Thursday, March 17
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NOORANI'S NOTES

 

New CBP data show an increase in migrant encounters last month
correlating directly with the impact of Title 42. Experts and advocates
are renewing calls for the Biden administration to end the policy,
reports Benjamin Wermund of the Houston Chronicle
. 

Implemented almost two years ago, the public health policy was meant to
deter migrants from crossing the border. But experts say it has led to
an increase in crossings - especially from repeat crossers, mainly
single adults.  

"This kind of gets to some of the issues that we're continuing to see
with Title 42, which is that since it was implemented, it has continued
to incentivize migration of single adults," said Jessica Bolter, an
analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. "I think this
month is one of the clearest examples of that." 

Under the rule, migrants are not only forcibly expelled to Mexico and
subject to danger, but also lose the opportunity to apply for asylum. 

In other news: It's launch week for Crossing Borders
. Thank you to everyone who
has shown support leading up to the drop of this book. If you are in
D.C. on March 20, please join me at Politics and Prose

as I speak with bestselling author Amanda Ripley (tickets her
e)
.
And on March 24 at 4:00 PM ET, I'm joining NYT's Miriam Jordan for a
discussion convened by the good people of Zócalo Public Square.
Register here.
 

Welcome to Thursday's edition of Noorani's Notes, and Happy
St. Patrick's Day. 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.  

**MORE ON TITLE 42** - More evidence that the criminal elements are
further exploiting migrants: As debates heat up to end Title 42, U.S.
intelligence officials have internally "raised alarms that human
trafficking networks throughout Mexico and Central America will exploit
the situation to 'generate a mass migration event,'" per Jonathan
Swan and Stef W. Kight of Axios
.
Ahead of the potential increase in migration, the administration is
launching the interagency Southwest Border Coordination Center (SBCC).
SBCC will help shelter an increase of migrants, support U.S. Customs and
Border Protection, and find volunteers to assist with data entry, among
other services, Swan and Kight note. The next deadline to renew Title 42
is in early April.  

TPS FOR AFGHANS - On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the more than 74,000 Afghans
already in the United States, report Eileen Sullivan and Miriam Jordan
of The New York Times
.
While this is a positive step, it's not a permanent solution: TPS
is a Band-Aid that requires renewal every 18 months. The designation
excludes tens of thousands of other Afghans "including human rights
activists and professional women - who remain in their home country or
in neighboring countries, fearing retaliation from a Taliban government
that has been searching for people who promoted democratic values or
assisted the American military mission." Congress needs to pass an
Afghan Adjustment Act to truly stabilize the lives of Afghans, as noted
in our statement
. 

**UKRAINIANS IN FLORIDA** - Miami, Florida, has become a haven for
Ukrainians who have fled their war-struck home, reports Syra
Ortiz-Blanes of the Miami Herald
.
Iryna Timoshenko is one of the three million Ukrainian refugees who had
no other choice but to flee with her children, ages nine, seven, and
three - forced to leave her husband behind. "All my life, I am just
working to have a good life, to have the best childhood and future
opportunities for my kids," said Timoshenko. "Putin has taken all of
this from us." St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church has supported
Iryna's family and other Ukrainian refugees with food and shelter.  

TEXAS POLICIES - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) wants the U.S.
Supreme Court to reverse a decision so that Texas can enforce federal
immigration law, reports Jasper Scherer for the Houston Chronicle
.
Texas Republicans argue the 2012 Arizona v. United States decision has
limited their ability to manage state-sponsored border crackdowns, which
led to hundreds of misdemeanor charges for migrants arrested under Gov.
Greg Abbott's (R) "catch-and-jail" program. "I really cannot overstate
how legally outrageous it is," said ACLU Texas attorney Kate Huddleston.
"The power to admit and expel individuals has always been understood as
under the purview of the federal government." Speaking of outrageous
border policy, James Barragán of The Texas Tribune

reports that most National Guard troops under Gov. Abbott's border
mission were deployed to private ranches distant from the border -
with security systems already in place.  

**'FEELING LIKE A PASSENGER'** - In Afghanistan, Aziz was a doctor
and advisor to the Minister of Public Health. Now, he and his family are
among the thousands of Afghan refugees still living in U.S. hotels,
reports Joel Rose of NPR
.
"This hotel that we are living [in] is good," Aziz said. "But we are
restless. We are feeling like a passenger, living in the hotel,"
near the Baltimore Washington International airport for over two
months. The number of Afghans temporarily lodging in hotels is still
unclear, as federal agencies have not been tracking such information.
Resettlement agencies have also underscored the ongoing challenge of
finding affordable housing, especially in locations where rent continues
to rise.  

On local welcome: 

* After the Taliban detonated a bomb outside the Kabul Airport that
seriously injured some of Ella Nadiya's family, they were transported
to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. In November, they
relocated to Denver, where her Colorado home has become a place for
healing and refuge. (Brian Willie and Victoria Carodine, Rocky Mountain
PBS
) 

* In partnership with Brown University's Center for Human Rights and
Humanitarian Studies and the Refugee Dream Center in Providence, Rhode
Island, scholars and staff are conducting month-long interviews with
Afghan refugees to assess their needs and "improve military-civilian
partnerships across the globe." (Jill Kimball, Brown University
) 

Thanks for reading, 

Ali 

 

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