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].

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.

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