Experts from the Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI) called on the Biden administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to Ukrainians already in the U.S., reports Ellen M. Gilmer of Bloomberg Government. 

"The stunning circumstances unfolding in Ukraine highlights, once again, the United States’ obligation to offer humanitarian support for those caught in the crosshairs of invasion and political instability," said CNSI leader Scott Boylan, a former Department of Homeland Security adviser. 

"The refugee resettlement system is precisely how we protect vulnerable populations, whether they are from Afghanistan or Ukraine," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, told Caroline Simon of Roll Call. "The Biden administration’s increase of the refugee ceiling to 125,000 coupled with low refugee arrivals to date means there is ample room to welcome Ukrainians in search of safety." 

Boundless echoes this sentiment and highlights the U.S. history of Ukranian immigration, proving it can be done.  

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees urged Ukraine’s neighboring countries to welcome and protect Ukrainians who are fleeing Russia’s attacks, per Axios. And CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez tweeted yesterday that Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. is ready to accept Ukrainian refugees, "But we certainly expect that most if not the majority will want to go to Europe and neighboring countries. So, we are also working with European countries on what the needs are, where there is capacity." 

Welcome to Friday’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].  

FLORIDA PRESSURES — Several Florida faith leaders continue to denounce Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) hardline immigration approach, including his order to revoke licenses from shelters that care for unaccompanied migrant children and foster kids, reports Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald . "We sit across from them. We know their stories and we have been blessed by them," said Associate Pastor Nicole Gomez of the evangelical church Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, of unaccompanied children. Her church has provided welfare services for more than 200 unaccompanied minors and more than 600 foster children in the past seven years. In another Herald piece, Ceballos and Syra Ortiz-Blanes report that DeSantis’ proposed shelter rule would cost agencies caring for migrant children millions of dollars, per an estimated cost analysis from the Florida Department of Children and Families.  

BORDER PRAYERS — For 10 years, people on either side of the border have hiked 40 minutes to an "iconic spot" located in California’s Border Field State Park for prayers and church services, reports Salvador Rivera of Border Report. Ideally, they would like to be closer together at another section of the border, Friendship Park — but it remains off-limits due to Border Patrol staffing issues. "We’ve begged Border Patrol to please open Friendship Park and they deny it …" said Alexis De Bram, a supporter of the park. "Over decades, people come here to connect with friends, relatives … Then the wall started going up and we were limited to Saturdays and Sundays four hours a day, but now there’s no way for people coming from anywhere to join their loved ones." 

BLACK IMMIGRANTS — A new study from researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Washington finds that Black immigrants are more likely to be denied U.S. citizenship than white immigrants, report Giselle Rhoden and Nicole Chavez of CNN. When broken down by race and gender, the data show that Black men and women were approved for citizenship at or below 90%, compared to a rate of about 94% for white women and about 92% for white men. Meanwhile, Black Muslim immigrants were only approved for citizenship around 86% of the time. "As a Black person and an immigration attorney who works inside detention centers, I know that Black immigrants are being brutalized, dehumanized, and rendered invisible by the system," said Nicole Morgan, an associate attorney at RAICES. 

AFGHAN WELCOME — Welcoming and resettling our Afghan allies is a matter of "faith and patriotism," writes Scott Venable, lead pastor at Northwood Church in Keller, Texas, in an op-ed for the Baptist Standard. "Not all Texans — and not all Christians — agree on every refugee and immigration policy," he writes. "We all need to agree, however, that all human life is precious and do whatever we can to offer refuge and safety to anyone fleeing situations of persecution, violence and death." So far, his church has trained more than 125 members and raised over $150,000 to help resettle three Afghan families. To continue these welcoming efforts in Texas and across the U.S., Venable underscores the need for Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. 

Today’s compilation of local stories: 

• State leaders, Utah resettlement agencies and the Refugee Services Office are working together to continue supporting Afghan resettlement in the state. "We are helping families ensure they have what they need for their children to be successful in our schools and communities," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said. "We recognize the incredible talents, abilities, and life experiences these Afghans bring to our workforce. They’ll be wonderful additions and will be filling much-needed job vacancies." (Ashley Fredde, KSL.com) 
• Three University High School seniors launched a donation drive through their new nonprofit, YouthUp, collecting $30,000 worth of necessary goods to support Afghan resettlement in Northeast Ohio. (Tracy Carloss, WEWS)
• St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, recently launched a webpage to raise funds for an Afghan refugee family who recently resettled in the area. (Dartmouth Week)