Latest news with #refugeeStatus
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
The Documentary Podcast No, there isn't a ‘white genocide' in South Africa
On 12 May, 59 Afrikaners arrived in Washington to receive 'refugee' status. At a press conference, President Trump said he had acted because Afrikaners - the white minority community that ruled South Africa during apartheid - face an existential threat. His words echoed the views of his South African born former adviser, Elon Musk, who has repeatedly used his X platform to amplify false claims of a 'white genocide'. Many South Africans, including several Afrikaners that we have spoken to, dismiss the idea that they are under attack as wild misinformation. So where does the idea that white South Africans are being uniquely targeted come from? And what impact is it having on the diplomatic relationship between the White House and Pretoria? This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC Trending in-depth reporting on the world of social media.
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ukrainians in Ireland succeeding in asylum applications at twice rate of other nationalities
Almost 1,000 Ukrainians have applied for asylum in Ireland, with more than 80 per cent succeeding in their application – twice the rate of other nationalities –, data from the Department of Justice shows. The figures, provided to The Irish Times, show since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 until May 26th this year, a total of 969 Ukrainian nationals have applied for international protection. Some 77 applications from Ukrainians have been made this year. 'Since 2022, 367 decisions regarding international protection applications from Ukrainian nationals have been made,' a department spokesman said. He said 83 per cent of these 'resulted in the applicant being given a permission to remain in the State – generally refugee status'. READ MORE 'In 2022-2024, 217 decisions regarding Ukrainian applications for international protection were made. 'In 2025 to May 28th, a further 149 decisions have been made.' While the more than 100,000 Ukrainian nationals here have temporary refugee status, providing them with the right to work and to study, school places and childcare, as well as heavily State-subsidised accommodation, their status is not guaranteed into the future. In contrast, international protection guarantees the right to live and work here permanently, as well as to bring immediate family to live here. The EU Temporary Protection Directive, introduced in March 2022, has been renewed annually. It remains unclear whether it will be further extended in March 2026. Brian Killoran, co-ordinator of Ukraine Civil Society Forum, says increasing numbers of Ukrainians are asking about applying for international protection as they look to solidify their legal position in the country. 'Last year, a survey showed 53 per cent of people from Ukraine living here since 2022 wanted to stay,' he said. This represented an increase on the 41 per cent who expressed a wish to stay permanently the previous year. 'The longer they are here, they put down roots, children are in school, the more likely they are to want to remain here. They are increasingly asking about their options and one of those is international protection,' said Mr Killoran. If a significant proportion were to apply in the coming year, 'that could put unbearable pressure on the international protection system', he warned. 'We need to know what will happen post-March 2026. Member states need to say what are the long-term plans.' When people asked about applying for asylum, he said they were advised 'it is far from guaranteed'. He also said there was a potential 'loss of rights' if the applicant was transferred out of the temporary protection system into the asylum application system. These could include losing the right to work, to study and to live in their current accommodation, said Mr Killoran. 'They may find making an application for international protection disruptive to their life. We can't say to people, 'Don't do it' but we do advise people to get advice. An asylum application is not an easy route. [ A Ukrainian in Dublin: 'People are less direct in Ireland. There are 50 shades of great' Opens in new window ] 'Ultimately, the State needs to define post-temporary protection options. The priority is that they do that. 'Temporary protection was never meant to be a long-term measure, so bringing that to an end has to be done in a co-ordinated way,' said Mr Killoran.
Daily Mail
31-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How successful asylum claims for gay refugees have QUADRUPLED since pre-Covid
The number of asylum seekers successfully claiming to be gay to bag a one-way ticket to Britain has quadrupled since pre-Covid. Before the small boats crisis hit all-time highs, fewer than 500 arrivals were granted refugee status because of their sexual orientation each year. But figures exposing our 'push-over' system reveal this rose to 2,133 in 2023. From Bangladesh, where homosexual acts can be punished with life imprisonment, grants have risen 10-fold since 2015, MailOnline can reveal. Asylum claims are also being accepted from residents of nations where being gay is legal, such as Albania. The full findings of our investigation, part of our long-running series into 'soft-touch' Britain, can be viewed below. Home Office chiefs demand all asylum seekers trying to stay in Britain offer concrete proof to show they are at risk of persecution in their home country. Campaigners say they also must provide 'credible evidence' they are LGBT+, such as love letters and photos with partners. Yet critics claim that many – under the advise of legal firms funded by taxpayers – try to game the system by pretending to be gay. Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said: 'The Home Office has lost control of the asylum system and allowed it to be hijacked by lefty lawyers who are fully committed to undermining Britain's borders. 'These figures show many illegal migrants are claiming to be gay simply because it bolsters their chances of being given refugee status. 'Far too many grants of asylum are given to undeserving individuals who have lied their way through the process. 'The system is swamped, costing taxpayers an absolute fortune, and is not currently fit for purpose. The only way to restore order is to freeze asylum claims, end the corruption, and bring back a semblance of border control.' Alp Mehmet, of Migration Watch UK, said: 'The soaring figures are another clear sign that Britain is now a push-over when it comes to gaming the asylum system. 'If you want to migrate and hail from a country where you know the no British government will ever return you, all you need do is concoct an unverifiable back story, and you're home and dry.' Our analysis comes after a Pakistani asylum seeker last week begged Keir Starmer to let him stay in the UK because he is gay. Ali Raza Nasir insists he came to the UK to study but realised he would be 'safe' here when he visited Soho in London and met other gay people. Mr Nasir fears he will be deported to his home nation, where an arranged marriage with a woman awaits. Meanwhile, an Albanian asylum seeker who petitioned for the right to stay in the UK because he was 'gay' had his case denied earlier this month. An immigration judge found Esmir Demaj was now married to a woman. In one of the most brazen cases, as told by a Home Office source to the Mail, a man was granted asylum after he 'produced a photograph of himself with his arm around another man' as proof he was gay. It subsequently turned out that the person he had his arm around was his brother. Another notorious case from January made a mockery of the protections offered to gay people facing hardship. A convicted gay Zimbabwean paedophile was allowed to stay in Britain under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) because, it was argued, he would face 'substantial hostility' if he was sent home. On that occasion, there was no dispute that the man was attracted to males, even if they were children. The article is frequently used by asylum seekers to launch appeals on the basis that their personal circumstances would expose them to harm in their home countries. Home Office statistics, which began in 2015, do not show whether sexual orientation was the sole basis for the asylum claim. In 2023, the most recent year full data exists for, there were 578 asylum claims made on the basis of sexual orientation from Pakistan. Pakistan was followed by Bangladesh (175), Nigeria (103) and India (39). MailOnline's investigation into the issue found several legal firms advertising advice on how to jump through the Home Office's official hoops. They issue guidance on how asylum seekers can ace their personal testimony interview, which is described as 'the most compelling piece of evidence'. Tips included making sure their testimony was 'highly detailed and consistent', and it would be best if they built 'as strong a case as possible' to be successful in gaining refugee status. The coaching even includes how applicants should explain how their identity within the LGBT community was formed and differs from cultural norms in their home country. Also included are examples of the type of documents that the Home Office accepts as supporting evidence, which is described as helping 'strengthen asylum claims'. The topic of asylum seekers weaponising compassionate British law by pretending to be gay has been raised by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who has taken the extraordinary step of issuing a warning to the Home Office. His human rights group, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, used to receive only a handful of small personal donations online each week. All of a sudden, however, this has soared to up to 30 a day, accompanied by a similar surge in the numbers signing up for a weekly newsletter. The donations all come from men from Pakistan, which is the nation with the largest number of claimants in the world. It appears, he told the Mail, some may have been collating documentary evidence of their contact with the group in a bid to back up their asylum claims. However, he said there was 'no proof of wrong-doing' and that 'asylum fraud is rare'. Mr Tatchell told MailOnline: 'Asylum applicants have to provide credible evidence they are LGBT+, such as love letters, photos with partners, evidence of active involvement with LGBT+ organisations and campaigns. 'They also need to provide detailed evidence of the homophobic persecution they suffered: newspaper reports about what happened to them, police reports of their arrest, court documents citing their charges and sentence, etc. 'It would be very difficult to fake or forge these requirements. Online guidance cannot produce medical reports that confirm a LGBT+ person has been tortured or a police report documenting their arrest.' Mr Tatchell believes part of the rise in LGBT+ asylum applicants is due to increased homophobic repression in many countries in 2022-23, such as the Taliban's control of Afghanistan and Putin's issuing of new harsh laws in Russia. In December, the Mail on Sunday revealed how a Jamaican man who raped a sleeping woman at a party had been allowed to stay after his lawyers argued he was bisexual and would be put at risk if deported. In that case, the Home Office said that, since his arrival here 23 years ago, there was zero evidence of bisexuality, only of relationships with women. Even so, the tribunal judge bizarrely accepted he was likely to have been bisexual and blocked his deportation – a decision later upheld when the Home Office appealed to the upper tribunal judges. And two years ago Saheed Azeez, from Nigeria, won asylum after claiming to be gay – despite having three children by three women. Mr Mehmet added: 'Why have those who have made their way to the UK illegally from the other side of the Channel not claimed asylum in France or elsewhere in the EU? 'And why do migrants who have been here for years only claim asylum at the point of having to leave? 'As Peter Tatchell, the gay rights campaigner, has implied, perhaps some asylum seekers and their legal representatives are only too ready to grab any loophole they find.' In September 2023, the then Tory home secretary Suella Braverman said that some asylum seekers 'purport to be homosexual in the effort to game our system, in the effort to get special treatment'. She added: 'That's not fair and it's not right.' It led to her being castigated by some gay groups for making what they described as 'deeply disturbing' comments which, they said, 'question the legitimacy of LGBTQI+ people claiming asylum in the UK'. Many Left-wing pressure groups and other woke advocates refuse to countenance the possibility that any claim based on homosexuality could be fictional and depict any attempt to address such abuse as being reactionary or even homophobic. A Home Office spokesperson said 'Every asylum claim is assessed on its individual merits, and decision-makers receive thorough training to ensure genuine cases are treated fairly. 'A strong system of safeguards and quality checks supports this process, helping to ensure all claims are properly reviewed and decisions are reliable. 'We take any abuse of the immigration system extremely seriously. Where there is evidence of wrongdoing, we will take firm action to challenge it and protect the integrity of our borders.'
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ministers accused of giving ‘half the picture' on refugees as more than 40% get positive decisions
More than 40 per cent of asylum seekers were granted International Protection or permission to remain in the last year, a higher proportion than suggested by Ministers in recent weeks. The Government has been accused by campaigners of presenting 'only half the picture' in public statements on refusal rates. An analysis of Department of Justice data highlights that almost twice as many applicants ultimately gained protection in their final outcomes compared to the figures that Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan and Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy chose. In February, Mr O'Callaghan said 'too many' people were applying for asylum who were 'not entitled' to it, citing an 80 per cent refusal figure that applies only to first decisions and not appeals. Mr Brophy has also cited the rate. READ MORE In the 13 months to April, 43 per cent of decisions on asylum applications resulted in the individual getting refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to remain, data published in the department's monthly International Protection Summary reports shows. Mr O'Callaghan said 80 per cent of asylum seekers' applications were 'refused in the first instance' in January. He said more than 65 per cent of the 14,000 applicants last year were rejected at the first instance. [ International protection overhaul an 'important step' in wider reform, Minister says Opens in new window ] However, when appeals decisions are included, the 2024 rejection rate falls to 58 per cent, according to department's reports. When a person applies for International Protection, a 'first instance' decision is reached as to their eligibility for refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to remain on humanitarian grounds. If their application is rejected, they have a right to appeal and may be granted permission to remain. Data from the department on first-instance decisions show that to the end of April, of the 7,269 asylum applications, 75 per cent were refused. However, when appeals results are included, the refusal rate falls to 62 per cent. Last year, of the 14,125 asylum applications processed, 9,207, or 65 per cent, were refused at first instance. The inclusion of appeal decisions brings the refusal rate down by 7 per cent. [ More than 15,000 international protection appeals could be lodged this year, Minister told Opens in new window ] In some months, more than half of decisions were to grant status – notably in August 2024, when the grant rate was 59 per cent, April 2024, when it was 53 per cent, and in May 2024, when 50 per cent of decisions were positive. Nick Henderson, Irish Refugee Council chief executive, said its analysis found 42 per cent of decisions since January 2024 were to grant International Protection or permission to remain. 'The final, overall recognition rate is considerably higher than the rate cited by the Government and some Opposition spokespersons. 'It is essential that data is presented accurately and not selectively... Referencing only first-instance recognition rates ... presents only half the picture. [ 'I was very upset about how Coolock came across': Locals believe handling of asylum-seeker centre plan a 'disaster' Opens in new window ] 'Second, selectively citing the lower rate risks creating a false impression that the vast majority of applicants do not need protection – when that is not the case.' A departmental spokesman said: 'The figures quoted by the Minister refer to first-instance decisions. 'Many cases in the system are currently being processed under an accelerated procedure and overall, there has been a significant increase in throughput in the International Protection system too. It is therefore likely that the final determination figures will eventually 'catch up' and, in time, align more proportionally with first-instance decisions.'
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
How Trump misrepresented images to support claims of "White genocide" in South Africa, including Congo video
In his Oval Office meeting Wednesday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Trump made allegations of persecution of White farmers in South Africa, which he used to justify granting refugee status to a group of Afrikaners earlier this month. Ramaphosa has denied there is a genocide, and some Afrikaners say Mr. Trump is being lied to about a "White genocide" in the country. In the last three months of 2024, 12 people were murdered on farms in South Africa, according to South African police. One was a White farmer, while the others were Black laborers or security workers, police said. Some estimates say in recent years there have been about 50 farm murders a year, but those do not specify race. The country had nearly 27,000 total murders last year, according to police data. Mr. Trump played videos and held up articles during the White House meeting this week to support his unsubstantiated claims. But much of what he showed was being misrepresented. Here are three examples: Reuters footage of bodies in the Democratic Republic of Congo Mr. Trump held up a printed article from "American Thinker," a conservative online magazine, that included a screenshot, credited to Reuters, that the president said showed "all White farmers that are being buried." President Trump holds up a printed article from "American Thinker" while accusing South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa of state-sanctioned violence against White farmers in South Africa during a press availability in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, the video the screenshot was taken from was of humanitarian workers lifting body bags in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters said. The footage was taken in February after deadly battles with a Rwanda-backed Congolese rebel group in the city of Goma. The "American Thinker" article was about both the Congo and South Africa, but the image does not show South Africa. Andrea Widburg, managing editor at "American Thinker" and the author of the post, told Reuters that Mr. Trump had "misidentified the image." Line of white crosses Mr. Trump claimed images of white crosses seen in the video played during his meeting with Ramaphosa showed burial sites of White farmers. However, the crosses were symbolic, part of a protest in 2020 after the killing of a White farming couple, according to local media coverage. A participant said they represented all farm murders, not solely White farmers, over the years. The demonstration, held near Normandien, South Africa, was calling on the government to take more action against farm killings. Ramaphosa acknowledged a problem of crime in his country. "There is criminality in our country," he said to Mr. Trump. "People who do get killed unfortunately through criminal activity, are not only White people. Majority of them are Black people." Rally footage of fringe politician The video Mr. Trump presented included clips of Julius Malema, the leader of a far-left South African political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters. He is heard singing an anti-apartheid song that includes the lyric, "kill the Boer," referring to White farmers, in multiple clips from recent years. Malema was kicked out of Ramaphosa's governing party, African National Congress, 13 years ago, and Ramaphosa said the EFF is a "small minority party" that does not represent the government. The ANC also distanced itself from the song more than a decade ago. In a statement to Reuters after the meeting between Mr. Trump and Ramaphosa, the EFF said the song "expresses the desire to destroy the system of white minority control over the resources of South Africa." Three South African courts have ruled against attempts to have it designated as hate speech, saying it is a historical liberation chant, not a literal incitement to violence, Reuters reported. Nicole Brown Chau Nicole Brown Chau is a deputy managing editor for She writes and edits national news, health stories, explainers and more. , and contributed to this report.
