A federal judge yesterday blocked the Trump administration’s latest effort to curb H-1B high-skilled foreign worker visas, finding that the administration "didn’t take enough time to consider changes or seek public comment on the rules," reports Rebecca Rainey for POLITICO Pro [paywall].  Rainey notes that business groups, who have challenged the president’s "moves to use the coronavirus pandemic and high unemployment as justification to quickly curb legal immigration," are applauding the decision: "We need high-skilled innovators now more than ever, and the administration’s attempt to rush these rules forward without properly considering the impact on thousands of people...could have devastating consequences at a critical moment in our history," said the National Association of Manufacturers, which joined the lawsuit challenging the new restrictions, in a statement.

The decision, which is binding nationwide, is likely to have "far-reaching consequences" for future administrations, Stuart Anderson writes in his analysis of the ruling for Forbes: "The failure to make these H-1B regulations permanent means it will be much easier for future administrations to adopt more neutral or even welcoming policies toward high-skilled foreign nationals, including international students."  

Welcome to Wednesday’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].

"RIGHT AND WRONG" – Despite the election of a new president, 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are still living every day in fear of being deported or losing a family member. Their future in this country should matter to all Americans, writes Héctor Tobar, an associate professor at the University of California, Irvine, in a piece for The New York Times. Undocumented immigrants, he writes, have made invaluable contributions to the U.S., especially throughout the coronavirus pandemic as they continue to serve as essential workers in hospitals, farm fields, grocery stores and beyond. What’s more, Tobar writes, without comprehensive immigration reform, "we are slowly creating a caste of permanently undocumented Latino people in the United States … History has shown that accepting the existence of widespread, legal forms of inequality can undermine a society from within, undoing its sense of right and wrong."

RE-OPENING DOORS – Refugee resettlement agencies are looking to rebuild their infrastructure now that President-elect Biden has promised to raise the refugee ceiling back from record lows, reports Stefani McDade for Christianity Today. Meeting this new demand will be a large task for these organizations, many of which closed satellite offices, laid off staff, or even shut down completely during the Trump administration. "I appreciate the message this commitment sends to the world—that the US is ready to lead once again," said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. "…we at World Relief will be working with our church partners to prepare to welcome as many as we can in 2021 and, hopefully, continue to grow that effort in the years that follow."

NO ASSISTANCE – While the federal assistance offered to Americans under the CARES Act does not extend to undocumented immigrants and mixed-status families, some states have opted to provide their own pandemic relief to those populations. But in states that have not opted to fill those gaps, undocumented workers are continuing to struggle to make ends meet, writes Cesar Rodriguez for ABC 7 Denver. "I’m working 20 hours a week, trying to support a child, trying to go to school, trying to pay bills, trying to make rent on time," said Damariz Posadas, a Mexican immigrant and Boston University graduate student in Massachusetts who has not received financial support. Damariz, who lost her full-time job in August, is now juggling a full course load and part-time job while also caring for her younger sister.

GIVING HER TIME – When Ana Reyes immigrated to America at age 5 via Uruguay and Spain, speaking no English, she felt lost and fell behind in class. In a remarkable gesture, her first-grade teacher Pat Harkleroad began arriving early at school every morning for a one-on-one English lesson, Sydney Page writes in a feature for The Washington Post. Forty years later, Reyes is a successful attorney representing refugee organizations and challenging anti-asylum regulations — and she recently became determined to find and thank her former teacher after 40 years. Harkleroad said she was "floored" to hear from her former student after Reyes successfully tracked her down. "I think it made a big difference in my life in that one of the first interactions I had was with someone who was volunteering and giving their time and absorbing that that is how one should behave," Reyes said of their relationship. "It has made a big impact on how I try to help others and how I try to think about the world."

Thanks for reading,

Ali