Latest news with #reunification
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
US territory MAGA once called a 'floating island of garbage' considers rejoining Spain
A United States territory MAGA once derided as a 'floating island of garbage' is considering ceding from America and rejoining Spain. Puerto Rico has put forward several proposals over the years to cut ties with the United States and realign with its mother country. But now a movement to reintegrate with Spain is gaining steam on the island of 3.2 million people, according to The Mirror. The Adelante Reunificacionistas movement, founded in 2017, has even presented its proposal to the United Nations Decolonization Committee, 20 Minutos reports. It claims that Puerto Rico is different from other former Spanish territories, as it never actually ceded from the European country - and was just handed over to the United States following the Spanish-American War in 1898. 'Puerto Rico never wanted to separate from Spain,' said the organization's president Jose Lara. In fact, in the more than 100 years since, Spanish has remained the primary language of the island - spoken by more than 95 percent of inhabitants who use it in education and businesses. Now, the Adelante Reunificacionistas movement claims approximately 13 percent of its residents support the idea of rejoining Spain, which they see as a pathway to prosperity. Lara has argued that since becoming a US territory, Puerto Rico has experienced over a century 'of subjugation' and stagnation under American governance that has not granted Puerto Ricans full citizenship rights. Its residents cannot vote in presidential elections, for example, and they lack voting representation in Congress. Puerto Rico has also been ridiculed by Americans, with comedian Tony Hinchcliffe infamously joking about the territory at a rally for then-Republican nominee Donald Trump in October. 'I don't know if you know this but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico,' he said at a rally for Trump in New York City - which has the largest number of Puerto Ricans outside of the US territory. The Trump campaign was then forced to walk back the comments, with Danielle Alvarez - a senior adviser to the campaign - saying the 'joke does not reflect the vies of President Trump or the campaign.' Senator Rick Scott of Florida also disavowed the joke, saying it 'bombed for a reason. 'It's not funny and it's not true,' the Republican lawmaker wrote on X. 'Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans!' But Hinchcliffe argued he was just making a joke. 'I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone … watch the whole set. I'm a comedian,' he wrote on X. Now, Lara says emphasizing Spanish as the primary language and preserving Hispanic cultural traditions are key to persuading locals about the benefits of rejoining Spain. He has also shared merchandise online reading 'Make Puerto Rico Spain Again,' an apparent jab at Trump's 'Make America Great Again.' 'We want a future of progress and we believe that future lies in Spain,' Lara explained.
Washington Post
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump travel ban rattles immigrant communities across U.S.
Immigrants from the dozen countries targeted by President Donald Trump's travel ban have put down roots in all 50 states, many escaping violence or political instability in their homelands. They left spouses, children and friends behind, hoping one day to be reunited. Overnight, those hopes have been shattered. Even plans for visits to or from relatives — for graduations, weddings or funerals — are now very uncertain.
CBC
31-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
One man's harrowing journey from Vietnam to Saskatoon after the fall of Saigon
True freedom Fifty years after the fall of Saigon, Dong Van Tran is grateful for the life he has in Canada. His journey here wasn't Graphics Jeffery Tram May 31, 2025 Dong Van Tran opens Facebook Messenger on his phone every morning. It's the only way he can speak to his family in Vietnam. He hasn't seen his mother since 2011, his only visit since he fled Vietnam on a boat nearly three decades ago. He tried to visit his homeland in 2013, but Vietnamese authorities turned him away at the airport because of his family's history. It was the final confirmation of what he'd long suspected: he would never be allowed back. Tran was born in 1964 in Quảng Ngãi, a city in central Vietnam. At the time, the Vietnam War was well underway. The country was divided. Communism ruled the north, while the south followed a capitalist model. That divide had been formalized by the 1954 Geneva Accords, after the end of French colonialism and the First Indochina War. Although the war officially ended on April 30, 1975, with the fall of Saigon and the reunification of the country under communist control, it was another night, about a month before, that Tran remembers most vividly. Fifty years after the fall of Saigon, Dong Van Tran is grateful for the life he has in Canada. His journey to Saskatoon wasn't easy. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. All over Vietnam, people marked the reunification of a country after years of bloodshed and foreign occupation, and celebrated a country that has now become a rising economic power in southeast Asia. Memories of Vietnam, 50 years after the war With a median age of 33, according to the World Factbook, many Vietnamese people weren't yet born when the war was going on. But the refugees who fled the nation and are now settled in countries like Canada, the United States, Australia and France — especially those who fled the south — still carry the trauma and memories of what was lost. The fall Tran was 11 years old when his family decided to flee their home as communist forces descended upon their hometown on March 24, 1975. The family was split. Tran and his three siblings, all under 17 years of age, crammed onto a Honda 68 motorbike. The plan was to get to the shorelines of Quảng Nam, get on a boat and escape to the southern city of Saigon. The route took them directly into crossfire between the two sides. 'We had to lie down in the grass,' Tran said. 'South Vietnamese soldiers told us, 'Don't move.' We were hidden there.' Time crept by, with Tran anxious about the fate of his siblings. 'I crawled out of the ditch and called my brother. 'Brother Hai, Brother Hai.' I felt relieved when he replied, 'Dong, where are you?'' As the fighting eased, he and his siblings tried to continue their escape, but a soldier stole their motorbike, forcing them to flee on foot alongside other people. Tran said the images of that night have stayed with him ever since. 'I saw skulls, bodies, blood still dripping,' he said. 'Some people were hanging from a truck. Civilians, too. Many people died.' By dawn, communist forces had taken control of the region and forced everyone back to their towns. Saigon fell just over a month later. No future The end of the war marked a new beginning for Vietnam, but it brought hardship for Tran's family. His father had worked as a police chief under the South Vietnamese government and had ties to the CIA-backed Phoenix Program. Tran was 12 years old when he and his family were targeted through the government's 'New Economic Zones' program, where people with connections to the old South Vietnamese government were sent to live in the jungle after the communist regime took over their homes. 'I couldn't study,' Tran said. 'One teacher in Grade 11 told the whole class my dad killed his father. He tried to kill me.' Tran moved to live with his uncle in the city of Dalat to complete his education, but the difficulties continued. When he looked for employment, he was turned away every time. Under the new government, he was required to show paperwork identifying him and his family. Over the years, Tran was forced to work numerous illegal jobs due to his father's ties. At one point, Tran was caught and was sent to a prison camp in the mountains, where he nearly died of malaria. Tran was able to escape when he was sent to a clinic to treat malaria. That's when he realized he had no future in Vietnam. He had to escape. Losing hope Tran made his way to the coastal city of Vũng Tàu, hoping to escape by boat. He had worked as a fisherman and knew he could captain a boat. In August 1989, at age 25, he visited his family for one last time, then boarded a boat with 65 others. What followed was a harrowing 20-day journey at sea. 'For 11 days, no food, no water,' Tran said. 'Two young men fell into the sea and died during a storm. Two children died of thirst.' Eventually, a Singaporean ship rescued the group near an oil station off the coast of the Philippines. Tran was taken to the Philippines First Asylum Camp in El Nido on Palawan island, where he applied for resettlement through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. His claim — like thousands of others — was denied. Tran remained on Palawan Island until 1996, when the UNHCR closed its camps. He moved to Manila and took on various jobs to survive. Tran and the remaining Vietnamese refugees built a community in the Philippines, but as years passed, his dreams of moving to the west were dwindling. 'We were losing hope,' Tran said. His chance finally came in 2008, when Canada launched the 'Freedom At Last' program to resettle the last 250 stateless Vietnamese refugees who had been stranded in the Philippines since the 1970s. Tran said he'll never forget the moment he arrived in Canada. 'When I put my foot down in Vancouver, I felt true freedom,' he said. He eventually settled in Saskatoon, where the small Vietnamese community welcomed him with open arms. 'About 20 people came to the airport,' he recalls. 'One of them was someone I knew from the refugee camp. She had already prepared dinner.' Strong connections Despite his difficult journey, Tran remains proud of his heritage. 'I always say that Vietnam is my first country, Philippines is my second country, and Canada is my third country.' Since arriving, Tran has worked extensively within his community. He served as president of the Vietnamese-Canadian Federation, the same organization that helped bring him to Canada, as well as locally with the Saskatoon Vietnamese Association. Vietnamese community in Alberta marks 50 years since fall of Saigon Tran said he wants to rejuvenate Vietnamese heritage for those without direct history or a strong connection to the motherland. As the Vietnamese community in Saskatchewan continues to grow, Tran hopes younger generations will continue to honour their heritage, remember the difficult journeys that brought their families here and live with gratitude for the privileges they have in their adopted nation. 'I am so happy to now be in a free country.' About the Author Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. 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ABC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Change or risk oblivion: Former Liberal Cabinet Minister's warning
As the Coalition heads towards reunification, the focus returns to how the opposition forges its path back to government, after this month's near wipe out. A former Liberal Cabinet Minister is urging the party to take responsibility and listen to an upcoming review of the result, or risk fading into oblivion.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberals and Nationals negotiate on reunion
The Liberal party has delayed revealing its new shadow ministry as the party negotiates with the Nationals on reunifying.
