The Trump administration’s June ban on H-1B and other work visas was blocked by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White yesterday, who ruled that “Congress’s delegation of authority in the immigration context…does not afford the president unbridled authority to set domestic policy regarding employment of nonimmigrant foreigners.”  

John Baselice, executive director of Immigration Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told The Wall Street Journal’s Michelle Hackman that the ruling “is a great victory for American businesses and our nation’s economy.’”

Stuart Anderson writes for Forbes that “Judge White’s ruling focused on three areas – Congressional delegation of power, whether the proclamation ‘eviscerates’ parts of the Immigration and Nationality Act and the findings in the presidential proclamation.” While this is just a preliminary injunction pending trial, it’s an early but important victory for business groups including the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Retail Federation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who filed the lawsuit.

Welcome to Friday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].

MUST EAT – Mahira Rivers in Whetstone Magazine examines how food from Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, has become so underrepresented and heavily conflated with Indian cuisine on the American food scene. Pakistani-American restaurateurs like Soophia Hussain in Washington D.C., are pushing back: “I’ve been in this industry for over eight years and I feel like our cuisine, the culture and general knowledge about Pakistan is frequently brushed under the rug and dominated by what is considered Indian cuisine. [I wanted] to say, ‘Wait a minute, that's not all this is. There's another level to this. There’s another country involved.’” Run, don’t walk, to your nearest Pakistani spot. Order as many dishes as you can carry out. You’ll thank me later. 

IOWA IMPACT – Iowa’s competitive status as a presidential and congressional battleground state could give Iowans an outsized voice in guiding future immigration reform, writes Kassidy Arena for Iowa Public Radio. “As an example, [immigration researcher Charles] Kamasaki listed how Latino religious groups supporting Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley have the power to sway his votes in the U.S. Senate. … [he] said because Iowa’s Latino population is growing so fast with many working in businesses, it would benefit both business leaders and lawmakers to support immigration law changes for their employees and constituents.”

BILLBOARDS – With just over a month to go until Election Day, the Trump administration is considering putting up billboards in at least one so-called “sanctuary” city calling out immigrants who have committed crimes, “an unprecedented move in lockstep with the President's law-and-order message ahead of the election,” Maria Santana and Priscilla Alvarez report for CNN. “It’s unclear what the billboards will look like and at what cost. If the plan proceeds, it seems intended to single out sanctuary jurisdictions and stoke fear within those communities. ... billboards for the purpose of singling out violators raises questions about what purpose it really serves.”

‘OBJECTIVELY UNREASONABLE’ – U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter in Los Angeles ordered an immediate reduction of the migrant detainee population at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Adelanto detention center on Tuesday following news that 81 inmates at the facility have tested positive for COVID-19, reports LA’s City News Service. “The outbreak was most likely caused by a sick staff member, but contact tracing has apparently not been conducted and the source of the outbreak has not been identified, according to Hatter’s order, which modifies a prior injunction.” Judge Hatter wrote that the government’s response to the pandemic “remains inadequate and objectively unreasonable.”

HUMAN LIFE – South Tulsa Baptist Church pastor Eric Costanzo calls on his fellow “pro-life” Christians to treat immigrants, including those who are pregnant or caring for infants, with the same regard for human life that informs their views on abortion. In a piece for Speak for the Unborn, the Oklahoma pastor writes: “For immigrant and refugee women, pregnancy presents several challenges that most women who give birth in the U.S. do not face. These include language and communication obstacles, differences in cultural practices, lack of transportation, and difficulties in understanding our medical systems and procedures. For some, fear of deportation for themselves or a loved one leads them to consider abortion — even if they are morally against it — and results in hesitation to seek proper pre-natal or post-natal care in order to avoid attention.” He concludes that those who identify with a “pro-life” worldview “should stand for and advocate on behalf of human life and human dignity regardless of the immigration status of mother, unborn baby, or infant.”

LATINO ENGAGEMENT – Despite reporting feeling anger and fear as the Trump administration transitioned into power, Latino immigrants also became more involved in civic life, according to a new survey by Professors James A. McCann and Michael Jones-Correa. Surveying Latino immigrants in fall 2012, summer 2016, after the 2016 election, and in summer 2017, they write in The Washington Post: “Our findings suggest that foreign-born Latinos are getting involved in U.S. democracy and — if citizens — will be inclined to vote in November. Despite attacks, Latino immigrants have continued to respect Americans, want to remain in this country and are ready — despite risks — to make their views heard.”

Thanks for reading,

Ali