NOORANI'S NOTES

 

 

One of President Biden's early executive orders
 was
to "preserve and fortify" DACA, and Jeff Brumley of Baptist News
Global
 reports on
the various efforts U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) is making to strengthen the program.  

"One of the things we're thinking hard about is how to
preserve [DACA] via regulatory policy," said Felicia Escobar
Carrillo, chief of staff in the office of the director of USCIS. 

Still, Escobar Carillo underscored that it's new laws, not executive
branch regulations, that are needed for long-term
solutions: "Legislative reform is our best path forward to fixing our
immigration system, and only Congress can pass immigration reform."  

A bit of news: Our friend Dr. Russell Moore, who recently led
a conversation on the future of immigration
 with
former President George W. Bush, is joining Christianity Today
 to
lead their new Public Theology Project.  

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]
.    

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**$200M** - During his time in office, former Maricopa
County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio initiated immigration
patrols that were found to racially profile Latinos - and nearly a
decade later, those patrols are expected to cost taxpayers some $200
million in legal fees and other expenses.  The county's taxpayers
"are on the hook for lawyer bills and the costs of complying with
massive court-ordered overhauls of the sheriff's office after a 2013
verdict concluded Arpaio's officers had profiled Latinos in traffic
patrols that targeted immigrants," Jacques Billeaud reports for the
Associated Press
. "Of
course, we are tired of paying, but if you are a Hispanic vehicle
operator, you are tired of being racially profiled at the same time -
and the agency isn't in a rush to stop that," said Raul Piña, who
serves on a community advisory board to help improve trust in the
sheriff's office. 

**ASYLUM** - The Biden administration "has agreed to allow up to
7,750 asylum-seekers stranded in Mexico to enter the U.S. each
month" as part of negotiations in a lawsuit led by the ACLU, reports
Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News
. 250
asylum-seekers per day will now be allowed to enter the U.S.
and pursue their legal cases (meaning they're exempt from the
pandemic-era  Title 42 policy). Lee Gelernt, who is leading
negotiations for the ACLU, said that the discussions have led to 2,000
asylum-seekers being admitted into the U.S. so far. Still, if
Title 42 remains in effect, the administration needs to ensure its
use - and its exceptions - are clear. 

**IN AFGHANISTAN** - About a month ago we shared the story
of Mohammad, an Afghan interpreter who was killed after aiding U.S.
troops. Just last week, his family finally received some good news:
They were granted emergency approval to come to the U.S. for protection,
reports J.P. Lawrence of Stars and Stripes
. "I
firmly believe that this decision is saving the lives of Mohammad's
wife and children," said Cress Clippard, a Marine veteran and a
volunteer for  Combined Arms SIVs and Allies
. But as the withdrawal
of U.S. troops from Afghanistan nears, the need for protection
of all Afghans who aided the U.S. remains great, report Rahim Faiez
and Ben Fox for the Associated Press
. "We
are not safe," said Ayazudin Hilal, a father of six who served as
a U.S. interpreter and was recently turned down after applying for a
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). "The Taliban is calling us and telling
us, 'Your stepbrother is leaving the country soon, and we will kill
all of you guys.'"   

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**REFUGEE GRADUATES** - Utah non-profit One Refugee
helped a group of 69 refugees in the state
graduate college, Debbie Worthen and Madison Swenson report for KSL-TV
. The
graduates all came to the U.S. from war-torn countries - and most are
the first in their family to graduate college. "I was like, 'I've
got to make my family proud,'" said Fabiola Kamberi, whose parents
fled Kosovo in 1999. "I've got to make their sacrifice worth it.
They brought me here for a reason, I've got to make that reason worth
it." One Refguee has assisted more than 600 students with tuition,
fees and mentoring since 2014. But 2021 marked a major
milestone - the group celebrated its largest graduating class this
year, in the middle of a pandemic. 

**LAW ENFORCEMENT** - Yet another example of Utah leading the way on
immigration: After Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation
allowing noncitizens to serve as law enforcement officers if they meet
certain requirements, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown wrote
an op-ed for the Deseret News
supporting
the measure: "It will increase diversity in our law enforcement, aid
in our recruiting efforts and give smart, dedicated residents the
opportunity to help serve their
communities." He also calls Utah's approach a template for
Congressional action: "... states like Utah wouldn't need these
state-specific policies if we accomplish national reforms focused on
sensible immigration solutions. [Lawmakers] should work together to
build an immigration system that works for U.S. families, grows our
economy and strengthens communities, while welcoming immigrants who are
critical partners in our society." 

Thanks for reading, 

Ali 

 

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