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OPERATION ALLIES WELCOME — On the flip side: Last Tuesday, the remaining group of Afghan nationals temporarily housed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, officially departed, per Homeland Security Today. As of Jan. 27, more than 66,000 Afghan refugees have resettled in communities across the country as part of Operation Allies Welcome, with the support of 290 local resettlement affiliates. The Department of Defense "continues to provide temporary housing facilities for the remaining approximately 9,000 vulnerable Afghans who are in the process of completing their resettlement while at the following three military installations." On the local welcome front:
‘SO THEY CAN DO THEIR JOB’ — After spending three days at the U.S.-Mexico border with Border Patrol agents, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised he would provide the agency additional resources and equipment moving forward, reports Lauren Villagran of the El Paso Times. "They need the technological advances that really are force multipliers, whether they be surveillance towers or automation and equipment and vehicles so they can do their job," Mayorkas said. Related to the border, Charles R. Davis of Insider highlights a new documentary that premieres today on PBS’s Independent Lens: Missing in Brooks County, which "exposes how border policies have contributed to the deaths of thousands of migrants right here in the United States." COVID-19 PROTECTIONS — A California lawsuit settlement reached last Thursday will now prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from re-detaining an estimated 250 immigrants who were released due to "health vulnerabilities" amid the pandemic, reports Andrea Castillo of The Los Angeles Times. Under the settlement, immigration authorities must also implement social distancing measures and vaccination mandates for both staff and detainees at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility in Bakersfield and the Yuba County Jail, Castillo notes.
DIVERSITY VISAS — In April 2o20, the Trump administration blocked "nearly all immigrants," including Diversity Visa holders, from entering the U.S. Although the Biden administration "denounced and ended the Trump proclamation against Diversity Visa winners and other immigrants … [it] has appealed court rulings that would allow many Diversity Visa recipients to immigrate to the United States," writes Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, in Forbes. "Congress established the Diversity Visa, and no administration has the authority to refuse to administer it in good faith," said Aaron Hall, one of the attorneys representing FY 2021 Diversity Visa recipients. "It’s long past time for the Department of State to stop defending the devastation of the Diversity Visa program in court and to get to work on expeditiously processing applicants whose hopes and dreams are on the line." FLORIDA PUSHBACK — Caring for unaccompanied migrant children is a matter of religious freedom — one that’s specifically protected by law, writes Matt Soerens, U.S. Director of Church Mobilization and Advocacy for World Relief, in an op-ed for Christianity Today. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) recent "emergency rule" blocks both the issuance and renewal of state licenses for organizations serving these children, hurting both migrant and U.S.-born children in Florida. "... religious liberty is more than just the right to worship in a church building on Sunday. It is the freedom to follow and obey all the tenets of one’s religion, including caring for vulnerable children," writes Soerens, who is also the national coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table. ‘GROUNDED IN THE GOSPEL’ — Another powerful op-ed from the faith community: Christians can push back against Great Replacement Theory narratives by looking to the Gospel and acting out of love towards our immigrant neighbors, write Rev. Mark J. Seitz, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, Texas, and Alan Cross, a Southern Baptist pastor in California, for The Dispatch. "In the spirit of the welcoming love and hospitality of Jesus, which animates the mission of the church, we must oppose the great replacement theory’s message," they write. "…we must reach out, make connections, and illuminate a better path forward, grounded in the Gospel." Thanks for reading, Ali |
