New USCIS guidance from the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations unit will no longer use a Trump-era marriage standard to evaluate asylum seekers’ request for derivative status for their spouses, reports Mike LaSusa of Law360. Under the new guidance, "informal" marriages, which are not legally recognized, will be considered. 

"Without this narrow exception, individuals in committed relationships with refugees and asylees who are unable to formally perfect their marriage could remain separated from their families and may need to independently establish access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and eligibility as a refugee," per the guidance.  

This is especially crucial if "spouses demonstrate that they are unable to have their marriage legally recognized in the place of celebration as a result of their flight from persecution and circumstances beyond their control or due to restrictive laws or practices in their country of origin or country of first asylum." 

Applicants who were denied their request when Trump issued the marriage standard in 2018 and 2019 can now request that USCIS review their case again, according to an agency spokesperson.  

Welcome to Wednesday’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]. 

MORE DESANTIS PRESSURE — An ad featuring Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski alluding to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ remarks about unaccompanied migrant children is getting heat from DeSantis’ office, reports Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Miami Herald. Christina Pushaw, the governor’s press secretary, accused the archbishop of lying in a tweet. "Children are children, whether they are escaping the oppressive Castro regime or violence, socialism and dictatorship in Venezuela, Haiti and Central America. None of these children are disgusting and caring for them is an act of humanity," said Mike Fernandez, a Cuban exile and co-chairman of the coalition which paid for the ad.  

MARINE SMUGGLERS — Emily Green of Vice News reports a shocking story and investigation into how two U.S. marines led a "massive human smuggling ring" in the spring and summer of 2019. At their peak, Byron Law and David Salazar-Quintero "were going on multiple runs a week, coordinating among themselves to see who was free to go, and making excuses to get out of training exercises in order to make a few hundred dollars" from vulnerable migrants seeking entry at the southern border, per court records. "The smuggling ring at Camp Pendleton underscores the widespread recruitment of military members and Border Patrol into the billion-dollar criminal industry," writes Green.  

MILITARY BASE DEPARTURE — The remaining several hundred Afghan evacuees temporarily housed on U.S. military bases are slated to depart over the next week, per a DHS official, reports Priscilla Alvarez of CNN. While the Biden administration used a total of eight military bases to support Afghan evacuation and resettlement efforts, only Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey remain, notes Alvarez. An estimated 2,800 Afghans are currently in locations abroad, dubbed "lily pad" locations, which the U.S. used to vet and process some evacuees prior to entering the country. "It’s gone as well as it can go given how difficult the circumstances have been," said Mark Hetfield, the president and CEO of refugee resettlement agency HIAS. 

Today’s list of local welcome: 

• Lauren and Craig Peterson of East Moline, Illinois, partnered with Moline-based World Relief Quad Cities to welcome and sponsor a total of three Afghan families since December. "‘When you give, you receive back more than you give,’ Craig said, noting their Christian faith has been a strong motivating factor to open their home and hearts." (Jonathan Turner, Local 4 Quadcities.com) 
• In partnership with Des Moines Refugee Support, Kate Hoch, an Iowa native now living in Massachusetts "is sewing culturally specific clothing for dolls" for Afghan refugee children resettling in the metro area. "I want to welcome these children," Hoch said. "They’ve been through so much. Not only back in Afghanistan but their journey here has been very difficult." (Khalil Maycock, Local 5 News We are Iowa) 
• "The Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s refugee program received a donation of $21,868 during a check presentation ceremony from Congregation Achduth Vesholom and the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne," for Afghan resettlement in Fort Wayne. (Jazlynn Bebout, Fort Wayne’s NBC) 

RESETTLEMENT PROPOSAL — Former MP Rory Stewart for International Development in the United Kingdom is proposing a new plan to resettle a set number of refugees annually, saying it "would help [liberal democracies] regain a lost sense of moral purpose," reports The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour. "Reforming the international resettlement coalition around the Afghan crisis presents a rare opportunity for key liberal democracies to restore their moral authority, form a workable international coalition, and deliver rapid, concrete, ethical results," he said. Under the proposed plan, countries that join the coalition "should aspire within two years to take refugees equivalent to 0.05 % of their population annually," explains Wintour. Speaking of refugee resettlement levels, our recent paper proposes that the U.S. should set its resettlement baseline at 10% of the estimated population of forcibly displaced people who are most in need of permanent resettlement each year.  

SUPPORT SYSTEMS — For America Magazine - The Jesuit Review, J.D. Long-García sheds light on the role that Jesuit Refugee Service’s Caminar Contigo plays in helping refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced persons cope with trauma. Knowing that recounting their experiences at the U.S.-Mexico border can be mentally harmful to them, the JRS staff have built systems of support. Among them are one-on-one help with a psychologist, ceremonies in which asylum-seekers could grieve together or reflect in private, and a new partnership with JRS Mexico to provide more support in border regions like Ciudad Juarez and El Paso.  

Thanks for reading, 

Ali