Calais, France, known for its "notorious" refugee camps, is sounding a more welcoming tone with Ukrainian refugees. Rick Noack of The Washington Post underscores the vastly different treatment in Calais of refugees from Ukraine and from non-European countries.  

In the U.S., border officials are allowed to exempt Ukrainians from the pandemic-era Title 42 so they can seek asylum in the U.S., Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday.  

The guidance is spelled out in a March 11 CBP memo, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News. According to separate DHS guidance, Ukrainians may be granted one-year humanitarian parole and considered on a case-by-case basis. Parole temporarily allows people to live and work in the U.S. legally.  

"While it is heartening to see DHS acknowledge that they don’t have to turn away asylum-seekers, that hasn’t been applied to people from other countries," said Kennji Kizuka, an associate director at Human Rights First. "Where were the exemptions for Haitian asylum-seekers arriving last fall? Where are those exemptions for Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan asylum-seekers, for asylum-seekers from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras?" 

And we need to do more for Ukrainians, too — among others, The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell points out: "Biden took office promising to restore the United States’ moral leadership on immigration in general and refugees in particular." Yet, he has "dragged his feet on fulfilling commitments."  

Our immigration systems are failing to meet the moment. If we don’t rebuild them now, then when?  

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]. And if you know others who’d like to receive the Notes, please spread the word. They can subscribe here. 

VISA BACKLOGS — After Muhammad was persecuted in Pakistan for being part of a minority group, he was finally granted asylum in the U.S. But a yearslong wait on his green card is limiting him, forcing him to wait to attend law school because he can't afford in-state tuition, reports Suzanne Monyak of Roll Call. Wait times range from 25 to 52 months, per USCIS’s website. "The reality is that the backlog for asylees has created, basically, a backlog for citizenship," said Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project. "It’s affecting my career trajectory," Muhammad said. "It has a financial and an academic repercussion on someone who’s really trying to make ends meet."  

BORDER PRAYERS — Of the world’s 50 most violent cities in 2021, the top eight are in Mexico. And after violence this week in Nuevo Laredo, the Diocese of Nuevo Laredo asked for prayers of peace in the area and throughout Mexico, per David Ramos of Catholic News Agency. "Comfort the pain of those who suffer. Give success to the decisions of those who govern us," a prayer the diocese posted on Twitter reads in part. "Protect families, our children, adolescents and young people, our towns, and communities." 

ICE PARTNERSHIPS — On the campaign trail, President Biden promised to protect so-called sanctuary cities. But advocates and critics are concerned about ICE’s continuous partnership with many local law enforcement agencies, reports Angelika Albaladejo of Capital & Main. During the Trump administration, 111 sheriff’s departments partnered with ICE for the first time via the 287(g) program. More than 140 local law enforcement agencies have current partnerships. Harris Country, Texas, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who is nominated to lead ICE, has said that he would allow such partnerships to continue even though he ended Harris County’s and has criticized the tactic. "Diverting valuable law enforcement resources away from public safety threats would drive undocumented families further into the shadows & damage our community safety," Gonzalez tweeted in 2019. 

‘THE PLIGHT OF AFGHAN REFUGEES’ — With the number of displaced people and refugees increasing around the world, "it is critical that government, business and community leaders not forget the plight of Afghan refugees," Curtis S. Chin and Laura Deal Lacey of the Milken Institute Asia Center write in an op-ed for CNBC. They offer three ways we all can help refugees from Afghanistan and elsewhere: identify trusted organizations that provide financial assistance and support, take time to learn and engage in understanding more about refugees’ home countries, and look at individuals, not just numbers. "It takes a village to make refugees feel welcome. Each of us … can be part of a humane and sustained response to a refugee crisis, whether or not the headlines have moved on," they conclude.  

Today’s local stories include: 

• Tulsa, Oklahoma, recently received "two grants totaling $160,000 which will provide bus passes, driver’s education and contextualized English classes for Afghan refugees all to help them integrate socially and provide economic mobility." (Amanda Slee, KJRH) 
• The Catherine McAuley Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been instrumental in helping Afghan refugees resettle and integrate. "A big joy for me is to see clients we’ve helped who are starting to be able to do things on their own," said case manager and advocacy specialist Caleb Gates. (Elijah Decious, The Gazette)