$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.’"