Yeah, so, we’ve been doing this daily note since sometime in late 2017. (Darn you, H, for the idea.) And I am not sure we have ever had a six weeks like the last six weeks. Big thank you to the team. If you like what we do, tell a friend.
Since last week, the administration has deported more than 2,000 Haitians who were apprehended from the camp in Del Rio, Texas, including a mix of single adults and families, reports Eileen Sullivan of The New York Times. Per the International Organization for Migration, at least 41 children with non-Haitian passports have been deported to Haiti, reports Caitlin Hu of CNN.
As it ramps up flights to Haiti, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the temporary suspension of horse patrols, reports Rebecca Beitsch of The Hill. This comes after House Democrats demanded that administration officials speak with oversight committee members by today about the Border Patrol’s treatment of Haitian migrants, per Luke Broadwater and Eileen Sullivan of The New York Times.
Elizabeth Neumann, a former Department of Homeland Security official and member of the Council on National Security and Immigration, told ABC News: "[W]e are now on four presidents that have been trying to address [migration flows] … We’ve got to fix it because the problem is just going to get worse. These are human beings that deserve to be treated better than we’re capable of treating them today."
Meanwhile, a team at The Wall Street Journal offers a comprehensive picture of the future of immigration from Latin America. "[W]ith borders opening back up and lockdown measures lifted," they write, "migrants are on the move, attracted to an improving U.S. economy."
Unsurprisingly, the journey itself, starting online via social media platforms, "reflects the power of Facebook, YouTube and platforms like WhatsApp, which migrants use to share information that can get distorted as it speeds through immigrant communities, directing migration flows," reports a team at the Associated Press.
Welcome to Friday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
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IMMIGRATION REFORM — Should immigration provisions not make it into the final reconciliation package, Democrats may have the opportunity to resume "bipartisan negotiations on narrow immigration policies that at least some Republicans might find palatable," writes Nicole Narea for Vox. "Our sense is that there’s still a number of Republicans who would be willing to sit down and strike a deal," I told her. "The challenge for both parties is to say, is this a problem we actually want to address?"
AFGHAN REFUGEES — According to the United Nations' refugee agency, tens of thousands of Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring countries just in the past two months, reports Al Jazeera. Worth a listen: Quil Lawrence of NPR explains how Afghan allies left behind face an uncertain future, and how those in the U.S. "may be stuck in immigration limbo for years unless Congress takes action." Meanwhile, in Houston, about 50 Latter-day Saint women are working with Refugee Services of Texas to collect donations and furnish apartments for arriving refugees, reports Trent Toone of the Deseret News. "I can think of no better way to fulfill the invitation of Christ in Matthew 25:35-40," said Rebecca McAllister, the volunteer team leader. "These are the least of all people. They don’t have a country to even call their own. They are hungry. They are
strangers."
These women are not helping Afghan refugees exclusively, but their spirit of welcome is reflected in this morning’s sampling of local stories (these are just so great):
- Also in Houston, volunteers at the Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston donated six cars to Afghan refugee families. "With reliable transportation, our newest neighbors can search for jobs, travel to work and school, make their appointments, shop for groceries and tend to the needs of their family members quickly and efficiently," said Interfaith Ministries’ president and CEO, Martin B. Cominsky. (Jewish Herald-Voice)
- Military veteran Alaya Shank is among caseworkers in Charlotte, North Carolina, who are helping refugees "navigate things like getting a license or
purchasing a car" in addition to other requests. (Jamal Goss, Fox 46
Charlotte)
- Sonia Anunciacion, a Minnesotan who still has family in Afghanistan, has organized five donation drives and fundraisers for Afghan evacuees
at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. (Kent Erdahl, KARE 11)
- Brightly Art Studio in Brownsburg, Indiana, is collecting art from children and adults to provide a warm welcome to refugees at Camp Atterbury. (Kelsey Anderson, WRTV)
GREEN CARDS — Thousands of green cards are set to expire on Sept. 30, and big tech companies such as Google and Microsoft are "fuming," reports Margaret Harding McGill of Axios. "The idea that we will leave tens of thousands of these applications unfilled at a time when businesses around the country are having a hard time finding qualified workers seems illogical," said Kent Walker, Google senior vice president of global affairs. "So we’re really trying to encourage people to come together to fix this issue." Pandemic-related processing delays have only added to the growing backlog of 100,000 applications. Said Cato Institute research fellow David Bier: "I would argue that if these green cards are wasted and nothing is done about it, we are going to see an exodus of high-skilled immigrants from this country to other countries."
CENSUS ANALYSIS — A new, county-by-county look at the Census Bureau’s Diversity Index (DI) reveals that the
U.S. is "more diverse than ever, in more places than ever." New American Economy found that 96.1 percent of the nation’s counties were more diverse in 2020 than in 2010. Williams County, North Dakota, topped the list in terms of absolute increase, with a DI score that more than doubled. It’s an intriguing look at diversification in places rural, suburban and urban.
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