Hazleton, Pennsylvania, used to be a mining town, but in the early 2000’s it transformed into a shipping center due to its central location near major highways. To fill these new jobs, immigrant families came searching for a middle-class life, Laura Krantz writes at The Boston Globe.
Bob Curry runs the local community center in Hazleton, which counts English language classes among its many offerings. “The unknown, which is the great fear, becomes the familiar. And when it’s the familiar, your biases start to dissipate,” he says.
Last year I talked with former Chicago Cubs and new Los Angeles Angels manager (and Hazleton native) Joe Maddon on “Only in America” about the project he established in his hometown to help these newcomers gain a foothold in American society. (And, of course, we talked baseball.)
Happy Friday and welcome to another edition of Noorani’s Notes.
Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at [email protected].
ETHICAL CARE – The presence of armed Border Patrol agents roaming hospital hallways across the country is igniting widespread fear among patients and families, Adriana Gomez Licon reports for the Associated Press. There is currently no universal set of policies for the ways medical staff and physicians interact with immigration authorities: “Some doctors say this increased presence could undermine public health in cities with large immigrant populations, frightening patients who need care and prompting them to avoid hospitals.”
ATTORNEYS NEEDED – Nearly 150 Central Americans have arrived in Hawaii seeking asylum and are awaiting immigration hearings, but the lack of pro bono attorneys is limiting access to legal aid, Ku’uwehi Hiraishi reports in Hawaii Public Radio. It’s a serious problem: Approximately 90% of asylum seekers without legal representation were denied in 2017, according to a Syracuse University report. John Egan, director of the Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Hawaii Law School, has begun recruiting volunteer attorneys to train them in immigration law. It’s a start: “Pro bono attorneys can help, but they aren’t readily available in Hawaii.”
BREAKING THE LAW – A Norwegian man purposely employed undocumented migrants and turned himself in to authorities to bring attention to Norway’s immigration policies, Rick Noack reports in The Washington Post. Business owner Arne Viste was happy to be put on trial in order to raise awareness of migrants left in limbo, who have been denied asylum in Norway but cannot be deported. “He is openly breaching the immigration law but at the same time for very humane and humanitarian reasons,” said Katja Franko, a professor of criminology at the University of Oslo.
AUTOMATION AGRICULTURE – We often talk about immigration and automation separately. But in Taylor Farms’ warehouse in Salinas, California, automation has taken over much of the packaging and shipping of vegetables once done by immigrants, writes Marnette Federis in PRI. “Job security for this largely immigrant workforce hinges on people's ability to change with technology and become a new type of worker, one who is more technically skilled,” Federis writes.
HIGHLY SKILLED IMMIGRANTS – In September, The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants act — which would eliminate per-country caps on green cards — passed in the House of Representatives. Apple CEO Tim Cook is now urging the Senate also to pass it, Kif Leswing reports at CNBC. The move makes sense: It’s in Apple’s best interest to allow skilled immigrants to obtain green cards, and Cook has also been outspoken against the president’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
RESCUE – Ben Ehrenreich joined the crew of a rescue ship named Alan Kurdi, a boat owned and operated by the German non-profit “Sea-Eye.” In The New Republic, Ehrenreich writes about his experiences on the ship, named after the Syrian toddler whose image became infamous after he drowned crossing the Mediterranean to reach safety. The crew’s mission was to rescue as many people as they could from drowning in the Mediterranean. Since 2014, nearly 19,000 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Now, the Alan Kurdi and other similar boats now roam the area to save as many people as possible. This is a gripping read worth your time.
Thanks for reading,
Ali
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