|
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT — A consensus is emerging in support of resettling our allies, including 79% of 2020 Trump voters and 76% of Republicans, reports Andrew Solender for Forbes. The findings, from a CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday, point to an opportunity to strengthen our country, as Ali writes in an op-ed for Barron’s: "Making [resettlement] an all-hands-on-deck effort will marginalize nativists, strengthen our democracy and, most importantly, save the lives of thousands of Afghans." Per the Association of Wartime Allies, some 88,000 Afghans are still in the SIV application process, Solender reports. BORDER SOLUTIONS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s response and rhetoric regarding the border are not in line with realities for border residents, reports Uriel J. García of The Texas Tribune. Locals want "more COVID-19 test kits and shelter space rather than more state troopers," García writes. "The people coming through here are hungry, they’re escaping violence," said Jesús Gasca, a parishioner and volunteer at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. "I think what we need instead is to have a little bit of humanity." Pharr, Texas, Police Chief Andy Harvey echoes this sentiment in an op-ed for the Brownsville Herald: "To address [the border] effectively, politicians and other influential voices must first stop weaponizing the border for political gain … The current challenge … is an opportunity to make our immigration system work better for all of us — law enforcement, border communities and immigrants alike." COVID ANSWERS — The Wall Street Journal’s Michelle Hackman breaks down why the increase in crossings at the southern border isn’t likely fueling an increase in U.S. COVID-19 infections: Not every migrant is allowed to enter. Most who do enter are being tested for COVID-19. And in several cities along the border, major shelters caring for migrants are offering COVID-19 vaccines. The bottom line: "Most public-health experts say it isn’t likely that migrants are contributing significantly to transmissions within the U.S., since nearly all are tested and quarantined before release, and because the Delta variant is already widespread," she writes. For a visual, our new infographic walks through COVID-19 protocols at the border step by step.
PLAYBOOK — ICYMI: Census Bureau data published last week underscores that America’s birth rate is declining. In the past decade, the U.S. population grew at the second-slowest rate since the government started counting in 1790 — and the slowest since the 1930s. But immigration can help, writes Shikha Dalmia, visiting fellow of Mercatus Center at George Mason University, for The Washington Post: "America might borrow a page from Canada. Its immigration policy is expressly meant to offset its aging population and low birthrates. … Canada’s immigration intake is 0.9 percent of its population — or three times America’s per capita rate." Elsewhere, a team at The New York Times pulls from census data to offer fascinating details about the diverse and growing population in the U.S. that identifies as Asian. PARALYMPIAN REFUGEE — As inspiring as I find the Olympics, I think the Paralympics — which open today — are on another level. This year’s games will feature a Paralympic Refugee team for the first time, and Alex Azzi of NBC Sports reports on the team’s only female competitor: Alia Issa, who was born in Greece to Syrian refugees. "I’m really happy that I can represent women – and women with disabilities – in sport because I want to pass the message that women shouldn’t stay at home," she told NBC Sports’ On Her Turf. "If you have a disability, that should not hold you back. You can still achieve great things through hard work." Issa speaks about looking up to the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was also born in Greece to parents who had emigrated from elsewhere: "He’s my idol because he also [came] from another country as an immigrant. From starting in Greece, he achieved such great things overseas. One day in my sports career… I want to achieve great things like he did." Thanks for
reading, |
