The administration was expected to announce the task force and other immigration-related actions at the end of this week. "But other key details are still being worked out, such as what factors may disqualify families from being reunited and whether those who do qualify but have been deported will be given special protections, such as humanitarian relief, to come to the U.S." 

Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke at Reuters break down the slate of executive orders expected soon: In addition to the reunification task force, the administration plans to undo some of Trump’s asylum restrictions, take actions to address the root causes of migration (for more on this, listen to our latest Only in America episode), review the legal immigration system and begin the process of rescinding previous regulations and proclamations, and lay out principles for a revamped refugee policy. 

Buckle up. None of these changes can, or will, happen quickly or easily.  

Welcome to Thursday’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]. 

 8 GRANDCHILDREN — Felipe Ortega is an undocumented immigrant with no criminal record. He has lived and worked in the U.S. for 30 years and has eight U.S. citizen grandchildren. On Inauguration Day, he was deported to Mexico for a 15-year-old outstanding deportation order — around 24 hours before President Biden issued policy changes that could have spared him, report Mica Rosenberg, Kristina Cooke, and Jose Luis Gonzalez at Reuters. Biden’s actions, and the Ortega family’s experience, "[show] how, without a long-term fix from Congress, the fate of millions of immigrants can change dramatically with the flick of a presidential pen." BuzzFeed News' Hamed Aleaziz, per usual, has the skinny on the new administration’s approach to immigration enforcement: According to a draft memo from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), "groups of people ICE officers would focus on include those suspected of being a national security threat, recent border crossers, and those who have been released from jail after being convicted of an aggravated felony." In other words, not those like Felipe Ortega.  

‘LIVES DERAILED’ — Their hopes and dreams were American, and some had lived here for many years, but over the past decade more than a million undocumented immigrants "were either deported or chose to go because they saw no future for someone who was undocumented in the United States." In a moving opinion piece for The New York Times, Haverford College Professors Anita Isaacs and Anne Preston and photography editor Patrick Montero, co-directors of the Migration Encounters project, share the stories and portraits of some of the 430 former immigrants now living in Mexico City that they’ve interviewed for the project. Among them is 26-year-old Luisa Rodriguez, who lived in the U.S. for 12 years: "There is a stigma with coming back ... It feels pretty awful because you came back from a place where you weren't considered American either, so where does that leave you?" As Isaacs and Preston write, "[t]he contributions of immigrants, and the human toll of anti-immigrant policies, should take center stage as we renew our national conversation on immigration."  

EQUITABLE ACCESS — COVID-19 vaccines have brought a sense of hope to many Americans, but that hope is "not necessarily shared by a vital segment of the population: noncitizens," write Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Arizona), Medha D. Makhlouf, Dr. Megan L. Srinivas, and Gilberto Lopez in an op-ed for The Hill. "The CDC and the Biden-Harris administration have promised no-cost vaccines for ‘Americans.’ But who does this include?" The op-ed authors point out that ensuring equitable vaccine access for  noncitizens, many of whom work in essential industries, is "a matter of keeping society functioning during this national emergency, ending the risk of contagion as soon as possible, and protecting the personal and economic liberty of the American people." 

 10 MORE — In a column for the Arizona Republic, Elvia Díaz makes the case for bipartisan immigration legislation and explains how Biden could get Republicans on board for his proposed immigration legislation (the incoming bill needs the support of 10 Senate Republicans, in addition to all Democrats, in order to pass).  The business case for a legislative solution is easy to make: "It’s a great thing to access hard working and talented people who can work in different companies," said Glenn Hamer, head of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. "[S]mart and sensible people … know the economy benefits when millions come out of the shadows and when American companies are able to tap into talented and skilled workers around the world," Díaz concludes. "Aren’t there at least 10 Republican senators smart enough and brave enough to do the right thing?" 

CONTRIBUTING — Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgette Bisoka, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has lived in Idaho since 2012, "believes her family and other refugees face deeper challenges than some U.S. residents who aren’t immigrants." She spoke to Rachel Spacek of The Idaho Press about what refugees are facing: Language and translation barriers, navigating unemployment claims, lack of access to resources and more. While organizations like Boise’s International Refugee Committee have helped to translate CDC materials for refugees, it’s still a challenge to get the info to those who need it most. Despite their barriers, refugees continue to make vital contributions to their communities: "They are your nurse, your doctor, and are in charge of cleaning and keeping our factories going, driving buses and more," said Tara Wolfson, director of the Idaho Office for Refugees. "They have kept going to make sure that we can continue to move forward in our community."