“In recent weeks, thousands of Mexican adults and children have been camping out in lines at U.S. border crossings, sleeping in tents while awaiting a chance to apply for safe refuge,” The Washington Post reports. While net migration with Mexico has leveled out in recent history, “The country’s homicide rate remains at record levels, its economy has stopped growing and foreign investors have been rattled by Trump’s tariff threats.”
If you’re in Houston this Thursday, Oct. 24, join Jason DeParle, author of “A Good Provider is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century,” and me for a discussion on how global migration has impacted and contributed to the Greater Houston area. Register here.
Welcome to Monday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes.
Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at[email protected]
DACA – Advocates are confident that the Supreme Court — which will hear arguments Nov. 12 on the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — will rule against the White House, Rafael Bernal writes for The Hill. “But even if it doesn't, Democrats believe the sympathy generated by Dreamers, or undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors, will eventually force GOP moderates in the Senate to support emergency House legislation to protect a program that has proven popular with voters.” If this is the case, will the Trump White House overplay their hand like they did in 2018 and demand drastic cuts to legal immigration?
BREAKTHROUGH? – Congress is on the verge of potentially passing bipartisan immigration legislation, reports Jim Galloway in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The bill would remove the per-country cap of 7% for employment-based green cards issued by any one country. Under the new law, “Green card applicants would be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. And that would put Indian immigrants at the front of the line – while those from other countries would have to take their turn at a wait that could last a decade or more.” This bill solves some problems (per-country caps) while failing to solve, if not worsen, others (an artificially low number of green cards that will extend waiting times overall). Evidence that reform doesn’t come in one bill.
DEM MESSAGE – Trump may be causing moral outrage with his actions and rhetoric on immigration, but if “Democrats do not craft a smarter and more broadly appealing message, they risk alienating voters and helping Trump win reelection in 2020,” former Michigan public officials Steve Tobocman and John Austin argue in Politico Magazine. Drawing on More in Common’s excellent research, Tobocman and Austin lay out a story for Democrats to tell centered around (1) reviving the American dream for all Americans, (2) showing how immigration builds American communities, (3) emphasizing fair play, (4) turning the volume down and adding nuance. Smart read here.
DNA – The Justice Department will publish an amended regulation today that mandates “DNA collection for almost all migrants who cross between official entry points and are held even temporarily,” Colleen Long reports for the Associated Press. (The rule does not apply to legal permanent residents, those entering the U.S. legally, and children under 14.) The problem: “The new policy would allow the government to amass a trove of biometric data on hundreds of thousands of migrants, raising major privacy concerns and questions about whether such data should be compelled even when a person is not suspected of a crime other than crossing the border illegally.”
STEPPING UP – When 48,000 asylum seekers needed assistance in the Phoenix metro area these past 12 months, some 40 churches including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints jumped in, reports Tad Walch in Deseret News. The coalition took in 1,500 people per week until the Trump administration implemented its “Remain in Mexico” policy. “This is exactly what the mission and focus of our church is, to care for the poor and needy, to reach out to all of Heavenly Father’s children, to show love and compassion,” Elder Ronald A. Rasband said.
NOT BASEBALL – Of the 23 players who earned Japan its first appearance in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals over the weekend — in a game that was the most-watched sporting event of the year in the country — just 11 were born to Japanese parents, reports Stephen Wade in the Associated Press. “I’d like all Japanese people to understand the changing of Japanese society… We do not need to care if the blood is purely Japanese or not. If they understand the Japanese way, that’s all that’s needed,” said rugby fan Hideto Itami.
Thanks for reading,
Ali
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