It turns out that limiting immigration over the next 40 years will do little to stop the racial diversification of the U.S., but it could push us toward population decline, reports Marissa J. Lang in the Washington Post. A new U.S. Census Bureau report underscores the vital role immigrants continue playing in our country’s growth.
“We desperately need immigration to keep our country growing and prosperous,” said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the report. “The reason we have a good growth rate in comparison to other developed countries in the world is because we’ve had robust immigration for the last 30 to 40 years.”
Welcome to Friday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at [email protected].
A DIFFICULT SITUATION – The White House is targeting weapons programs in order to shift $3.8 million in defense funding to build more border wall, John M. Donnelly reports in Roll Call. The plan “would subtract funds from military programs such as the F-35 fighter jet, V-22 tiltrotor aircraft and National Guard and Reserve equipment, a transfer of funds notable for its indiscriminate effect on nearly every state.” This decision puts Republicans in or around Fort Worth, Texas — where the F-35 is assembled and the V-22 is produced — in a difficult situation, Sam Manas writes in the Texas Tribune. “U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Clarendon Republican who is usually supportive of the president, spoke out against the move.”
WORDS MATTER – Colorado is considering replacing the term “illegal alien” with “undocumented immigrant,” Kristin Lam reports in USA Today. If passed, the Colorado legislation “would require that public contracts replace illegal alien with undocumented immigrant, similar to how California removed the term alien from the state labor code in 2015. New York City went a step further last September by banning derogatory usage of the phrase in an effort to prevent discrimination based on immigration status.”
DRIVER’S LICENSE POLITICS – Republicans in the House and Senate are introducing legislation to block funds from states that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, Adam Shaw writes for Fox News. The “Stop Greenlighting Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants Act” would block funds to so-called ‘sanctuary’ states — which limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement — and states that allow undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses. “Specifically, it would halt Justice Department (DOJ) grants, in particular those awarded under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, which is a top source of federal criminal justice funding for states.”
BON APPÉTIT ON THE BORDER – In the dangerous Matamoros tent camp along the U.S.-Mexico border, cooking is about more than survival, “not just for the body, but for the mind and soul. Cooking is caring for families, a means to earn money by selling meals to other migrants, an expression of human dignity to sustain spirits while living through a brutal humanitarian crisis that worsens by the day,” writes Michelle García in Bon Appetit. A collective kitchen in the camp has sprouted up, funded by a Texas-based humanitarian group called Team Brownsville. In January, José Andrés deployed his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, to the camp. Bonus: José is executive producer on the first episode of a new documentary show, “What’s Eating America,” on MSNBC this Sunday at 9 p.m.
BOND HEARINGS – At least 174 immigrants in a New Mexico immigration detention center — which is run by a for-profit company — were held for months without a hearing, even after requests from lawyers, reports Adolfo Flores in Buzzfeed. “After attorneys complained and threatened a federal lawsuit on Jan. 27, the immigration court inside ICE's Otero County Processing Center started scheduling bond hearings again this month. But lawyers are concerned the problem will continue and expand to other areas, leaving immigrants languishing in ICE detention.”
LOVE STORIES – I’ve met a lot of incredible people in this work. Julissa Arce ranks pretty close to the top of the list. As part of Vogue’s “Love Stories,” Julissa shares the story of her marriage to Fernando and the three weddings they planned in order to celebrate with family and friends on either side of the border. She writes, “It’s as the Mexican proverb says: They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds. Our love transcends borders.”
Thanks for reading,
Ali
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