"In a world that has gotten much smaller, how we treat migrants will play an outsize role in defining the influence of liberal democracies," I wrote over the weekend. 

Vladimir Putin’s heinous attack on Ukraine has brought war to Europe’s doorstep. In the early stages of a humanitarian relief effort expected to cost billions of dollars, nearly 500,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge in neighboring nations. A 21st century Cold War has begun at a time when we are seeing record numbers of forcibly displaced people across the globe. Across the U.S., Ukrainian communities in Boise, Idaho, and Omaha, Nebraska, give voice to the fear.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians will end up in countries with nationalist governments such as Poland, Hungary or Austria. Countries that are generously welcoming Ukrainians after having recently barred refugees from the Middle East and beyond — an exodus that is all too familiar for many in the area, adds Mona El-Naggar of The New York Times.  

This week, the European Commission will be asking member nations to grant temporary asylum to all Ukrainians fleeing to the bloc for up to three years, reports Monika Pronczuk of The New York Times. 

President Biden should speak directly and forcefully to the situation facing displaced Ukrainians. Both the administration and Congress should deploy the necessary financial resources, infrastructure, and personnel to help process and care for Ukrainians fleeing their country. And should the region enter a prolonged conflict, as outlined by The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell, the Biden administration should advance a range of policy measures to welcome and integrate Ukrainians into the United States. 

As I told Tal Kopan of the San Francisco Chronicle (and Stuart Anderson at Forbes), welcoming displaced people should include Russian students: "It is to the benefit of our economy and our democracy, and to Putin’s loss."  

Welcome to Monday’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].  

RELEASED IN THE COLD — In recent years, thousands of immigrants have been released from ICE custody at remote bus stations with little resources to get to their next destination safely, reports Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio of Documented. Regardless of their final destination, migrants are sent to the Buffalo Service Processing Center in Batavia, New York, which acts "kind of like this central housing point," said John Peng, an immigration attorney with the Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York. From there, they are often released to a Citgo gas station that doubles as a Greyhound bus stop — but staffing shortages have led to frequent cancellations on an already sparse schedule, said Jennifer Connor of Justice for Migrant Families of Western New York. With immigrants left stranded in the cold, advocates and agencies are stretched thin scrambling to support them. 

FLORIDA SHELTER RULE — A recent audio-only public hearing challenged the legality of Florida Gov. Ron Desantis’ (R) move to revoke licenses from shelters caring for unaccompanied migrant children, reports Katie LaGrone of the E.W. Scripps Co. "It does feel like there is a target on our back, forcing us to choose. Are we willing to give up caring for vulnerable children who are in the care of our communities because of political posturing? There is no decision there, there’s no middle there," said pastor Joel Tooley of Melbourne, Florida, who participated in the hearing and helped organize a letter with 200 faith-based signatories urging DeSantis and Florida’s Department of Children and Families to reconsider. "Our hope is the department decides it doesn’t have the bandwidth to continue with this." 

HOUSTON IMMIGRATION COURT — The U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has temporarily shut down a Houston-area immigration court, postponing hearing dates, due to a leasing dispute with the new owner of the building, reports Leah Brennan of the Houston Chronicle. The shutdown comes at a critical time when the backlog of cases continues to grow, per a Syracuse University analysis of court data. Brennan notes that some people have reportedly been waiting more than 10 years to appear in immigration court because of the backlogs. "EOIR expects to resume hearings on March 14, 2022, for cases of noncitizens who have representation," per an EOIR new release. "The agency will continue to postpone cases during an extended relocation." 

AFGHANS IN SOUTH KOREA — In a desperate attempt to flee Afghanistan, some Afghan evacuees now find themselves under tight government control in South Korea, "enrolled in a course on the country’s life, economy, and language," reports Dasl Yoon of The Wall Street Journal, with photos by Jean Chung. "It’s not easy to settle down with a family in a different country," said Najibullah, who relocated to South Korea with his family. "[B]ut it’s worth trying."  

On the local welcome front: 

• Lutheran Services in Iowa opened a new refugee resettlement office in Sioux City last week to help accommodate newly arriving Afghans and other refugees in need. (Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio) 
• Loudoun County, Virginia, will now host the Operation Allies Welcome program site for Afghan refugees. "They just want a chance and I hope we can work together to provide them that chance," said Robert Fenton with Operation Allies Welcome. (Kolbie Satterfield, WUSA 9) 
• In partnership with Joint Development Associates (JDA) International and Canyon View Vineyard Church, a newly formed resettlement program will help a total of nine Afghan families resettle in Grand Junction, Colorado. (Nathan Deal, The Daily Sentinel) 

Thanks for reading, 

Ali