In the fall of 1969, as the nation was “rocked by the Vietnam War and raw from the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King the year before,” Sesame Street aired its first episode.

This week, just over 50 years later, a new Arabic version of Sesame Street developed with the International Rescue Committee has begun airing, bringing educational learning programs to displaced refugee children from Syria. We first saw news of this development from CNN’s Alaa Elassar last November.

“The show will focus on identifying and managing emotions, and will be coupled with thousands of outreach workers going to clinics, community centers, homes and other gathering spaces in the four countries, where they will meet with children, parents and caregivers to provide support and extend many lessons of the series,” Alex Carp writes for The New York Times. Nicole Daniels at the Times has also written a lesson plan for breaking down the new show with students.

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at [email protected].

NIGERIAN IMPACT – Following the Trump administration’s restrictions to Nigerian immigration as part of an expanded travel ban, Justin Fox at Bloomberg examines the impact of the ban on Nigerian immigrants — “one of the most successfully integrated groups in the country.” Fox writes that the “median income for households led by someone of Nigerian ancestry, for example, was $68,658 in 2018, compared with $61,937 for U.S. households overall. … Nigerian-Americans are more likely to have jobs than the rest of us, and much more likely to have college degrees.”

WOMEN AND CHILDREN – The Guatemalan government has released data indicating that U.S. officials at the southern border “have sent 378 asylum-seeking migrants from Honduras and El Salvador to Guatemala” under a controversial deal with the Trump administration — and an overwhelming majority of the migrants are women and children, Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports for CBS News. “Those deported under the deal include 144 children, 136 women and 98 men … With deportations under the deal ramping up in recent weeks, advocates worry about Guatemala's ability to continue receiving large numbers of families with children.”

ABOUT LAST NIGHT – Building on last night’s State of the Union, Nicole Narea at Vox explores the significant ways that the Trump administration has “reshaped the immigration system,” from severely limiting asylum claims at the southern border to the “public charge” rule. “The way Trump talks about immigration in his State of the Union address is likely to preview what he says on the campaign trail.” Meanwhile, Miguel Perez — a U.S. veteran who was deported in 2018 but has now attained citizenship — joined Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Illinois) as his guest at last night’s State of the Union, reports Ben Schamisso for Newsy.

PRIVATE DETENTION CENTER BAN – The Los Angeles City Council yesterday approved a new measure “blocking privately run detention centers from opening in the city, including facilities for immigrant youth in government custody,” reports Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times. “Making any money off of the misery and the pain of children is morally wrong on so many levels — and we cannot allow this in our city,” said Council President Nury Martinez. The measure is effective immediately.

NO SANCTUARY IN KENTUCKY – Despite currently having no “sanctuary cities” in the state, the Kentucky State Senate yesterday passed a bill prohibiting any municipal entity from implementing any “sanctuary” policies in the future, reports WUKY’s Josh James. The bill will now move to the Kentucky House for consideration. Opponents of the bill, including the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the Salaam Network, convened a panel on Monday to discuss the consequences, Drew Gardner reports for WLKY. “They want to stir up hatred, distrust, dislike of immigrants and that's the purpose of the legislation,” said immigration attorney Ron Russell.

ELLIS ISLAND OF THE SOUTH – The Atlanta suburb of Clarkston, Georgia, has been dubbed “The Ellis Island of the South” and “The Most Diverse Square Mile,” with “thousands of refugees representing more than 40 countries and speaking at least 60 languages” settling in the town over the last 30 years. However, as reported by Maria Clark in the Daily Advertiser, “[d]espite being a ‘Welcoming City,’ Clarkston has also not been immune to national policies that have rattled immigrant communities across the U.S. in recent years. … The travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries in 2017 had an immediate chilling effect on the vast Somali community that settled in Clarkston.”

Thanks for reading,

Ali