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NOORANI'S NOTES

 

 

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** **One in 10 Black people in the U.S. today are immigrants, per Pew
Research

data - compared with only 3% in 1980, Shirin Ali writes for The Hill
.
Moreover, "[b]etween 2020 and 2060, Pew estimates that the foreign-born
Black population will grow by 90 percent, while the U.S.-born Black
population is expected to grow only 29 percent."  

The Black immigrant experience is a diverse one: Significant populations
come from Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico and South
America. The most common region of origin is the Caribbean, representing
46% of Black immigrants in the U.S., according to Pew
,
but immigrants from Africa - Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and
Ghana in particular - are driving recent growth. (For more on the
intersection of Blackness and immigration, listen to our 2020 Only in
America conversation with Professor Karla McKanders

of Vanderbilt Law School.)   

The Pew report is an excellent deep dive into the history and current
trends of Black immigration to the U.S. And a good reminder that when it
comes to immigration, the U.S. has room to grow
.  

Welcome to Thursday'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]
.  

**ADDRESSING BACKLOGS** - On Monday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) announced changes that the agency hopes will address
backlogs, reports Suzanne Monyak of Roll Call
.
Refugees and people with asylum will be able to renew work permits every
two years, as opposed to yearly, a change that also will apply to some
domestic abuse survivors who have petitioned for green cards and
migrants who have a form of deportation relief called withholding of
removal. The change comes "in the interest of reducing the burden on
both the agency and the public," per the agency's policy alert. "Let
me be very clear. Our processing times are too long. There are no ifs,
ands or buts about it," said USCIS Director Ur Jaddou, who also called
for an increase in staffing. ICYMI, yesterday the agency also updated
its mission statement
.
 

**SANCTION LIFT** - The Biden administration has lifted most Trump-era
visa sanctions on Laos, which experts say is a "significant step for
thousands of Southeast Asian Americans, many of them refugees, and their
families in the immigration process," Kimmy Yam reports for NBC News
.
More than 30 advocacy groups, and some members of Congress, had signed a
letter in September demanding that the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) lift the sanctions for several countries, including Laos. "Over
the last few years, they've been unable to sponsor their spouses or
kids ... because of these arbitrary sanctions that are very ethnically
based," said Kham Moua, director of national policy at the nonprofit
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. "For us to see the administration
take the steps for lifting was a really great first step to undo some of
the harm that's been done by the Trump administration." 

**'THE KINDNESS IS OVERWHELMING'** - After a harrowing escape from
Afghanistan, 19-year-old Pazhwak Stanakzai and his family are a few of
the hundreds of Afghan refugees who now call the Tacoma, Washington,
area home, reports Matt Driscoll of The News Tribune
.
Lutheran Community Services Northwest has been instrumental on this
front, transforming into a local hub for Afghan refugee resettlement,
said President and CEO David Duea. From October through early January
alone, the office resettled nearly 300 refugees. Says Stanakzai, who
goes by Hamed, "I would never have thought that we would get this much
help. The community has accepted us like one of their own. ... The
kindness is overwhelming. It warms my heart." 

Here's more on the local welcome front:

* "There's some rumors going around in these military bases that South
Carolina might not be a good place, that [Afghan evacuees] might not be
treated friendly here and so we wanted to dispel that. We want to show
that we are welcoming state," said Tim Cross of Open Arms Refugee
Ministry in Clemson, South Carolina, a faith group supporting newly
resettled families to the area. (Renée Wunderlich, WYFF News 4
)

* In Everett, Washington, just up the road from Tacoma, Refugee and
Immigrant Services Northwest hosted a virtual coffee meeting this week
to discuss its work resettling Afghans in the area and suggest ways to
create a welcoming community. (Larry Vogel, My Edmonds News
)

* Forum mobilizer Christy Staats and Building Hope in the City's
Eileen Wilson joined a local news segment to discuss advocacy for
Afghans and explain how Northeast Ohioans can assist Afghans being
resettled in the area. (Cleveland 19 News via Facebook
)

**SO LONG, FAREWELL** - After more than four years and 200 episodes,
we've made the bittersweet decision to bring our Only in America
podcast to a close. Don't miss our
final episode ,
where members of the production team and I recall some of our favorite
parts of the show over the years. Thank you to everyone who has
listened, shared, or joined us as a guest on the show - hearing and
sharing these stories has been humbling, informative and inspiring. 

Thanks for reading,
Ali

 

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