The Federation of Islamic Associations claims that Muslims are being detained in New Zealand airports without just cause, according to Radio New Zealand. The Department of Labour responded in saying that it will detain anyone whom it believes requires further investigations. Immigration lawyer Simon Laurent, however, argues that ethnic profiling is being used to unfairly target Muslims. Many New Zealand citizens who have never had problems before are now being detained and interrogated.
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The U.K.’s Sunday Telegraph is reporting that a group of women, aged 18 to 24, were found locked in the cellar of a motel in western Macedonia, being kept as sex slaves. The women were predominantly from eastern European countries, lured from their countries by promises of jobs as au pairs or waitresses, and then forced into slavery. It is thought that the women were ultimately destined to be moved into Western countries, such as Britain, to work as prostitutes. This is not an isolated incident, however, and at least two other groups of women have been found in western Macedonian cities, forced into sex slavery. This area is one of Europe’s largest human-trafficking centers, and the gangs who run these trafficking rings have connections with criminals in Britain who control the prostitution circuit. Britain is a prime target for sex traffickers, due to the seemingly weak immigration controls and high demand for sexual services.
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A man believed to be one of several false council members who obtained passports irregularly was arrested last week at Las Americas International Airport in the Dominican Republic after having arrived from Spain. According to DR1 News, Fernando Beltre, from Azua, entered the country using an official passport that states that he is a council member of the Municipal City Hall of Tabara Abajo. Migration officials detained him on November 23 upon his arrival. Apparently, Beltre traveled to Spain in June without learning of the fact that mafia members who had issued official passports to false council members had been caught. Beltre will be indicted if found to be involved in the case.
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After a series of riots and vandalism that wreaked havoc in France in November, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has announced that tighter controls on immigration will be implemented. Under the new regulations, marriages abroad between French citizens and foreigners will no longer be automatically recognized in France. Instead, couples must be screened by consular officers before the foreign spouse can be granted French identity papers. This measure and another outlawing polygamy are hoped to be adopted by parliament in the first half of 2006. President Jacques Chirac stated two weeks ago that France needs tougher enforcement of a law that allows immigrants to bring spouses and children to France, and Villepin, while not questioning the law, would like to extend the time from one to two years before an immigrant living in France can bring over family members. The government is affecting these changes in response to the problems leading up to the violence that France experienced last month in the impoverished suburbs that are home to many North and West African immigrants. In addition to tighter controls on immigration, the government is planning to ease unemployment for youths and to fight racial discrimination.
