While the first migrant family reunifications under the Biden administration are set to take place this week, "hundreds of unaccompanied Mexican migrant children have been expelled from the U.S.," Erin Coulehan writes for Border Report. Data from the Department of Homeland Security confirm that the duration of time unaccompanied minors spend in Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) custody has been significantly reduced, but the figures "do not include children from Mexico, who the report says will be repatriated to Mexico and not remain in CBP custody."

A CBP official confirmed to Border Report that U.S. officials are coordinating with the Mexican consulate to repatriate minors in a process separate from Title 42, the public health order under which other migrants — including families with small children — are being rapidly expelled from the border.

Welcome to Wednesday’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].

REUNIFICATION — More than three years ago, Sandra was separated from her then-15-year-old son Bryan at the San Ysidro border crossing under the Trump administration’s "zero-tolerance" policy, reports Kevin Sieff of The Washington Post. After fleeing violence at home, losing her husband, and receiving threats from a local cartel trying to recruit her son, she was deported back to Mexico without Bryan after failing her "credible fear" interview. Now, Sandra and Bryan are "among the first reunited under the Biden administration — the start of a massive relocation of parents deported by one U.S. president and returned by another." They’re part of "a trial balloon — a test to find the most effective ways to reunite families without reviving the trauma they experienced when they were separated," Sieff explains. "Being together again will be beautiful," Sandra said. "But it might not be easy."

REYNOSA VOLUNTEERS — Local nonprofits are aiding asylum-seekers in Reynosa — one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico — where a tent encampment has grown to house more than 700 people, reports Sandra Sanchez of Border Report. "We pick the most vulnerable children that is very clear to us that should not be out there, should not have been expelled in the first place and who were. We put them in apartments, we buy them food, we give them donations," said Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, co-director of the non-profit Sidewalk School. "We give them housewares and stuff. But most importantly, within the first hour, we find them a lawyer."

JUSTICE FOR ALL — Under a one-year, $5 million pilot program, San Diego County will now provide lawyers to immigrants facing deportation proceedings, the Associated Press reports. It "would be the first southern border county in the United States to provide legal representation for those in federal immigration custody who are facing removal proceedings, although more than 40 other places nationwide have similar programs." According to a 2016 study from the American Immigration Council, only 17% of detainees in San Diego have legal representation. "When we keep America’s promise of equal justice for all, we give immigrants dignity, we make the legal system more efficient, and we strengthen our values as Americans," said County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, who proposed the measure, via a statement. Per the 2016 study, immigrants with legal representation were four times more likely to be released from detention while awaiting a custody hearing and more likely to win their deportation cases.

IMPACTED — Undocumented immigrants are among the hardest hit by the economic downturn amid the pandemic; many of them "worked in hard-hit industries — such as restaurants, hospitality or construction — and lack of income has impacted their ability to afford food and rent, pushing some out of their homes," Claudia Torrens reports for the Associated Press. Yessenia Benitez, a licensed clinical social worker who helps immigrants experiencing homelessness, told AP: "[T]hey are working folks. They want to contribute to society. And before the pandemic, they were contributing to society." Jorge-Mario Cabrera, spokesman for The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, added: "While other communities are receiving (financial) assistance, immigrants are receiving nothing, most of the time."

DOSE OF HOPE — Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers doesn’t have the power to provide Dreamers with legal status, but he can give them "a dose of hope" by letting state lawmakers vote on a proposal that would give undocumented Arizona high school graduates access to in-state college tuition, writes the Arizona Republic’s Editorial Board. A resolution proposed by Republican state Sen. Paul Boyer "would ask voters in 2022 to offer in-state tuition for non-citizens who have graduated from Arizona high schools and been in the state for at least two years," but Bowers has yet to bring the legislation to the House floor. Last week, more than 130 business, faith and civic leaders sent a letter to Bowers urging him to act: "We respectfully request your support in joining our coalition of business, faith, and community leaders to bring this bill to the floor, and allow all Arizona high school graduates the opportunity to better themselves, their families, and our state through increased access to higher education."

‘NOT SIMPLY A BOX TO CHECK’ — Now that President Biden has raised this fiscal year’s refugee ceiling to 62,500, "[w]e cannot afford to forget about the refugee resettlement program … This is not simply a box to check," writes Elizabeth Neumann, a member of the Council on National Security and Immigration and our senior advisor on national security matters, in an op-ed for The Hill. Pointing to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)’s critical role in national security (as outlined in her December 2020 paper), Neumann concludes: "The Biden administration and Congress must find bipartisan avenues to not only welcome more refugees, but allocate critical resources that will allow the USRAP to rebuild. The United States cannot afford to wait to resume its humanitarian leadership."

Thanks for reading,

Ali