Tuesday, November 23

Complicated problems require complex solutions. And our immigration system is complicated.

In Foreign Affairs, two of the smartest people in the field, Muzaffar Chishti and Doris M. Meissner of the Migration Policy Institute, take a deep dive into the problems and solutions along the border. They lay out a range of "complex, long-term initiatives" that build "strategies that enable migration to be safe, legal, and orderly."

Welcome to Tuesday’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].

WAITING GAME — Yesterday we highlighted how long some Afghan evacuees have been temporarily living at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, per Abigail Hauslohner of The Washington Post. Jessica Donati of The Wall Street Journal reports on the wait times elsewhere: Thousands of evacuees "could be stranded in other countries for years because of backlogs in the U.S. refugee system," per U.S. officials and refugee organizations. To help with relocation efforts and overcrowding at U.S. military bases, "[m]any governments across Africa, Europe and South America agreed to open their doors on a temporary basis to Afghans evacuated by private groups, such as those composed of veterans or nonprofit organizations." But because these groups conducted their evacuations separate from the U.S. military, it’s unclear how long these evacuees would have to wait abroad before resettling in America if they’re eligible, Donati notes.

Here is today’s compilation of local stories:

Fargo, North Dakota-area employers like glass window manufacturing plant Cardinal I-G "are jumping at the opportunity to partner with the refugees and fill thousands of job openings in the state." (Madison Quinn, KFGO)
Up in Lewiston, Maine, the support has been "overwhelming with people donating clothing, food and other items" in anticipation of 50-100 Afghans arriving in the next few months. (WGME)
In Dallas and several other major cities, Church World Service’s Afghan Placement and Assistance program "aims to help refugees who are staying in temporary Airbnb housing transition into permanent homes, as well helping them navigate a new life in the U.S." (Alex Gonzalez, Dallas Observer)
Several non-profits in Rochester, New York, have joined a community partner program that "pair[s] religious and nonprofit organizations with incoming refugee and new arrival families." (John Molseed, Post Bulletin)

JOURNEY BY SEA — For The Washington Post, Widlore Mérancourt and Paulina Villegas chronicle the journey of four dozen Haitian men, women and children who tried to reach the U.S. by boat in September — but got lost. They ended up in the Bahamas, where some say they were treated inhumanely while detained for nearly a week before being returned to Haiti. "As of October, the U.S. Coast Guard had intercepted over 1,500 Haitians at sea in the previous 12 months — three times the number seen in 2020 and the highest on record in at least five years," note Mérancourt and Villegas. Despite the dangers of traveling by sea, many Haitians see no other option: "I have no country because there is nothing for me here," said Jeff Pierre. "If I hear of another trip by boat tonight, I am leaving Haiti." Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Haiti opened a consulate in Tapachula, Mexico, Friday "in a bid to help manage migration."

BRIAN BUKLE — Brian Bukle, 61, "filed a lawsuit alleging the U.S. government Monday held him for more than a month in immigration detention even though he was a U.S. citizen," per the Associated Press. Bukle was born in the British Virgin Islands and became a U.S. citizen at age nine — but after serving a prison sentence in California, he was transferred to U.S. immigration authorities in June 2020, the AP notes. "After I served my sentence, I thought I would be going home to see my son for Father’s Day," Bukle said. "Instead, I came this close to being deported and losing everything, a nightmare that has stayed with me to this day." Bukle’s suit "raises questions about the reliability of databases used by U.S. officials to determine whether someone can be deported from the country," especially for people who derived citizenship as children from their naturalized parents, the AP notes.

‘THEY JUST DON’T CARE’ — In a column for The Washington Post, Catherine Rampell makes the case for "the missing immigrant workers" — those who have lost their jobs in essential industries due to their work visas expiring. When Helen Muradyan, a second-year resident physician originally from Armenia working at a California community hospital, renewed her visa in 2019, the process only took two or three months. In April of this year, Muradyan submitted her renewal application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — and heard almost nothing for months. When her work permit expired in October, Muradyan had no choice but to stop working at a hospital already struggling with staffing shortages. Currently, renewal applications like Muradyan’s can take up to 9.5 to 11 months to process, Rampell notes. The delays have impacted Muradyan’s residency program and threatened her livelihood — and she’s not alone. "It doesn’t make sense, that if someone really wants to work, they can’t go back to work because of these delays," Muradyan said. "It’s like they just don’t care."

Thanks for reading,

Ali