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].

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."

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