Society / Migration

In 1987, the British government contracted a passenger ferry to act as a floating immigration detention centre for Tamil refugees. Later that year a storm set the ship loose from its moorings. Felix Bazalgette reports on the the little-known story of exodus and empire that paved the way for the Windrush scandal.

Vanessa Baird looks ahead at how things could be.

Mali’s blind musical duo speak to Graeme Green about the ‘refugee crisis’ and why extremist efforts to stop the music will ultimately fail.

When Rashid first arrived in Cambodia, he warned other Nauru detainees not to come.

Aid-by-drone, what’s not to like? Plenty, as Nick Dowson explains.

A record number of people lost their lives in UK immigration detention centres in 2017, writes Felix Bazalgette.

What is life really like for millennials? What kind of jobs do they do? What do they make of their precarious futures? We look at the lives of three young people across the world: a Gambian migrant in Italy, a Dalit student in India, and a trans vlogger in the UK.

Refugees in Germany complain about the lack of support by liberal and left-wing activists, writes Morgan Meaker

Doctors and patients are fighting back against new rules to restrict migrants’ access to the NHS, writes Simon Childs.

Downtrodden workers have been ignored in France’s rush to a cultural partnership with the building of the UAE’s new Louvre gallery. Yohann Koshy reports.

Seven students are now studying at SOAS university in London thanks to ‘sanctuary scholarships’, reports Hazel Healy. These scholarships have enabled them to take up their degrees despite the British government’s efforts to create a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants. Hazel Healy reports.

A lack of legal protection combined with toxic prejudice leaves migrant workers in Lebanon between a rock and a hard place. But the struggle for rights is under way and, as Fiona Broom reports, it’s coming from the ground up.

Amy Booth goes to the back of beyond in Bolivia and hears of a surprising migration.

With guest cartoonist Tjeerd Royaards from the Netherlands.

Trade unions aren’t even on the radar of most of London’s poorly treated hospitality workers. But a union could help them find their voice, as Afrika explains.

Alex Randall argues that the conclusions drawn were the wrong ones.

The Western Saharan singer and activist on Cuban solidarity, life as a refugee, and making her grandmother proud.

There are many myths about the country that just don't hold up, writes Stephen Langford.

The refugee crisis has had a profound impact on identity, writes Danny Ryan Youssef in part two of this blog series.

Maina Waruru on a community without rights.

Open and democratic societies cannot be built on fear and hatred, writes Nick Dearden.

Global inequality lies at the root of our anxiety over migrants, says Bridget Anderson.

While governments are sealing borders and erecting walls, ordinary people are offering support and shelter.

Ruben Andersson investigates the murky world of border security.