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MIGRATORY ACCORD — The Biden administration "is trying to enlist South American countries to help halt a new wave of migration by controlling the flow of migrants northward," report William Mauldin and Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with counterparts from Latin American countries in Bogotá, Colombia, today to discuss the initiative. "Overall, U.S. officials are eyeing a combination of economic inducements, persuasive diplomatic efforts and public warnings to help control the flow of migrants to the southern border," they write. Dan Restrepo, former special assistant to President Obama for Western Hemisphere affairs, is also proposing regional collaboration to manage migration in The Dallas Morning News. This is the right approach. AFGHAN ASSISTANCE — A recently approved spending bill will help to resettle an estimated 95,000 Afghan evacuees through fiscal year 2022. But "[i]f we want Afghan immigrants and refugees to integrate as successfully as possible, Congress must go a step further and allow evacuees to be processed securely but quickly and, ultimately, obtain lawful permanent residence," writes Monument Advocacy’s Stewart Verdery, a member of the Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI), in an op-ed for Roll Call. "An Afghan Adjustment Act would allow evacuees to adjust their status and apply for lawful permanent residence after a certain amount of time in the U.S. It would fulfill our humanitarian obligation to vulnerable Afghans contending with an uncertain future. ... And it would help keep us secure by speeding the integration of evacuees into American society." Verdery also notes that the U.S. has passed similar measures before.
A GAMBLE — The San Francisco Chronicle’s Deepa Fernandes and Tal Kopan tell the story of a judge and her husband, a federal prosecutor, who are still stuck in Afghanistan, fearing for their lives: "Because neither the judge nor the prosecutor worked directly for the U.S. government, and because they didn’t make it onto one of the evacuation planes in the weeks after Kabul fell, their options are limited — and their window is closing." And don't miss Phillip Athey's incredible story for the Military Times about a group of marines who helped Afghans evacuate — including Marine Cpl. Jason Essazay’s efforts to save his own family. Here’s today’s roundup of local support:
BREXIT — Through Brexit and a new immigration plan, the United Kingdom has been tightening the flow of immigrants. The Guardian’s Diane Taylor picks up a new report from the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which raises concerns that the new plan "risks increasing the vulnerability of victims of trafficking who are undocumented migrants, as they may be reluctant to approach the authorities for fear of being prosecuted for immigration-related offences." The report adds that Brexit itself "has heightened the risk of exploitation for [European Union] workers." Thanks for reading, Ali |
