Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) crossed a major milestone last week — reaching full reinstatement at the federal level after the Trump administration moved to rescind it — but the program will face another test next Tuesday, when a federal court in Texas presided over by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen will hear a case brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who argues the program is unlawful.

Unlike previous lawsuits, which were aimed at the Trump administration’s attempt to end DACA rather than the legality of the program itself, "the Houston case directly targets DACA’s original terms … Texas and eight other states sued to end DACA, arguing it drains state educational and healthcare resources and violates federal law," Nomaan Merchant reports for the Associated Press. (A reminder that over the next 10 years, DACA recipients will contribute an estimated $433 billion to the GDP, $60 billion in fiscal impact, and $12.3 billion in taxes to Social Security and Medicare.)

"This case is an attack on the underlying legality of DACA itself," said Nina Perales, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). MALDEF President Tom Saenz pointed out that the case could have a lasting impact: President-elect Biden would face serious challenges reintroducing DACA or a similar policy, even if under a different name and eligibility requirements.

Welcome to Tuesday’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].

 IMMIGRANT-OWNED – Small businesses across the country have been hit hard by pandemic-fueled shutdowns, but for Asian American business owners like Ngoc Do and Chau Vo in Sacramento, California, the struggles are compounded by language barriers and discrimination, reports Stephanie Lin at KCRA. Restaurant owner Do saw sales decrease 80% after the shutdown forced her to switch to take-out only — but by her count, business dropped 50% in February alone due to anti-Asian discrimination as COVID-19 spread to the U.S. With minority-owned businesses making up nearly 40% of all businesses in Sacramento County, keeping these establishments afloat is of urgent concern for the city. As Rhett Buttle and I discussed for Forbes back in October, this problem extends nationwide, with many of the country’s more than 3.2 million immigrant business leaders lacking access to federal support.

LAS VEGAS – In Nevada — where one in five residents are immigrants — unemployment skyrocketed to 28% after the pandemic hit, leaving many immigrant families in dire straits. For the Associated Press’ road trip across America, Tim Sullivan visited Las Vegas, where "[m]ore than half the members of Las Vegas’ powerful Culinary Workers Union were still unemployed more than eight months into the pandemic." Although most of the city’s casinos have reopened, some remain closed due to lack of traffic, leaving people like Norma Flores, a Mexican immigrant who has worked for decades in the U.S., to rely on $322 per week in unemployment to support her son, daughter, and six grandchildren. "I feel so much pain to have lost my job, to not be able to pay my bills like I used to," she said. "I feel powerless."

‘BEST OF AMERICA’ – A record 77% of Americans support immigration, but the focus on partisan extremes keeps us from reaching commonsense solutions for sustainable immigration reform, write Stand Together’s founder Charles Koch and CEO Brian Hooks in an op-ed for CNN. Far from the demands of the extreme right and left, Koch and Hooks argue that what Americans really want is an immigration system "that protects public safety, promotes our values and is welcoming of more people in search of the opportunity to not only rise, but also lift up those who already live in America." The good news: Outside of the halls of Congress, Americans are building support for a better immigration system — in their schools, churches, and businesses. "With more support and action from people across the country, Congress will find its way to enact the immigration policies that reflect the best of America and enable more people to contribute to our country’s future."

VOTER REGISTRATION – In another rejection of anti-immigrant policy on the Supreme Court’s last day of rulings, the Court declined to hear Kansas’ petition to re-establish a law requiring voters to provide identification such as a birth certificate or passport in order to register to vote. The  law, crafted by former Kansas Secretary of State (and immigration hardliner) Kris Kobach, went into effect in 2013 and denied thousands of citizens the opportunity to participate in the 2014 election before coming up against legal challenges in 2016, Bryan Lowry reports for the Kansas City Star. Mark Johnson, who served as an attorney in the successful lawsuit against the law, said of state legislatures contemplating new voting restrictions after the 2020 election: "A decision like this will make them think twice about doing it and make them realize there are people who are committed to fighting these efforts to suppress votes."

STAYING – In a welcome update to a story out of Detroit we shared last Friday, Guatemalan immigrant and domestic violence survivor Daris Bartolon and her two daughters, one of whom was born with rickets and requires extensive medical care, will be allowed to stay in the U.S. for another year, the Associated Press reports. The family had been ordered to leave the country after their request for asylum was rejected, but were granted an extension "after a Catholic group protested outside the Detroit office, a request to let the family stay by U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, and a meeting between [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officials and an attorney representing the family."  Kevin Piecuch, an attorney for the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, told the AP: "This is very good news ... The family is as happy as can be."

Thanks for reading,

Ali