NOORANI'S NOTES

 

 

Mark a step toward bipartisan solutions: On Thursday, bipartisan
legislation that would help address the situation at the U.S.-Mexico
border was introduced in both houses of Congress. 

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona), along
with Texas Reps. Henry Cuellar (D) and Tony Gonzales (R), introduced
the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, report Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and
Daniel Gonzalez of the Arizona Republic
.  

"Congress must enact commonsense measures that relieve the bottlenecks
in our immigration system and allow our DHS agents to focus on their
national security responsibilities," Gonzales said, per Elizabeth
Thompson of the Dallas Morning News
.
"We must take steps towards creating an immigration system that allows
people to safely and legally come to the United States." 

Thompson notes that the bill drew support from The U.S. Chamber of
Commerce. "The only way that meaningful policy changes will be enacted
is if Republicans and Democrats work together to achieve those results
for the American people," said Neil Bradley, the Chamber's chief policy
officer. 

We think it's a good start.
 

Welcome to Friday's edition of Noorani's Notes. I'm Dan
Gordon, the Forum's vice president of strategic communications and
your guest editor today. If you have a story to share from your own
community, please send it to me at [email protected]
.  

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**SPEAKING OF BIPARTISAN** - On a 94-1 vote, the Senate on Thursday
passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to fight the increase in hateful
acts toward Asian Americans, reports Savannah Behrmann of USA Today
. "We
will send a powerful message of solidarity to the [Asian American and
Pacific Islander] community that the Senate won't be a bystander as
anti-Asian violence surges in our country," said Sen. Mazie Hirono
(D-Hawaii), who spearheaded the bill, before the vote. The bill
"underwent several bipartisan changes before its final
passage," Behrmann notes. The bill now moves to the House. "The vote
today on the Anti-Asian Hate Crimes bill is proof that when the Senate
is given the opportunity to work, the Senate can work to solve important
issues," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York).  

**MEXICO'S PLANS** - The Mexican government is working to
increase enforcement at its southern border, Reuters
 reports.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the plan includes
new shelters for children, run by the country's family social
services agency. U.S. policies regarding migrant children and a law in
Mexico that prevents detaining children in migrant detention centers
"have helped encourage families and smugglers to move children
northwards," Reuters notes. Said López Obrador: "They charge a lot
for people to pass and now they use children. It is the most inhumane,
cruel thing that can be." 

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**LATINO VOTES **- Donald Trump fared better among Latino voters in
2020 than in 2016. The unanswered question is why, especially given
Trump's negative rhetoric about immigrants - Mexicans in particular
- and immigration. Ronald Brownstein tackles that question in The
Atlantic
, noting
that one reason for the uncertainty is that "major data sources (which
range from network exit polls to the Pew Research
Center's 'validated voters' study) conflict over 

**exactly** how well he performed with Latinos both last year and in
2016." Brownstein dives into shifts by gender, religion and national
origin and addresses campaign tactics, the economy and Trump's
incumbency as other factors. The bottom line? "[N]either party should
be entirely confident about the direction of this huge, but still dimly
understood, voting bloc." Jim  McLaughlin, a Republican
pollster, puts it another way: "Latinos did themselves a great service
in this election because they are making themselves into a real swing
group. You have to pay attention to them, and you need to go and ask
for their votes." 

**BROTHERS** - Randy Villegas and his older brother Angel grew
up together in Bakersfield, California, but "lived in separate
realities," as their conversation for NPR's StoryCorps
reveals. Though
Randy is a U.S. citizen, Angel grew up undocumented - and as he
got older, he began to feel the impact of his status. "Our parents
were always telling me, like, 'Don't tell anybody
where you're from. You never know who's around the corner or who
could snitch on you or something like that,'" recalled
Angel. Meanwhile, Randy was able to attend college without having to
worry about paperwork or fear of deportation, which caused him
"overwhelming guilt." In 2012, Angel became a recipient of Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
,
allowing him to pursue higher education and a career as an architectural
designer. "I don't think we've ever talked about this this deeply,"
Randy tells his brother. "But, even if we're not always saying 'I
love you' and giving each other hugs ... at the end of the day, I hope
you know that I have your back." 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

 

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