Per three officials, the U.S. was aware as far back as July that thousands of Haitians were heading to the southern border, "but a failure to share intelligence and an internal debate over whether to increase deportations left immigration officials ill-equipped to handle the 28,000 who converged on a Texas bridge last month," reports Julia Ainsley of NBC News.
Because intelligence sharing fell short within and beyond DHS, the government did not have a handle on the size of the group, how quickly it was moving, or the fact that it would arrive at a single location, Ainsley reports.
Meanwhile, at a congressional hearing Thursday, the former U.S. envoy for Haiti, Daniel Foote, said that returning migrants to the country will have a negative impact, per Al Jazeera. "Deportation, in the short term, is not going to make Haiti any more stable; in fact it’s going to make it worse," Foote said. "… We’re not repatriating people to Afghanistan right now. And having served in both places, the security situation [in Haiti] is not that dire but it’s not far off, and we’re deporting people to Haiti."
The need for commonsense solutions, for migrants at the border and across our immigration system, has long been clear. Join us for Leading The Way later this month as we gather influential speakers from a variety of backgrounds to discuss solutions. Register here for free.
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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AFGHAN RESETTLEMENT — Like many refugee resettlement agencies across the country, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area is "rebuilding on the fly after deep cuts during the Trump administration," reports Joel Rose of NPR. Almost every day, newly arriving Afghan refugees of all ages "are coming with really pressing immediate needs. Sometimes it's just as basic as clothing, showers, food," said CEO Kristyn Peck. "And then trying to make sure that they have a place to stay that night. And then move them into permanent housing as quickly as possible." Elsewhere at NPR, Franco Ordoñez introduces us to the former Delaware governor — and grandchild of refugees — who is charged with answering governors’ and mayors’ questions about resettling Afghan evacuees.
ECONOMIC IMPACT — In a broad look at where an initial round of Afghan evacuees will be resettled, Tim Henderson of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline reports on how states and localities are helping welcome them — or not. Many foresee an economic benefit: Russell Smith, CEO of Refugee Services of Texas, told Henderson that employers are calling the nonprofit weekly in search of potential hires. Meanwhile, states including Utah and New York are allocating funds to help support Afghan refugees. "This is a story about Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Utica, cities that are urgently in need of population growth, and refugees are very much part of it," said David Dyssegaard Kallick of the Fiscal Policy Institute. "It’s primarily a human rights issue, but it’s good to know that ... they’re going to be a long-term benefit to the local economy."
Here’s today’s collection of local stories of support:
- Erika Berg’s visual storytelling workshop — "designed to give refugees, who are forced into their situation and migration, the agency to tell the story of their relationship to the crisis back home" — helps resettled Afghans and other former refugees . (Ambar Castillo, Washington City Paper)
- An Army veteran and his wife in Zeeland, Michigan, are doing everything they can to help the family of his friend and former interpreter escape Afghanistan. (WOOD TV-8)
- At San Diego State University, Phi Kappa Psi fraternity members have raised more than $5,000 to help evacuees resettle in their new homes via a GoFundMe called "Helping Hands for Afghans." (Jayne Yutig, The Daily Aztec)
- Chef Hamidullah Noori, a 2015 Special Immigrant Visa recipient and owner of The Mantu restaurant in Richmond, Virginia, is cooking Afghan meals for new arrivals: "That’s the best thing: to serve your community, to serve your people … and to serve your culture." (Maya Rodriguez, E.W. Scripps news service)
‘GLIMMER OF HOPE’ — ICYMI: "The World Health Organization on Wednesday endorsed the world’s first malaria vaccine," reports Maria Cheng of the Associated Press. "Today’s recommendation offers a glimmer of hope for , which shoulders the heaviest burden of the disease. And we expect many more African children to be protected from malaria and grow into healthy adults," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Africa director. "This is a
huge step forward," said Julian Rayner, director of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. "It’s an imperfect vaccine, but it will still stop hundreds of thousands of children from dying."
Thanks for reading,
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