From home health care to nursing homes to biotech, immigrants are at the forefront of the nation’s fight to contain the coronavirus. Since 2010, the Department of Labor has approved more than 11,000 green card holders or H-1B workers for hire at companies that are now developing coronavirus vaccines or treatments, writes David Bier of the Cato Institute. That includes thousands of approvals for biochemists, biophysicists, chemists and other scientists. “The president should request Congress expedite the process for scientists and researchers seeking H-1Bs or green cards – not just for the sake of the current crisis but for all future crises as well.”

President Trump continues to suggest that the coronavirus could be coming from Mexico and touting his wall as a solution. But since the outbreak has exploded at a much bigger scale in the U.S., Mexicans are now wondering if the wall will stop the virus from spreading south, reports Lizbeth Diaz for Reuters. “Across social media … Mexicans joked on Thursday that the wall had taken on new purpose – to stop U.S. citizens infecting Mexicans,” Diaz writes. “Wisecracks aside, Julian Palombo, a Tijuana business chamber official said what was needed was much tougher measures to check for infections coming from San Diego.” Another Tijuana resident “supported tougher sanitation measures at the border but said a physical barrier was not a solution to keeping the virus out.”

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

VULNERABLE – Immigrants held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody could be particularly vulnerable to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, report Abigail Hauslohner, Nick Miroff and Matt Zapotosky for The Washington Post. Nearly 38,000 detainees are currently being held in more than 130 private and state-run jails and prisons across the country, many of which are operating with little oversight. This week, the ACLU of Southern California and Human Rights Watch wrote to officials at an ICE center in Adelanto, California, urging the Trump administration to develop plans to mitigate an outbreak: “People in detention are highly vulnerable to outbreaks of contagious illnesses. They are housed in close quarters and are often in poor health. Without the active engagement of the detention center’s administration, they have little ability to inform themselves about preventive measures, or to take such measures if they do manage to learn of them.”

REASSURANCE – During a closed-door briefing on coronavirus, acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli assured lawmakers that “new rules designed to discourage certain immigrants from using taxpayer-funded services won't apply to those seeking tests or other treatments for the coronavirus,” per Mike Lillis reports for The Hill. As we noted yesterday, House Democrats have been sounding alarms that immigrants might be deterred from seeking medical help as a result of the “public charge” rule, which bars migrants from entry if immigration officials determine that they might one day rely on public assistance programs. More than 40 House Democrats previously signed onto a letter to Vice President Mike Pence calling on the administration to reconsider the rule.

E-VERIFY – Mandatory E-Verify is not stopping undocumented immigrants from working in Arizona, writes Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute. As Florida considers whether to mandate E-Verify for some employers, research has found that in Arizona – where the program was mandated in 2008 – it simply doesn’t work: “A large percentage of new hires aren’t even run through the program. … If Arizona can’t even force about one-third of all new hires to be run through E-Verify then the program is in deep trouble.”

VIRGINIA – New research finds that immigrants contribute nearly $60 billion annually to Northern Virginia’s economy, accounting for more than a quarter of the region’s GDP, Inside Nova reports. The “One Region” Report highlights how immigrants have boosted the local economy by injecting money into businesses, property markets and municipal budgets as consumers, homebuyers and taxpayers. “By recognizing the unique range of skills that foreign-born residents bring, the region is making an important investment in its future,” said Mo Kantner, associate director of state and local initiatives at New American Economy, which helped produce the report.

ECONOMY – By using coronavirus to whip up fear about immigrants, President Trump is further hurting the economy, writes Ibrahim AlHusseini, founder and CEO of the investment company FullCycle and the son of Saudi Arabian refugees, in an op-ed for Newsweek. “For America’s own benefit, former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders must be sure to link immigration to entrepreneurship and a thriving America, not the COVID-19 pandemic,” he writes. “Instead of scaring people, this is a moment to inform and inspire.” The piece cites National Immigration Forum research finding that in 2015, more than 180,000 refugee entrepreneurs generated $4.6 billion in business income.

CANADA – Canada is planning to increase the number of immigrants it takes in by 10,000 immigrants a year – bringing the annual total to 361,000 by 2022 – a continuation of a program that has so far boosted economic growth, reports Kait Bolongaro of Bloomberg. The effort will combat Canada’s population decline and focus on boosting growth in rural areas. “We understand that immigration is an economic driver for this country,” Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said. “And the future of this country depends on immigration.”

Thanks for reading,

Ali