Since 1960, New York has been in a state of housing emergency, meaning a vacancy rate of 5% or less; today the vacancy rate is 1.4%, which, in turn, has driven up housing costs higher than ever. According to Apartments.com, the average rent for an available studio apartment is around $3,270 per month. In 2021, 53% of households in the city were spending over 30% of their income on rent.
In the past, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies stipulated that arrested immigrants could be detained in hold rooms for up to 12 hours while awaiting transfer to detention centers or deportation; but with Trump's return to power, the federal agency overturned the old rule, and is now holding foreigners in these rooms for up to seven days, often in overcrowded conditions.
When asylum seekers first arrive at Manston, a former military base outside Ramsgate in Kent, they are ushered from one enormous, grubby marquee to the next for a series of interviews and checks. As many as 1,000 people a day are processed at the site after crossing the Channel in small boats, and interviews continue through the night. Upon arrival in the UK, exhausted and disorientated, their phones and other belongings are taken from them and placed in distinctive blue plastic bags.
Venice is struggling under the weight of tens of thousands of daily visitors, with infrastructure and hotel bookings under extreme pressure, leading to last-minute visitors being turned away.
"If you commit a violent crime in Ontario, you will be caught, you will be prosecuted, and you will be locked up," Solicitor General Michale Kernzer stated. This reflects the government's tough stance on crime and indicates ongoing support for punitive measures rather than comprehensive reform for correctional facilities.