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TEXAS SCRAMBLE — Last fall, Texas National Guard troops were deployed in a rush to fulfill Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) order to manage the southern border, James Barragán of The Texas Tribune and Davis Winkie of Military Times report. Some guardsmen have expressed that the mission, Operation Lone Star, was not only "unclear," but "set back their income, education and well-being." Today, many are no longer re-enlisting in the service. Said one soldier directly familiar with the operation’s mobilization: "We pride ourselves on … the number of [federal] deployments Texas supports. But this? This is not something to be proud of." FAHIMA’S STORY — Out of more than 40,000 Afghans who applied for humanitarian parole in the U.S., only 160 have been approved to enter via the program. Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal puts a human face on the tens of thousands of Afghans whose applications for humanitarian parole were denied: Fahima, a single parent of three teenagers and a member of the Shia religious minority, was ineligible for a Special Immigrant Visa. In August, family and friends helped her raise $2,300 for the cost of the family’s four humanitarian parole applications. But this January, Fahima and her family were denied due to a lack of documented proof showing she is in "immediate and targeted danger," Hackman explains. "Parole is totally inadequate — everyone knows that," said Doris Meissner, a Migration Policy Institute senior fellow and former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "It’s just that there’s no other option." This is why we need an Afghan Adjustment Act. On local welcome efforts:
‘NO ASYLUM’ — These days, it is difficult to get access to the U.S. asylum system — let alone approved for asylum, reports John Lavenburg of Crux. Yet people from all over the world are still seeking it, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, government corruption, climate change and more. "What’s happening now is that the U.S. government is telling those who arrive at the port to seek protection that they have no options, that they have to wait and there is no asylum," explained Sister Tracey Horan in a 2022 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering conversation about the border. "Those people are forced into uncertainty for months, or sometimes years." IMMIGRANT WORKERS — We need immigration reform to mitigate the shortage of health care workers in Maine, writes Lori Dwyer, J.D., president and CEO of Penobscot Community Healthcare, in an op-ed for Lewiston Sun Journal. "In Maine and across the country, Dreamers, temporary protected status-holders, and immigrant essential workers are the backbone of the health care sector," Dwyer writes, adding that a pathway for more immigrants to earn legal status and citizenship could really help Maine meet its health care needs, especially in rural areas. "Welcoming immigrants to our state is not simply about loving one’s neighbor or doing what is morally right … It is also about making sure you and your loved ones get the care you need when you need it." Thanks for reading, Ali |
