|
INCONSISTENCY — On Wednesday, two medical advisers urged the U.S. government to expand COVID-19 vaccinations for people in immigration detention as "infections have surged by over 800% in 2022," according to a whistleblower disclosure obtained by CBS News’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez. "In our own inspections of ICE facilities, for example, we have seen and documented inconsistent enforcement of mask use in detention centers, inconsistent testing and surveillance, and a failure to develop facility level infection control plans," doctors Scott Allen and Josiah Rich wrote in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. They also underscored the need for booster shots, which are not mentioned in ICE’s COVID-19 protocols. ALLIES WAITING — Hundreds of CIA-trained Afghan counterterrorist squad members and their families are among the thousands of Afghans still waiting to be relocated from the United Arab Emirates, reports a team at The New York Times. Many boarded non-American evacuation flights, including charters operated by the UAE, and were permitted to stay there indefinitely. Because they are in a safe location, officials explained that the U.S. is processing them through regular bureaucratic order. This further delays the resettlement process as Special Immigrant Visa applications, required medical testing, and vaccinations must be completed, the team notes. For more on how the U.S.’s "broken immigration bureaucracy" is impacting Afghan evacuees, see Jasmine Aguilera’s piece for TIME Magazine.
OMER’S FAMILY — Omer Farooq was a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan before the Taliban took over in August, reports Adrienne Smith of WSYR-TV. "I was 100% sure that I’m going to be killed," he said. With the help of an American soldier who connected him with the State Department, he and his family escaped Kabul, hopping from one place to the next. After some time in Texas, Omer contacted InterFaith Works of Central New York to help his family resettle in Syracuse. "We were so thankful that finally after a 5-month journey spending in tents, in dirt, being in sewage, shouting for help … When we came here, we were just like finally … we have reached our destination," Omer said. Here’s today’s stories of local welcome:
FARMWORKERS — In a Forum-hosted press call yesterday, Idaho Dairymen’s Association CEO Rick Naerebout said immigration reform is needed to "help ease the economic strain on Idaho’s dairy farmers," Katie Fritz reports for the Idaho Falls Post Register. Naerebout noted that while 90% of his association’s on-farm workers are foreign-born, they are ineligible for temporary agricultural work visas because dairies operate year-round. He also pointed out that the number of on-farm workers employed in Idaho’s diary industry decreased from 8,000 in 2012 to fewer than 5,000 in 2022 — but during that same period, the inventory of dairy cows in the state grew by 100,000. "So we’re seeing our industry continue to grow but that work force shrink," Naerebout said. Advancing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021 would be a step in the right direction. Thanks for reading, Ali |
