NOORANI'S NOTES

 

 

As COVID variants cause concern in the U.S., the Biden administration
is considering delaying its phaseout of Title 42
restrictions, reports Priscilla Alvarez of CNN
. Since
October 2020, more than 750,000 asylum seekers at the southern border
have been expelled under the public health order. Julia Ainsley of NBC
News
 reports
that as of Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) had not received details on the phaseout.  

Meanwhile, Stef W. Kight of Axios
 reports that
a larger share of migrants are coming from farther away than Mexico and
the Northern Triangle, with the latest CBP data showing increases
from Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba and others. "These longer journeys to
the U.S.-Mexico border underscore the desperate situation many migrants
face in their home countries, as well as the multi-dimensional
diplomatic, economic and moral challenge the United States faces trying
to control their flow north," Kight explains.  

With regrets to my colleague Adam and other Suns fans, congratulations
to the Milwaukee Bucks on winning the NBA title last
night. Yes, there's an immigration tie: Bucks star Giannis
Antetokounmpo's immigrant story is noteworthy and represents the
internationalization of the NBA, Matthew La Corte and Jacob
Czarnecki of the Niskanen Center
 write.
Antetokounmpo scored a cool 50 points in the clincher. 

Welcome to Wednesday's edition of
Noorani's Notes. I'm Dan Gordon, the Forum's strategic
communications VP, filling in for Ali today. If you have a story to
share from your own community, please send it to me
at [email protected]
.  

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**CLIMATE CRISIS** - There was a time when rural Guatemalans and
others living in agrarian areas would never have dreamed of leaving
their home countries. But "back-to-back hurricanes, failed crops and
extreme poverty are driving them to make the dangerous trek north to the
U.S. border," Sabrina Rodriguez writes for Politico
. The
region's climate change-related challenges are compounded by food
insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty: "On any given day, [Guatemalans
are] suffering various shocks - whether it's droughts, floods,
natural disasters, volcano eruptions, fluctuations in coffee prices,"
said Anu Rajaraman, the U.S. Agency for International Development's
mission director in Guatemala. "All of these incidents are exacerbating
loss of income, loss of jobs, infrastructure damage ... And then you
have things like the pandemic that just exacerbate the situation."
According to World Bank estimates,
 climate-related
factors could displace as many as 143 million people in sub-Saharan
Africa, Latin America and South Asia by 2050.    

**DETENTION'S ROOTS** - In a powerful visual explainer
for Bloomberg CityLab
, Tanvi
Misra and Ariel Aberg-Riger break down the origins of immigration
detention in the U.S. "The evolution of America's immigration system
originates in a quest to sort desirables from undesirables," they
write. Photos and art help explain restrictive immigration laws'
xenophobic roots, as well as the lesser-told stories of Ellis Island
and other entry points: Although many immigrants were allowed in,
many others were denied entry and detained for years. The history
leads to the present, when indefinite mass detention of
immigrants has been normalized. The visual journey ends with a note of
color: art by children and adults whom detention has affected. 

**EMPLOYMENT TRAINING **- Over at Forbes
, Stuart
Anderson explains how Optional Practical Training (OPT) - a program
that authorizes up to 36 months of work in specialty fields for
foreign students in the U.S. - is beneficial for the American
economy. "There is no evidence that foreign students participating in
the OPT program reduce job opportunities for U.S. workers," economist
Madeline Zavodny found in a study
 for
the National Foundation for American Policy (of which Anderson is the
executive director). OPT is lawful and continues to attract highly
educated individuals, making the U.S. more competitive. And without
it, "America would almost certainly lose more international students to
Canada and elsewhere," where programs for graduating international
students are more generous. 

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**SOMALIA TPS** - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on
Monday re-designated Somalia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS),
extending the time period in which Somalians can live and work in the
U.S. for another 18 months, reports Rafael Bernal of The Hill
.
"Through the extension and re-designation of Somalia for Temporary
Protected Status, the United States will be able to offer safety and
protection to Somalis who may not be able to return to their country,
due to ongoing conflict and a worsening humanitarian crisis," DHS
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement
.
"We will continue to offer our support to Somali nationals through this
temporary form of humanitarian relief." According to DHS, 447 Somalis
are TPS recipients, and an additional 100 more will now be eligible
to apply.  

**EQUITY** - Mayor Lauren Poe certified
 Gainesville,
Florida, as a "Welcoming City" back in 2016, but local immigrant
advocates say it has room to improve, reports Katie Hyson of WFUT
News
.
They point to two proposals the city is considering for how to
spend federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act
: an
expansion of language access and community ID services. "We recognize
that in all communities, just like in Gainesville, immigrants are
serving our community at every level," said Robin Lewy, of the Rural
Women's Health Project. "And each one of them will make an economic
impact. They spend their money here, they consider this home. And they
should be equally recognized. No matter if they are the person with the
PhD or the person who puts the food on your table." 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan

 

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