Editor's note: We want you to know what's happening, and why and how it could impact your life, family or business, so we created a weekly digest of the top original immigration, migration and refugee reporting from across VOA. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.
New Zealand buries its dead
Funerals began this week for the 50 people killed in an attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. While the city had planned a memorial and vigil Thursday, residents found their own ways to grieve at pop-up monuments near the mosques and in parks throughout the city. Ethiopian Abdulkadir Ababora was sitting in the front row of one of the mosques when the gunman opened fire. He survived by hiding under a bookshelf and pretending he was dead. "I didn't think it was real," he told VOA.
Keeping Muslims safe
The attacks in New Zealand are adding new purpose to a newly formed Muslim neighborhood patrol in Brooklyn, New York. The rollout of the volunteer-led civilian patrol, Muslim Community Patrol & Services (MCPS), coincided with the attacks. MCPS is aimed at protecting members of two Brooklyn communities "from escalating quality-of-life nuisance crimes." Organizers Mohammad Khan and Imam Nazrul Islam were returning from a leadership dinner when they heard about New Zealand. "We stopped our car, we parked, and we were just in tears," Khan said. "Me and the imam — we were just devastated."
Border death
Deaths at the U.S. southern border are rare, but this week a Mexican man died while in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. After a medical examination, he was taken to the hospital with "flu-like symptoms, liver failure and renal failure." He died the next day. Last month, a 45-year-old Mexican man died at a hospital in McAllen, Texas.
Most dangerous migrant route
Latin America has displaced the Mediterranean Sea as the world's deadliest route for migrants. The International Organization for Migration spokesman, Joel Millman, says 79 deaths have been reported along this route since Feb. 1. He says this is nearly three times higher than the numbers reported in the Mediterranean.
