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NOORANI'S NOTES

 

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which will be open through April
22. Thank you! 

The Ukrainian refugee crisis tells a larger story about the increased
displacement of people worldwide, writes Zachary B. Wolf for CNN
. 

In addition to the 3.6 million Ukrainians who have fled the country, as
of mid-2021, a total of 84 million people have been forcibly displaced
from their homes due to political unrest, natural disasters, or economic
factors, according to UNHCR
. Ukraine's situation
ranks among the world's worse refugee crises in recent history, writes
Drew DeSilver of the Pew Research Center
. 

While the U.S. recently agreed to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian
refugees, evangelical churches in Poland are stepping up to support
millions, report Sophia Lee and Jeremy Weber for Christianity Today
.
But with space and resources quickly dwindling, Polish pastors are
asking Christians across the globe to pray to end the war. 

Meanwhile in the U.S., both the treatment of Ukrainians compared to
other refugees - and the process to seek asylum at the border
- are cause for concern. 

Most new arrivals from Ukraine have been able to enter the U.S. via
humanitarian parole, but for Russians and other groups seeking asylum,
the steps are "less clear," reports Alicia A. Caldwell of The Wall
Street Journal
. 

"In many other regions of the world - far too many - the devastation
inflicted on millions of innocents is no less real and no less cruel,"
said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi via statement
Thursday, per Claire Parker of The Washington Post
.
"The right to seek and gain asylum is universal. It is not conditional
on the colour of your skin, your age, gender, beliefs or birthplace.
Respect for refugee rights is not open to interpretation or
negotiation." 

CNN
's
Arwa Damon, who covered the Syrian war in 2015 and wrote a personal
op-ed earlier this month, shares a similar sentiment: "We are painfully
seeing that refugees are selectively welcomed, and war criminals are
selectively punished. It's not just the Western media that is biased;
it's the Western world." 

Last night, I spoke with MSNBC's

Alicia Menendez about the situation in Ukraine and what the United
States must do.  

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] .
And if you know others who'd like to receive the Notes, please spread
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**AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT** - While the U.S. response to Ukrainian
refugees is a welcome step, there is still "unfinished business" to
resettle and welcome more Afghans and allies, Matthew Soerens of World
Relief writes in an op-ed for The Hill
.
Private citizens, corporations, and faith organizations like Soerens'
have worked tirelessly to resettle and integrate Afghan refugees across
communities in the U.S. But with an estimated 40% being granted
temporary parole to stay in the U.S., growing backlogs mean it may take
years (if at all) for them to earn permanent legal status. "We must not
forget them, even as new global crises emerge," Soerens writes. "It's
time for Congress to pass a bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act." 

VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS - Ismailkhail, a former Afghan soldier, fled with
his family to Orange County, California, last summer, reports Ben Brazil
of The Daily Pilot
.
Now, the four of his seven children he was able to bring to the U.S.
have been learning "what it's like to be in a U.S. classroom," via a
program providing services at the hotel where they are temporarily
housed. Provided by the county's Department of Education, the service
"is just getting them to the point where they can transition into a
comprehensive school and be able to communicate and understand what the
teacher is saying," said Christine Olmstead, the Department's chief
academic officer.  

On local welcome: 

* United Methodist Church in Traverse City recently hosted a dinner "to
show their support for Afghan refugees that have settled in northern
Michigan," including Khan and his family. "Usually people say extended
family, but I'm not using that word," said Khan of the church members.
"They are my family." (Nicole Long, WPBN/WGTU
) 

* In partnership with Michigan State University, U.S. Rep. Elissa
Slotkin (D) and others helped facilitate the evacuation of 69 Afghan
refugees with connections to the university, welcoming them at Dulles
International Airport in Virginia on Tuesday. (Riley Beggin and Melissa
Nann Burke, The Detroit News
) 

TITLE 42 - Congressional lawmakers, public health experts, and
immigration advocates are urging the Biden administration to "end the
divisive health-border policy," Title 42, reports Krista Mahr of
Politico
.
Under the policy, authorities have expelled almost two million migrants
to Mexico under the guise of public health since 2020. "The idea that
Title 42 is being kept in place for anything other than a purely
political decision is preposterous at this point," said Immigration Hub
executive director Sergio Gonzales. "How can we expect other countries
in Europe to welcome refugees while keeping in place this terrible
policy which completely undermines our country's values?" Title 42
comes up for CDC review every 60 days, with the next deadline on March
30. 

**AGING OUT** - Athulya Rajakumar came to the U.S. from India at age
four. Now 23, she has been switching from visa to visa to legally stay
in the U.S. after aging out of her mother's visa protection, reports
Mary Ann Koruth of NorthJersey.com
.
For immigrant children whose parents have legal status, turning 21 means
potentially aging out of their dependent's visa protection - a
provision not covered under DACA. "DHS could have updated DACA to
ensure that children who have legal status also qualify... Just like
they prioritized preserving DACA for Dreamers from day 1, they could
also say they want to protect these children from aging out and
self-deporting," said Dip Patel, president of Improve the Dream and a
Documented Dreamer. "So many people have already had to leave, right? So
it's something they need to do." 

Thanks for reading, 

Ali 

 

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