[ARTICLE] ICB Meeting - 22 February 2025
Thirteen (13) members attended the ICB online meeting held on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 9:30 PM Hong Kong time. This meeting was the first ICB meeting held this year. The meeting lasted about 2 hours and discussed several items, including: 1) The 6th Global Assembly of IMA, 2) Political development in the US and the impact of Trump’s regulation on migration and other sectors, 3) Preparation for the International Women's Day and International Labour’s Day, 4) Next ICB meeting.
Comments and feedback were provided on the concept note of IMA 6th GA that had been drafted and shared with each member before the meeting. ICB members agreed on the proposed date and location for this year's 6th GA. Since many IMA members in the Americas will not be able to attend the GA, they plan to meet before the GA to discuss the issues and problems faced by migrants in their respective countries. The issues will be collected and presented at the GA by the delegates sent to attend the GA.
A presentation on the current situation of migrants in the U.S. was delivered by Terry Valen, a member of the Executive Committee (EC). Terry explained that more than 34 regulations regarding migrants/migration were issued by the Trump administration within one month of his presidency. He also discussed the consequences of these regulations for the lives and well-being of documented and undocumented migrants. Anti-migrant sentiment and xenophobia have been on the rise, leading to many migrants being arrested and deported by the U.S. government. Family separation, arrests, deportations, and the incarceration of migrants pose significant threats to those currently in the U.S. Human rights violations and humanitarian crises continue not only in the U.S. but also affect the relationships between the U.S. and other countries, impacting migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and displaced people in Latin America, Canada, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Wars supported by the U.S. have displaced millions from their lands. Additionally, crackdowns on activist activities are increasing. Eni Lestari explained that in Asia, countries that were once friendly to activism are now becoming hostile. A new trend in migration has also emerged in Asia, where middle-class and educated individuals are trapped and forced to work in scam compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines. This trend has surged post-COVID pandemic. More young and educated people with skills are being recruited by transnational criminal networks to engage in cyber fraud, as they lose jobs post-pandemic and find no employment opportunities that pay enough to meet basic needs in their countries.
ICB members also discussed activities that IMA Global could undertake to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8 and International Labour Day on May 1. IMA Global plans to hold a webinar, release a statement, and create a solidarity message in the form of a video to honor these two important days. We hope that all IMA members can actively participate at local, national, regional, and global levels in collaboration with other migrant/social movements to collectively voice our demands.
The meeting concluded with ICB members agreeing that the next meeting would be held in April and would discuss IMA 6th GA in more detail.
