France recently detained three Iranian nationals after issuing them 'obligations to leave France'. They were released shortly after, but documents identifying them were given to the Iranian consulate. NGOs have expressed worry about these incidents.
After the UK’s High Court judged the policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda as lawful, NGOs quickly reacted. Some fear an acceleration of this trend on a European scale. Others want to focus their efforts on providing legal support to migrants facing deportation from the UK.
In May, the Swiss canton of Bern played host for the second time to a refugee parliament. Each year, the parliament brings together dozens of refugees from many different countries who live in Switzerland.
Many unaccompanied minors are among roughly a thousand people who currently live in unofficial settlements around Calais. A number of NGOs have deplored the chronic lack of accommodation places for these young people, made even more vulnerable by the "zero fixed settlement point" strategy.
The city of Besançon in eastern France is improving access to housing, employment and health care for migrants who arrive there. The aim is for the city, near the border with Switzerland, to be more than simply a place migrants pass through, but also a place to settle.
"We are also artists" is a new exhibition launched by a collective of migrants and residents in the Calais area. The organizers say it's a way to remind us that "migrants" are above all human beings.
In France a biometric system is increasingly being used to register young migrants who want to be recognized as unaccompanied minors. Aid groups worry this will result in more young minors being sent directly to detention centers and inaccurate assessments.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aims to get between 6,000 to 10,000 people vaccinated before the end of September. This week, the NGO launched a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in the Île-de-France region for the homeless and migrants.