"We will make sure Ukraine has weapons to defend against an invading Russian force. We will. We will send money and food and aid to save the Ukrainian people," he said. "And I will welcome Ukrainian refugees — we should welcome them here with open arms if they need access." 

So far, over 2.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia’s attack on the country, "making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II," writes Knutson. More than a million people have already fled Ukraine for Poland, while hundreds of thousands of others have fled to neighboring countries like Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, and Russia. (Carolyn Tomlin of The Alabama Baptist has the story on how First Baptist Church Robertsdale pulled resources together to go to Moldova and aid Ukrainian refugees in need).  

Now the question is, will the U.S. actually receive Ukrainian refugees — and if so, how?  

For The New York Times, Peter Gatrell, an emeritus professor at the University of Manchester, England, poses another thought-provoking question this morning: "Could the current crisis in Ukraine actually be a catalyst for substantially improving the rights of refugees around the world?" 

I hope so.  

Welcome to Monday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes (and congratulations to our NN team member Dynahlee Padilla, who got married last week!). If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. And if you know others who’d like to receive the Notes, please spread the word. They can subscribe here. 

MIGRANT CHILDREN — Early Saturday morning, the Biden administration ended the use of Title 42 as it relates to unaccompanied migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border, reports Priscilla Alvarez of CNN. However, due to operational constraints, families and single adults "continue to be subject to the public health order, meaning they can still be turned away at the U.S. southern border." Immigration activists and Democrats are getting frustrated with Biden for backing Trump-era policies (to some extent) and not following through on immigration reforms he had promised, reports of Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times. "Are Biden and Trump the same on immigration? No," said Lee Gelernt, lawyer with the ACLU, representing families separated families at the border in 2018. "Has Biden lived up to his campaign rhetoric? Also no." 

PRIORITIES — In the past year, the Biden administration’s prioritization of serious crimes for immigration enforcement has led to nearly double the number of immigration arrests for "aggravated felonies" amid a sharp drop in arrests overall, Ben Fox of the Associated Press reports. Deportations were at their lowest level since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became an agency, although expulsions at the border "without formal deportation proceedings" are a big contributor to the drop. "ICE’s officers and special agents focused on cases that delivered the greatest law enforcement impact in communities across the country while upholding our values as a nation," acting ICE Director Tae Johnson said in a statement. 

‘WE’RE GOING TO HELP EVERYBODY’ — Dr. Ali Karim, founder of the non-profit "Global Shout", is spearheading efforts to help Afghan refugees and others resettle and get the medical care they need in the Arlington, Virginia, area, reports Victoria Sanchez of 7News. "We’ve been doing everything we can to establish their lives and make sure that they’re settled, and they can cope with the difficulties of coming to a new land and leaving their homes," said Dr. Karim, whose parents fled Afghanistan more than four decades ago. "There’s a lot of suffering going on in this world. I might be Afghan but I’m not selectively helping the Afghans right now. We’re going to help everybody, which is why we’re going to pivot to Ukraine." 

And locally (plus a story from Canada):  

• The Ken Garff Ford and Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram-Fiat dealerships recently donated $10,000 to Catholic Community Services to help an Afghan family of five furnish their new apartment in Salt Lake City. (Samantha Herrera, KSL NewsRadio) 
• Through Operation Allies Welcome, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Bjorn Utu was able to welcome incoming Afghan refugees at several processing bases and participated in a video chat Q&A with local students in his hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. (Suzie Romig, Steamboat Pilot & Today) 
• Canada’s colleges and universities are stepping up to provide scholarships and other initiatives for Afghan refugee students in need. (Fabian Dawson, New Canadian Media) 

IMMIGRATION REFORM — We need to include immigration in our approach to addressing the U.S. labor shortage, writes Chris Romer, President & CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, in an op-ed for Vail Daily. There are about 212,000 unfilled jobs in Colorado alone Romer writes, and immigrants already make up nearly an eighth of the state’s workforce. "With most Americans in support of immigration reform, members of Congress must take advantage of the incredible opportunity they have in front of them," he writes. "I urge our elected officials, including Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, to get immigration relief across the finish line and ensure that more businesses can find the employees they need to stay open." State Business Executives and Improve the Dream recently joined ANIC, a new alliance in support of passing immigration reforms this year. 

Thanks for reading,   

Ali