NOORANI'S NOTES

 

 

Tomorrow, on Inauguration Day, President-elect Joe Biden will send an
immigration legislation proposal to Congress proposing a pathway to
citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, an expansion of
refugee admissions, a new enforcement plan and other measures.

Seung Min Kim reports for The Washington Post

that the centerpiece of the plan is the pathway to citizenship, which
"would put millions of qualifying immigrants in a temporary status for
five years and then grant them a green card once they meet certain
requirements such as a background check and payment of taxes. They would
be able to apply for citizenship three years later."

As Kim points out, the plan won praise from immigration advocates and
Democratic lawmakers but will need bipartisan support to become law.
Today, 180 companies, organizations and leaders released a statement

in support of a bipartisan approach to reform, calling for a "modern,
humane and effective immigration system that upholds the best of
America's promise."

As  I write in my new piece for The xxxxxx
:
"Creating an opportunity for the millions of undocumented immigrants
toiling in the shadows of our economy to earn citizenship sends a clear
message that work is valued. This modernized immigration system tells
the autocrats, and the people living under their rule, that the United
States may not be a perfect country, but, at our best, we share a deep
belief in the idea that all people have-and should be treated
with-dignity."

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]
.

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**ASYLUM RULES** - U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant has blocked the
Trump administration's second attempt to bar certain asylum seekers
under a policy that was set to go into effect Tuesday, Alyssa Aquino

****reports for Law360
. The temporary
restraining order shields 26,000 migrants in Mexico from the policy,
which would have barred asylum seekers who passed through another
country on the way to the U.S. Aquino notes that the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) issued a similar rule to asylum seekers waiting
in Mexico back in July 2019, which was also barred by the court. Judge
Bashant characterized the administration's rulemaking as "rather
blatant evasive maneuvering" that needed to be examined further. As
American Immigration Council attorney Karolina Walters, who represents
the migrants in the case, added: "The Trump administration tried to
override the court's well-reasoned decision through agency rulemaking,
but, as the court showed today - that's not how the law works."

**'TRYING ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING'** - Documents obtained by
BuzzFeed News

reveal that DHS signed agreements with multiple jurisdictions that would
require the federal agency to "provide notice of immigration policy
changes and allow the jurisdictions six months to review and submit
comments before the agency moves forward with any of the proposed
changes," in what Hamed Aleaziz describes as "an unusual effort to
hamstring the incoming Biden administration's goals to pause
deportations, prioritize immigration arrests to only those with serious
criminal backgrounds, and increase avenues to asylum". The bottom line?
Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told
BuzzFeed News: "In its final days, the Trump administration is staying
true to its strategy of trying anything and everything to implement its
restrictive immigration agenda and give it staying power after their
time in office."

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**MAYORKAS** - Ahead of today's Senate confirmation hearing for DHS
nominee Alejandro Mayorkas, The Washington Post
's
Maria Sacchetti and Nick Miroff take a look at his experience - and
the challenges he'll face if confirmed. Mayorkas' experience as an
immigrant himself and as a former federal prosecutor mean he will
"enforce the law in an empathetic and sympathetic manner," as one former
colleague said. Sacchetti and Miroff also note that Mayorkas and the
administration as a whole "will have to figure out how to undo Trump's
immigration policies rapidly enough to satisfy core Democratic
supporters, but not so quickly that they trigger a new migration surge
and lose control of the border." Meanwhile, an array of law enforcement
officials are expressing their support for Mayorkas: "On Thursday, 85
former U.S. attorneys and senior Justice Department officials who worked
with Mayorkas and served both parties, wrote senators to
'wholeheartedly and unequivocally support Ali's nomination' and
urge his swift confirmation." Local leaders have voiced similar
sentiments: Read the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force's letter
in support of Mayorkas here
.

Thanks for reading,

Ali

 

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