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 here). 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.
- 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)
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