NOORANI'S NOTES

 

 

With less than 10 days left before President Donald Trump exits the
White House, a U.S. District judge in San Francisco has blocked the
administration from doing one more thing: implementing a sweeping set of
asylum restrictions

that were set to take effect today, Suman Naishadham reports for the
Associated Press
.

The restrictions would have narrowed the types of threats and
persecution that qualify an applicant for asylum - and would have
given judges a greater scope of grounds for deeming asylum applications
"frivolous," thus prohibiting applicants from ever winning protections
in the U.S.

The court order "has limited immediate impact because the government has
largely suspended asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border during the
coronavirus pandemic," Naishadham notes. "Still, letting the rules take
effect would have been felt by some who can still claim asylum and make
it significantly more difficult for all asylum-seekers once
pandemic-related measures are lifted."

FYI: President Trump is expected to visit

Alamo, Texas, tomorrow to discuss border security and the wall.

Welcome to Monday'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]
.

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**STIMULUS FOR SOME** - Unlike last March's first round of stimulus
checks under the federal CARES Act, December's marked a financial win
for immigrants in mixed-status households, reports Elvia Malagón
 of the Chicago
Sun-Times
.
The federal government approved $600 payments for mixed-status families
,
marking the first time some are receiving stimulus check since the onset
of the COVID-19 pandemic. "That's a significant step, but it's not
everybody," said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel for the Illinois
Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Undocumented immigrants
still don't qualify, leaving many people - including U.S. citizen
children with two undocumented parents - excluded from financial
relief. Malagón notes that many immigrant families have been reliant on
one another, their communities, and grassroots fundraising to help with
the costs of rent and food. "Anyone who lives in this country has had
some part of their life affected by the pandemic - falling ill or
unable to work - and deserves a livable amount of money being sent to
them, whether or not they could be quantified as undocumented," DACA
recipient M. Cho said. "There is just so much humanity at stake."

**SAFETY CONCERNS**-

****With the Capitol compromised last Wednesday by Trump supporters
contesting election results, Black and Latino residents of Washington,
D.C. felt especially concerned for their safety and worry about more
violence, report Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, N'dea Yancey, and Bragg Ryan W.
Miller of USA Today
.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, an undocumented D.C. resident and executive
director of United We Dream , said she and
her family had "go bags" ready in case they needed to flee for their
safety. Evelyn Andrade, whose father came to the U.S. from El Salvador,
pointed out that while it was a "dark day" for the city, for many
residents it wasn't a new phenomenon: "We've experienced this all
year," she said. "For the last four years we've experienced the
escalation of hate and division and misinformation, so this wasn't
anything new. Not to an immigrant."

**BIDEN PLAN**-

****On Friday, President-elect Biden recommitted to introducing an
immigration reform bill "immediately," Laura Barrón-López reports for
Politico
,
noting that Biden's immigration policy advisers met with Reps. Joaquin
Castro (D-Texas), Raul Ruiz (D-California) and Linda Sánchez
(D-California) recently to discuss legislation. After an MSNBC
appearance, Castro tweeted
,
"Essential workers, including many undocumented immigrants, have risked
their lives during COVID to keep grocery shelves full and feed all
Americans. Not only should these essential workers be vaccinated, but
they have earned a fast-track to citizenship." We endorse.

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**NEW YEAR, NEW ADMIN, NEW GOALS**-

****With Biden's inauguration around the corner, renewed optimism over
immigration advocacy has sparked up within the Episcopal Church, reports
David Paulsen for Episcopal News Service
.
Biden "can immediately reverse some policies through executive action,"
including the Trump administration's travel ban and other
immigration-related executive actions during the COVID-19 pandemic
.
Paulsen notes that more comprehensive immigration reform may take longer
because it requires bipartisan legislative action in Congress. The
church's Office of Government Relations "will do all we can to push
for the 117th Congress and the new administration to enact meaningful
immigration reform," said Director Rebecca Blachly, and the church "will
continue to advocate for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented
immigrants, many of whom have U.S. citizen family members. As always, we
will partner in our advocacy with religious and secular groups across
the political spectrum with whom we share common goals."

**DRIVING WITHOUT FEAR**-

****A new state law in Virginia allows undocumented immigrants to apply
for a driver's privilege card, reports Antoinette DelBel of News 3
WTKR
.
While the card does not allow immigrants to vote or board airplanes,
it's an important opportunity for many undocumented Virginians, as
Senior Lead Organizer at Legal Aid Justice Center Edgar Aranda-Yanoc
points out: "They can safely drive in Virginia without fear of being
deported

** **because of one traffic violation, or because they are driving
without a license. ... This will have an economic impact in Virginia and
also our communities will be safer."

Thanks for reading,

Ali

 

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