The Trump administration’s new “public charge” rule, scheduled to go into effect 60 days after being published, would “dramatically change the lives of immigrants and the course of immigration to the U.S.,” I told PBS NewsHour’s Laura Santhanam for her detailed explainer.

Michael D. Shear and Eileen Sullivan at The New York Times put a finer point on how the administration seeks to slash legal immigration through the rule: “Over time, administration officials hope that the tough policy will shift the composition of the American immigration system by favoring wealthier immigrants.”

Per Joseph Zeballos-Roig at Business Insider, “[a] Migration Policy Institute analysis of the proposed rule change released last year found immigrants from Mexico and Central America would be at a significantly higher risk of having their green cards rejected compared with immigrants from other regions of the world.”

Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes.

Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at [email protected].

PERSONAL CARE – Older Americans and people with disabilities could have more difficulty finding personal care aids once the “public charge” rule goes into effect. Nursing agencies have reported shortages finding workers to full these jobs, writes Howard Gleckman in Forbes: “The market is so tight that some agencies are requiring their workers to sign non-compete agreements to prevent them from moving to competitors or working directly for their clients. And the shortage will only get worse as the Baby Boomers age.”

JOB FAIR – Following immigration raids at food processing plants in Mississippi, about 30 workers showed up to a job fair for one of the affected companies yesterday, writes Justin Vicory in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger. “In some places raids have led immigrants to move away. And if they stay, [anthropoplogy professor Angela] Stuesse said raids tend to keep immigrants terrified of advocating for better wages and working conditions,” reports Jeff Amy in the Associated Press. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), who represents some of the affected areas, says the raids will have a long-term impact on the job pool.
A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE – Guatemala’s new president-elect, Alejandro Giammattei, will face a tough decision early in his tenure over the migration deal his predecessor signed with the United States. The so-called “safe third country” agreement will force Giammattei to either find a way to deal with a deluge of asylum applications and migrants, or risk upsetting the Trump administration – and the trade tariffs that come with it, reports Nick Paton Walsh at CNN.

REFUGEES – A new Gallup Poll shows that Americans are slightly more likely today (57%) than last year (51%) to support allowing refugees to come to the U.S. from Central America. Justin McCarthy at Gallup reports that support is up even among Republicans and independents: “If support for Central American refugee entry continues to increase, this could jeopardize President Donald Trump's immigration-related initiatives. The administration's initiatives have already endured setbacks ranging from high-profile criticisms, the resignation of the secretary of Homeland Security, condemnation from the UN and repeated court challenges to his various immigration policies.”

Thanks for reading,

Ali