The Trump administration plans to announce a new policy next week to deny asylum to migrants coming from countries with ongoing disease outbreaks, reports Nick Miroff in The Washington Post.

“The proposed rule change would allow DHS and the Department of Justice to expand the definition of safety threats to ‘consider public health concerns based on disease when making a determination as to whether there are reasonable grounds to believe an alien is a danger to the security of the United States,’ according to a regulatory notice. Applicants arriving from countries with deadly communicable diseases would be ineligible for asylum and a lesser form of protection called ‘withholding of removal’ that shields foreign nationals from deportation.”

All of this tracks to reporting from Caitlin Dickerson and Michael D. Shear at The New York Times in early May that Stephen Miller, the president’s chief adviser on immigration, “suggested using the president’s public health authority to seal the border so frequently that it was difficult to recall specific scenarios. … He and others in the administration frequently talked about migrants as potential vectors of disease, they said. Mr. Miller cited historical precedent for invoking the president’s public health powers, pointing out that many immigrants were refused entry at Ellis Island in the late 19th century amid concerns that contagious diseases could be brought in to overcrowded cities.”

This will be just the latest of at least 48 immigration policy changes that the administration has enacted since the start of the pandemic.

Happy 4th of July weekend and welcome to Thursday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at [email protected]. 

INCREASE, PLEASE – For the first time in Gallup’s history of polling on this trend — dating back to 1965 — the percentage of Americans wanting increased immigration exceeds the percentage wanting a decrease, writes Mohamed Younis. “Thirty-four percent of Americans, up from 27% a year ago, would prefer to see immigration to the U.S. increased. ... Meanwhile, the percentage favoring decreased immigration has fallen to a new low of 28%, while 36% think it should stay at the present level.” The poll also found rising support for immigration among independents. Keep in mind this was taken before the president decided to further slash legal immigration — it may very well be that bad policy that actually leads to bad politics. 

2,700 – The number of coronavirus cases in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities continues to skyrocket despite the agency claiming to follow CDC guidelines, reports Alisa Reznick for NPR. “The number of immigrants with COVID-19 in Immigration Customs Enforcement custody has risen rapidly. More than 2,700 detainees nationwide have tested positive, according to ICE data … Social distancing in detention is difficult, if not impossible.” Immigration advocates are still pushing for the release of detainees, who are often held due to civil violations, to help slow the infection rate. 

FREE SPEECH – Immigration judges are filing suit to challenge a Justice Department policy that prohibits them from speaking publicly about immigration and other issues without permission, Alison Frankel at Reuters reports. “The [National Association of Immigration Judges], representing more than 460 immigration judges, sued three Department of Justice officials in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday, challenging a policy edict from DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review that allegedly bars almost all immigration judges from speaking in their personal capacity about immigration issues, including the operations of the courts they preside over.”

GREAT IMMIGRANTS – This 4^th of July, the Carnegie Corporation of New York is honoring 38 naturalized citizens with a full-page public service announcement in The New York Times and a social media tribute as part of its Great Immigrants initiative. “A third of this year’s honorees are helping the global health crisis recovery efforts by serving as nurses and doctors, as well as scientists who are striving to find effective treatments and a vaccine. We also honor clergy and community leaders who are providing food and vital services to those in need. Overall, the 2020 Great Immigrants represent 35 countries of origin and a wide range of contributions to American life, from human rights and computer science to art, business, education, health care, journalism, music, politics, religion, research, and sports.” The initiative, which has celebrated more than 600 immigrants since it started in 2006, honors those who have made the United States stronger through their contributions. You can see the full list of honorees here.

OVERRULED – U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly — a Trump administration appointee — has ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to deem migrants ineligible for asylum if they have not sought “some form of humanitarian protection in a third country on their journey to the southern border,” reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez for CBS News. “Specifically, Kelly said the administration had offered an insufficient explanation for not allowing the public to see and comment on a draft of the policy before its enactment.”

SUMMER READING – A new edition of “Call Me American,” the extraordinary memoir by Somali immigrant Abdi Nor Iftin, has been released for young adults, writes Victoria Zhuang in the Boston Globe. “He sees it as an opportunity to promote understanding of immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and Somalis — groups he feels too often face negative stereotyping in America — inspire hope as a Black writer, and renew belief in young people’s individual and collective power to claim the American dream.”

Thanks for reading,

Ali