In the media
In Australia
The 2026 Young Australian of the Year, Abraham Kuol, participated in Radio National’s The Year That Made Me segment. Armidale, in northern NSW, has developed a reputation for its open-hearted attitude towards refugees resulting in around 1,200 refugees settling there in the past 8 years. A Venezuelan in Canberra detailed his torment at the hands of the Maduro regime and his escape to Australia.
International
A report into a massacre west of Rafah found that a marked aid convoy, that included UNRWA, was hit by over 900 bullets fired by Israeli soldiers. A UN Human Rights Office report detailed abductions, torture and abuse perpetrated on migrants and refugees who transit through Libya or are returned there after interception at sea. Around 5 million people who fled the Taliban have been forced to return to Afghanistan as neighbouring countries implement extensive deportation programs. The Conversation explored the history to Spain’s decision to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants living there. Denmark announced tougher deportation laws that would include asylum seekers and would challenge the integrity of the European human rights framework.
In policy
The Refugee Council of Australia detailed how the Liberal Party’s purported consideration of visa bans would punish people fleeing terrorism and persecution in those countries. The UNSW Kaldor Centre and Refugee Council of Australia published their submissions to the Senate inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia.
In research
An analysis of the justification for keeping migration and protection separate within the Administrative Review Tribunal found that the intended efficiencies and fairness benefits are not eventuating. The Scanlon Institute published the findings of its study into migrant’s sense of belonging in Australia and the factors at play. An American study found that when children experience severe immigration enforcement measures on their parents, they are twice as likely to struggle with anxiety or depression into adulthood. A German study into newly arrived Ukrainian refugees found some connection between early signs of PTSD and lower employment participation.