Following oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, USA Today’s Richard Wolf notes that Chief Justice John Roberts indicated that the court is “unlikely … to give asylum seekers claiming fear of persecution abroad a federal court hearing to avoid quick removal from the United States,” arguing that such a decision would significantly expand the number of asylum claims.

“The case represents a crucial test of the Trump administration's effort to speed the removal of thousands of migrants without granting federal court hearings. … The California-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which has drawn Trump's ire for its decisions on immigration, ruled last year that efforts to remove asylum seekers under such ‘expedited removal’ procedures violated their constitutional rights.”

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

TRAGEDY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN – As Greece continues to face a surge of Syrian refugees coming to its borders, Matina Stevis-Gridneff at The New York Times reports that a child drowned on Monday after a boat capsized on its way to the Greek island of Lesbos. “The child’s death at sea and the clashes at the border quickly raised fears of a new chapter in the migrant crisis that roiled Europe in 2015, leaving a legacy of division and giving a boost to the far right on the Continent. … While the overall number of deaths of people trying to cross the Mediterranean has fallen compared with recent years, there are fewer rescue ships available, and the crossing continues to be dangerous.”

EUROPEAN OPINION – For The Guardian, Matthijs Rooduijn seeks to explain why Europe’s far-right parties are on the rise, even though voters’ immigration sentiments — “the main determinant of far-right support” — are mostly unchanged. He identifies three main reasons: “voters with anti-immigration attitudes have become increasingly likely to vote for far-right parties because these parties have managed to create a more moderate reputation; more voters have become available for far-right mobilisation [sic]; and the core issue of these parties — immigration — has become more salient.”

IMPORTANT DATA – The Pew Research Center is out with a new breakdown of federal data on border apprehensions, interior arrests and deportations to examine how immigration policies have changed under the Trump administration. John Gramlich writes, “The increase in [border] apprehensions has come as a growing number of migrants seek asylum.” Interior arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) increased in 2017 and 2018, but “decreased in fiscal 2019 and remain far lower than during President Barack Obama’s first term in office.” And in fiscal year 2018, “[U.S. Customs and Border Protection] and ICE together carried out 337,287 removals of unauthorized immigrants, a 17% increase from the previous year.” But even this number remains below what we saw during the Obama administration, when more than 400,000 deportations were carried out each year between 2012 and 2014.

OLYMPIC DREAMS – Despite qualifying for the Olympic trials, Argeo Cruz, an assistant cross country coach at Florida Gulf Coast University, won’t be eligible to compete for the U.S. in upcoming summer Olympics because of his immigration status, reports Greg Hardwig for the Naples News. A Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, “Cruz, who has won eight Moe’s Firecracker 5Ks in Naples, achieved five ASUN honors while running for the [Florida Gulf Coast] Eagles in cross country. …‘I’m still going to do my best every day and try not to let the whole idea, of having an, I guess, unpredictable future try to distract me from trying to achieve my best every day,’ he said.”

PITTSBURGH – The city of Pittsburgh is participating in a new pilot program from the non-profit group Welcoming America aimed at expanding business opportunities for the city’s immigrants, Abigail Mihaly reports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Working with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Pittsburgh Mayor’s office will be focused on helping immigrants acquire small business loans and integrating into local economies. “We want to make sure that people feel welcome, that people can grow here, that this is their city,” Feyisola Akintola, special initiatives manager in the Office of Equity and pilot program lead, told the Post-Gazette.

Thanks for reading,

Ali