President Trump’s attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count was blocked in court yesterday, preventing a change that could have led regions with large or fast-growing immigrant populations to lose congressional representation. A trio of judges from New York “ruled his order violates the federal laws that establish how many congressional seats are apportioned,” according to Savannah Behrmann of USA Today.

The popular assumption has been that a census undercount of undocumented immigrants would have resulted in a loss of representation for blue states. Yet an earlier analysis by the Forum of the Trump administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census found that policies resulting in an undercount of immigrants could disproportionately impact Republican-leaning states where immigration to rural areas has bolstered economic growth and mitigated population decline.

We’ll be paying special attention over the next few weeks to how immigration is impacting the election, particularly in swing states. If you have a story to share from your own community, please share with me at [email protected].

Welcome to Friday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. Today, we remember and honor all the lives that were lost or forever changed on this date 19 years ago.

BIPARTISAN TRENDS – Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that Trump supporters are more likely to view immigration positively now compared to 2016, with 32% now saying that immigration strengthens society — that’s “more than in 2016, when just 19% had a positive view of immigrants,” writes Paul Best for Fox News. “Views of immigration on the left have moved in the same direction, as 84% of Biden supporters think newcomers strengthen society, while 71% of Clinton supporters in 2016 thought the same thing.”

FURLOUGHS – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now intends to furlough 800 private contractors in the Kansas City region as it continues to confront budget shortfalls stemming from a steep drop in immigration application fees amid COVID-19 restrictions, writes Daniel Vock for the Kansas Reflector. The job cuts would likely “further delay the ability of USCIS to process green cards, work authorizations and other immigration-related documents nationwide.” Remember, the agency’s challenges stem from its inefficient processing as much as its decline in applications.

LANCASTER, PA – The editorial board of LancasterOnline in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, blasted the Trump administration’s recent decision to increase citizenship application fees and implement an asylum fee for the first time, arguing that these changes move us further away from President Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on a hill” conception of America. “Few of our ancestors came to the U.S. with money. … And while they lacked wealth, they brought with them skills and ambition and a deep desire to serve their new nation,” the board writes. “Secure borders are necessary. Immigration procedures and rules are necessary. But slamming doors shut is not the American way — or the way of Lancaster County.” The new fees go into effect October 2.

“DISAPPEARED” – A Reuters investigation chronicles the story of Gustavo, a disabled 12-year-old boy who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone after his mother began fearing for his safety in the dangerous Mexican border city where they waited months for a U.S. asylum hearing. Gustavo was promptly expelled to his native Guatemala alone — without a hearing — under a pandemic-era Trump administration policy. “The story of how Gustavo disappeared and then reappeared in Guatemala is emblematic of what U.S. immigration rights activists say is an opaque, chaotic new system that President Donald Trump’s administration has implemented to expel migrants, including unaccompanied children, during the pandemic,” write Mimi Dwyer, Kristina Cooke and Sofia Menchu.

LANGUAGE BARRIERS – Language barriers and a lack of culturally sensitive health care are leaving California’s Cambodian and Vietnamese communities especially vulnerable during the pandemic, Agnes Constante reports in the first piece for a new series from the Los Angeles Times. “Everything in healthcare relies on communication,” said Xiomara Armas, chair of the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. “Medical providers cannot do their job if they cannot communicate with their patients. And on the other side, the limited English proficiency patients cannot have the care they are expecting if they cannot clearly communicate with their healthcare provider.” About 90% of Southeast Asian Americans speak a language other than English at home and 45% have limited English proficiency, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

FOR ALL – The Vermont House of Representatives passed a $5 million proposal this week that would provide $1,200 relief payments to people who did not qualify for a federal stimulus check because of their immigration status. “To qualify for the payment, a person must be a ‘resident of Vermont,’ meaning they either intend to make it their principal place of residence or live in the state for a defined period of time, such as students and migrant workers,” Newsweek’s Jenni Fink reports. Federal aid during the pandemic has so far excluded undocumented immigrants and their families, even as they pay taxes and contribute to the economy.

Thanks for reading,

Ali