stock market has rattled Big Tech stocks including Amazon, which is down more than 32% year-to-date.

Amazon has sought to rehab its image as an employer recently by announcing plans to spend $1 billion to raise pay for its warehouse and delivery workers.

However, the labor fight at Amazon is likely to be protracted. Even if the ALU comes up short in Albany, the independent union isn't likely to throw in the towel anytime soon, according to Rutgers University labor expert Rebecca Givan.

"In all union elections, the odds are against the workers trying to unionize," Givan said. "So this is an important vote, but even if the workers don’t successfully unionize, we can still expect more organizing from the Amazon Labor Union."

An Amazon Labour Union (ALU) organizer greets workers outside Amazon’s LDJ5 sortation center, as employees begin voting to unionize a second warehouse in the Staten Island borough of New York City, U.S. April 25, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid.

Why the ALU just might win in Albany

Despite the odds, experts believe there's still a path to victory in place for the independent union.

"Organizing at Albany has also been organic," Patricia Campos-Medina, activist and executive director at the Worker Institute at Cornell University, told Yahoo Finance. "Workers inspired by what ALU did in NYC at the first facility took it upon themselves to demand a union vote. They are energized, but we will have to see if the millions of dollars spent in anti-union intimidating tactics worked in favor of Amazon."

Logan agreed, though he cautioned that any victory would be hard-won.

“What I’ve been told is that the ALU believes that they will win in Albany,” he said. “But every time it’s David versus Goliath. If they were to win, that would be amazing.”

Timing is another factor that could affect the outcome of the vote. Amazon is currently in the midst of its second Prime Day event of the year, called Prime Early Access.

In this Dec. 20, 2017, file photo, a clerk reaches to a shelf to pick an item for a customer order at the Amazon Prime warehouse in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

According to Daniel Olayiwola, who works as a picker in an Amazon warehouse in Texas, these deal events are famously difficult for workers.

“There are so many incidents where stuff is overhanging from bins,” Olayiwola said. “You can just be driving by and crash into it, and then your cage explodes. So with the next person coming up behind you, you can either wait, try to fix it, call for help, or just hope that that next person doesn’t get hurt. So that’s what people are dealing with, and there are already accidents already. [On Prime Days] those injuries go up a lot.”

Amazon warehouses, even outside of the busiest times of the year, have been shown to have high rates of injury. Serious injuries at Amazon warehouses are 40% more likely than at non-Amazon warehouses, according to a study by the National Employment Law Project.

Recently, the tech giant faced outrage and a subsequent OSHA investigation following the death of a worker in New Jersey during July's Prime Day, the company's most successful ever.

“The amount of people crashing into each other is a continuous thing, and when people are rushing, it’s even worse," Olayiwola said.

Christian Smalls, President of the ALU, leads Pro-union protestors on a march on 11th Street on September 05, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

A long road ahead

The ALU is hitting the road, hoping to recapture the magic it had in Staten Island.

"This is the first vote for ALU outside of NYC, and support for the union could signal a new winning formula to organizing Amazon that goes beyond the personality power of Chris Smalls," Campos-Medina said. "Remember, Chris has always said that he wants workers to be the ones organizing themselves, that ALU would support them, but that he is focused on getting a contract for its first facility."

Still, should the ALU emerge with a victory in hand, a contract likely remains far off.

"Amazon will do everything it can to slow down the negotiation process," Givan said. "Their goal will be delaying and trying to win a war of attrition. Most employers try to avoid reaching a first contract at all."

An Amazon worker delivers boxes in Los Angeles on Oct. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Amazon has continued to face criticism for how it has been managing the union push at its fulfillment centers. Campos-Medina, for one, didn't mince words, calling Amazon's strategy one of "union-busting."

"Rather than using all those resources to negotiate a contract and settled their labor relations problems, they are using [them] to create fear and division with the rest of the workforce in the hope of curtailing more union elections in other facilities," she said. "In the long run, that strategy will make anti-union lawyers rich, but it will only continue to create disruptions for Amazon on the supply chain and will damage its brand with American consumers."

In Logan's view, though elections have winners and losers, if the ALU can keep inspiring workers, it will keep it — and this wave of unionization efforts – alive and well.

"The real significance of these elections is their ability to inspire and energize and give optimism to young workers," he said. "That was what meant this had the potential to spread rapidly."