NOORANI'S NOTES

 

 

As part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) plan to ramp up border
security efforts, a converted Texas prison is housing its
first detained immigrants. These detainees are accused of state
crimes such as trespassing after they allegedly crossed the
U.S.-Mexico border illegally, Jolie Mccullough and Lomi Kriel of
the Texas Tribune
 and ProPublica report.  

Three people in Val Verde County were sent to the Briscoe Unit in
Dilley after having been arrested on charges of criminal
trespassing, "both misdemeanors that could result in up to a year in
jail."  

Abbott's initiative is controversial; as Briscoe was emptied of
prisoners so that it could house immigrants, "nearly 150 prison guards
were left to monitor an empty unit for over a month
 as
officials scrambled to figure out what changes were needed to house
immigrant detainees. Meanwhile, the rest of the prison system remained
dangerously understaffed." And it faces practical challenges, among
them, "whether the Briscoe prison now meets the minimum standards for
a Texas jail, which don't often align with how state prisons are run
since they hold different populations." 

In other news, Vice President Kamala Harris will be meeting
with 11 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and
immigrant rights leaders today, reports Sabrina Rodriguez
of Politico
,
following U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen's ruling Friday that
blocks new DACA applicants and threatens the program. The meeting comes
as local leaders are urging Congress
 to
prioritize a solution for Dreamers.  

Welcome to Thursday's edition of Noorani's Notes. I'm Dan
Gordon, the Forum's strategic communications VP, and I'm 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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**MORE BORDER** - The Biden administration has extended border
restrictions with Canada and Mexico through Aug. 21, reports Michelle
Hackman of the Wall Street Journal
,
even though Canada plans to allow fully vaccinated Americans to enter
starting Aug. 9. The administration cited the increase in the Delta
variant of COVID-19 and the fact that vaccination rates are falling
short of its goal. Elsewhere, Leandra Bernstein of Sinclair Broadcast
Group reports
 on
the challenges the Biden administration faces as it considers whether
and when to ease pandemic-era Title 42 restrictions at the border.  

MARITIME

** MIGRATION** - After a busy year of maritime migration from Cuba
to South Florida, U.S. officials aren't sure why it
has recently and abruptly stopped, reports David Goodhue and Adriana
Brasileiro of the Miami Herald
. Some
experts believe it could be related to the nationwide protests
of the communist government since July 11. "Inside of Cuba, it
could also be because of the police - the high alert that all the
security forces in Cuba could be making it difficult for people to
leave," said Ramón Saúl Sánchez, a prominent member of the Cuban
exile community in Miami and the leader of the civil rights group
Democracy Movement. 

FUEL GROWTH - Rural America needs immigrants to fill
jobs, two Iowans note in an op-ed for The New York Times
. Put
simply, "We need smart public policy for sustained growth - and
immigration reform would be a big part of it," book author Robert
Leonard and Coyote Run Farm co-owner Matt Russell write. Dave
Swenson, an economist at Iowa State University, says that although the
state's ag sector is thriving, "[t]hey will not thrive and grow if
they are not able to continue to attract and retain immigrant
labor." With unemployment at 3.5%, "[w]e simply don't have enough
people in our county or in the state to fill the open positions," the
authors write. To the south and east, Frank Knapp, president and CEO of
the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce,
shares his perspective in The Hill
 on
the necessity of immigration to respond to labor shortages. 

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**ESSENTIAL WORKERS** - In a beautiful black and
white interactive photo series, the New York Times
' Todd
Heisler and David Gonzalez feature interviews with more than
130 essential workers, including immigrants, in New York who kept the
city going amid the pandemic. "They were part of that delicate economic
and social tapestry that connects us all," they write. One of the
interviewees is Gustavo Ajche, a construction worker by day and
restaurant deliveryman by night, who is helping support extended
family in Guatemala. "We made the sacrifice," he said. "It was
complicated, because my family was separated here, while in Guatemala
the situation with the virus was uncertain and things were getting bad.
... I would come home exhausted, but hearing 'gracias' or 'God
bless you,' that was beautiful." 

**WOODSHOP** - Since 2017, the nonprofit organization Sparrow
Furniture  has helped refugees who
have resettled in Salem, Oregon, overcome barriers to
employment through a custom woodworking apprenticeship program and
English tutoring, reports Saphara Harrell of the Salem Reporter
. Since its
launch, Sparrow has employed 11 refugees from eight countries, and
five of the graduates have found full-time work. "[W]e're hoping
to set them up, so they'll be able to provide for their families,"
said Sparrow Sales Manager Jess Bashioum. In the last two years alone,
Sparrow has sold more than 1,000 pieces of furniture with the help of
refugee employees. 

FÚTBOL 

**IS LIFE** - This week on Only in America
, Ali had the
opportunity to speak to the co-founders of the Curbside Cup
 in Bowling Green, Kentucky - a
tournament in which more than 50 children, most of them
refugees, participated. Co-founders Terri Sheldon and Jean
Bosco Tuyisenge take us back to how the soccer tournament came
together, and how the sport led to new opportunities. As the
Olympics approach and we collectively turn our TVs to feats of
athleticism, this story highlights another way sports brings people
together.  

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

 

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