In the aftermath of the El Paso shooting this weekend that was motivated by white nationalist and anti-immigrant invective, Latinos throughout the country find themselves confronting basic questions about their role and safety in American society, The New York Times reports. “It’s really hard to be alive as an immigrant right now and to not be sick and exhausted,” said Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, a DACA recipient whose parents are undocumented. “It feels like being hunted.”

Yet even in these dark times, it’s important to note that there are allies. According to a July survey of 1,700 registered voters by Democracy Corps, “[t]he percentage [of voters] saying immigrants strengthen the country, are not a burden, has risen from 54 percent after the election to 65 percent now, 52 percent strongly. Only 26 percent agree with the president that they are a burden because they take jobs, housing, and health care.”

Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, addressed the issue of white supremacy from a biblical perspective: “Let’s grieve our fallen neighbors. Let’s work together to stop such atrocities from happening in the future. And let’s also, as Christians, be very clear about what this ideology is. White nationalism is on the rise, and is headed for a confrontation with the gospel of a crucified Rabbi from Galilee. The gospel will win.”

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

PUBLIC CHARGE – With a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule that would dramatically expand the application of “public charge” criteria expected any day now, Politico’s Ted Hesson sheds light on what our immigration system may soon look like. His exclusive look at State Department data finds that the number of Mexicans denied immigrant visas to the U.S. “because they might become dependent on government benefits skyrocketed under President Donald Trump.” With these changes, individual officers within State and DHS will have incredible power to reshape our economy just as employers are scrambling to fill openings.

DIPLOMAS – How do we predict the value of an immigrant to American society? According to columnist Andre Perry at The Hechinger Report, it should not be based on their degrees or resumes: “Suggesting that low-skilled labor doesn’t contribute as much to American society as workers with degrees misunderstands the range of skills required to keep the economy running.” See Item #1, above.

ALAMANCE COUNTY – Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson was once considered so extreme on immigration – accusing illegal immigrants of “raping our citizens in many, many ways” – that even U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kept its distance. Now, ICE doesn’t seem to mind Johnson’s divisive rhetoric, awarding a $2.3 million contract to house detainees in the Alamance County Detention Center in a move that has raised considerable concerns, Teo Armus reports in The Charlotte Observer. “He has demonstrated that he does not have respect for the rights of immigrants,” said Andrew Willis Garcés of the immigrant rights group Siembra NC. “He’s put forward a totally false narrative to get this funding.”

“THE CHINESE INVASION” – Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric has deep roots in the racist backlash against Chinese migration to the West Coast in the 19th century, writes Ben Zimmer for The Atlantic. “THE CHINESE INVASION! They Are Coming, 900,000 Strong,” blasted the San Francisco Chronicle in 1873. “What are you going to do about it? Nations of the earth take warning.” Sounds strangely familiar. (Related, but not purely immigration-focused: The Atlantic’s George Packer offers an important analysis of the language of populism.)

CANADA – After being rejected in Houston, Syrian asylum seeker Kinda Bazerbashi crossed the U.S.-Canada border and applied for asylum in Canada – which asylum seekers qualify for if they’ve already applied for asylum in the U.S., per a “safe third country” agreement. But, Emma Jacobs writes for NPR, this policy is creating familiar divides in Canadian society. “Just literally walking across an undefended border was starting to create a deep sense of unease and concern not just in right-wing voters, but it was really an issue that crossed the political spectrum,” explains Canadian pollster Shachi Kur. Look for the immigration debate to our north to heat up as fall elections draw closer.

UNDER FIVE – While Trump’s citizenship question was nixed from the 2020 census, Latino children under the age of five remain at risk of being undercounted – with potentially dire consequences. “Census data is used to distribute nearly $900 billion in annual federal funding, supporting schools, healthcare, food stamps, foster care and special education,” report Kurtis Lee and Sandhya Kambhampati at the Los Angeles Times. “Latino children, who disproportionately live in poverty, are among the most in need of government help.”

Thanks for reading,

Ali