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Essential workers load boxes for delivery in the central business district in Singapore on April 7, 2020, as the country ordered the closure of all businesses deemed non-essential as well as schools to combat the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. - Singapore's usually bustling business district was almost deserted on April 7 as most workplaces in the city-state closed to stem the spread of the coronavirus after a surge in cases. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Over 20,000 Migrant Workers in Quarantine in Singapore Must be Protected from Mass Infection

Responding to reports that two dormitories for migrant workers in Singapore have been designated as “isolation areas” and that over…

April 7, 2020

A security wearing a facemask amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus stands guard at the entrance of the UN transit centre, where authorities quarantined four Rohingya after they returned from India, in Ukhia March 24, 2020. (Photo by SUZAUDDIN RUBEL / AFP) (Photo by SUZAUDDIN RUBEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

COVID-19 Response Flaws Put Older Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh in Imminent Danger

Older Rohingya refugees in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh are being left behind in the humanitarian response to COVID-19, which could…

April 7, 2020

Border crossers wears a mask for protection against COVID-19 on April 1, 2020, on the Paso del Norte International Bridge in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. - Both Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, are on stay-at-home orders, but many people who live on the border are essential workers who live on one side and work on the other, and are still crossing. (Photo by Paul Ratje / AFP) (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Governments Must Halt Dangerous and Discriminatory Detention of Migrants and Asylum Seekers

Authorities in a number of countries across the Americas, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Curaçao, and Trinidad and Tobago,…

April 2, 2020

Press Release

“Hope Can’t Be Quarantined” campaign to help immigrants and asylum-seekers held in detention during the COVID-19 crisis

As a response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) have…

March 31, 2020

A prisoner shines a torch from the main ICE detention center in downtown Los Angeles

Press Release

As federal judge weighs release of children in immigration detention, COVID-19 risks grow

Responding to a temporary restraining order by Judge Dolly M. Gee of the United States District Court directing the government…

March 29, 2020

NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 28: Indians travel on a horse drawn vehicle on a deserted road as a nationwide lockdown continues in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 28, 2020 in New Delhi, India. India is under a 21-day lockdown to fight the spread of the virus while security personnel on the roads are enforcing the restrictions in many cases by using force, the workers of country's unorganized sector are bearing the brunt of the curfew-like situation. The lockdown has already disproportionately hurt marginalized communities due to loss of livelihood and lack of food, shelter, health, and other basic needs. The lockdown has left tens of thousands of out-of-work migrant workers stranded, with rail and bus services shut down. According to international labour organisations 90 percent of India's workforce is employed in the informal sector and most do not have access to pensions, sick leave, paid leave or any kind of insurance. The closing of state borders has caused disruption in the supply of essential goods, leading to inflation and fear of shortages. Reports on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is preparing a massive bailout for the underprivileged sections of the country and will hand over the aid through direct cash transfers. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

Press Release

Battle Against COVID-19 in India Must Not Leave Behind the Poor and Marginalized

The three-week nation-wide lockdown to battle the COVID-19 pandemic in India have left millions of migrant workers stranded and the…

March 28, 2020

Man walks into a hospital with a mask on his face to avoid Coronavirus — The entrance of the General Hospital of Mexico City, Mexico, on March 22, 2020 during the health crisis caused by COVID-19. (Photo by Cristian Leyva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Press Release

Media advisory: AIUSA to Provide Workshops on Aspects of COVID-19 and Human Rights

As COVID-19 has reached pandemic levels around the world, Amnesty International USA is piloting workshops to media on the aspects…

March 23, 2020

Qatar Migrant Worker in orange vest — A migrant worker in Qatar stands in an orange vest

Press Release

Qatari Migrant Workers in Labor Camps at Grave Risk Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Responding to reports that parts of Qatar’s Industrial Area in Doha - home to a large number of migrant workers’…

March 20, 2020

Amnesty International USA activists speak out against a ban and a wall against people — AIUSA Executive Director Margaret and AI Secretary General Salil Shetty delivered a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, outlining numerous personal stories of people who are affected by the Muslim ban, asking DHS to release full information about how the ban has been implemented, and demanding that DHS help roll back the ban. As a part of the protests outside, we projected “No Ban, No Wall” on the building along with photos of refugees in Lebanon and Kenya provided by Magnum Photography.

Press Release

U.S. Border Closure is Cruel, Short-sighted, and Opportunistic

Responding to the United States announcement that the country will imminently close its border with Mexico and Canada, Charanya Krishnaswami,…

March 20, 2020

Central American migrants at the border with Mexico — Photo by Jair Cabrera Torres/picture alliance via Getty Images

Press Release

Trump Administration Using Coronavirus Pandemic to Justify Discriminatory Ban on Asylum-Seekers at Southern Border

Following reports that the Trump administration intends to issue a new rule that would allow U.S. agents to turn back…

March 18, 2020

19 January 2020, Guatemala, Ceibo: Migrants are guided by the Mexican authorities through the Ceibo border crossing. Dozens of Central American migrants stranded at the Ceibo border crossing between Mexico and Guatemala were taken by the Mexican authorities to detention centers for migrants in Mexico. Photo: Jair Cabrera Torres/dpa (Photo by Jair Cabrera Torres/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Press Release

Human Rights Advocates with Medical and Legal Expertise Call on Governors, State Health Officials to Direct Reduction, Release of Immigration Detainees to Prevent Coronavirus Spread

Calling on governors and state health officials to use their authority to act in the interest of public health and…

March 17, 2020

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - JULY 17: Relatives of alleged extrajudicial killings wear veils as they take part in a protest versus the drug war killings outside the military and police headquarters on July 17, 2019 in Manila, Philippines. The United Nations Human Rights Council last week voted to launch an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial and bloody "war on drugs", which human rights group estimate to have killed more than 27,000 mostly poor victims. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Press Release

Free Senator de Lima and End Attacks on Rights Defenders in the Philippines

Philippine authorities should immediately release Senator Leila de Lima, who has been detained for three years, and drop the politically…

February 24, 2020