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On Tuesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced three measures to reduce the growing 9.5 million-case backlog, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News.

USCIS "plans to expand the number of applicants who can pay extra fees to have their immigration petitions adjudicated more quickly, propose a rule that would provide relief to immigrants waiting for work permit renewals and set processing time goals," per an anonymous official.

As of February 2022, USCIS had more than 9.5 million pending applications, "a 66% increase from the end of fiscal year 2019," per agency data. Because of the backlog, asylum seekers and green card applicants have been forced to wait months or years in "legal limbo" while awaiting their documents — subject to losing their jobs and driver’s licenses, notes Montoya-Galvez.

"It is stressful. You’re always worried," said Jairo Umana, a political dissident from Nicaragua seeking U.S. asylum, whose been waiting for his work permit to be renewed for almost a year. "Being out of work triggers a chain reaction: there’s no income, there’s no money for rent, there’s no food."

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UNPREDICTABLE — As the number of Ukrainians who have fled the country passes 4 million, questions remain on whether the mass exodus will continue, report Srdjan Nedeljkovic and Jamey Keaten of the Associated Press. On Monday, "only 45,000 people crossed Ukraine’s borders to seek safety, the slowest one-day count yet." Earlier this month, more than 200,000 people were fleeing per day. Still, UNHCR says "the speed and breadth" of refugees fleeing to neighboring countries is unprecedented. Meanwhile, for FiveThirtyEight, senior applied scientist at ETH Zürich Laura Bronner explains the history of Europe’s support for refugees and why its welcome of Ukraine may be "short-lived." She’s right.

RESETTLEMENT REFORM — In order to stand by the U.S.’s commitment to welcoming 100,000 Ukrainian refugees "without shifting significant resources away from other refugees," the Biden administration and Congress need to reform the refugee resettlement system, the Forum’s policy and advocacy manager Danilo Zak writes for The UnPopulist. First, the Biden administration must establish and safeguard humanitarian pathways for Ukrainians fleeing, in addition to continuing to support Poland and neighboring countries offering them refuge. Second, the administration should consider offering humanitarian parole to Ukrainians with family connections. (But it shouldn’t be the only or primary form of relief). Lastly, reopening refugee resettlement offices slashed under the Trump administration would help with initial resettlement and integration efforts.

‘IT’S A BLESSING’ — For WTOP News, Scott Gelman chronicles the journey of Eltaf Samim, who fled Afghanistan with his family in 2015. After bouncing from one country to the next, Eltaf eventually graduated from Mountain View High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. "I hope that people realize that when you’re living in a community which is peaceful, it’s a blessing," he said. "When [there’s] peace, there’s calm minds, and when there’s calm minds, there’s education … you can improve yourself." He has now secured several scholarships to attend college and aspires to become an entrepreneur.

Locally:

With support from the International Rescue Committee and Catholic Community Services, Utah has been able to welcome about 900 Afghan refugees in the past six months — which Gov. Spencer Cox (R) describes as "the largest resettlement in our state’s history." (Carole Mikita, KSL TV)
Sgt. Nora Mena, Senior Airman Alicea Owen, and Senior Airman Jasmine Brower — an all-women medic team from Tuscon, Arizona — "stepped up alongside other national guardsmen across the country to help provide medical assistance to [Afghan] refugees at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico." (Jamie Warren, ABC 15)
An estimated 90 Afghan children and young adults have enrolled in the Lansing School District’s English language program in Michigan. "The ability to find people to work with our kids and families that have the same language is the bridge between the home, the teachers the school and the kids," said Sergio Keck, the Deputy Superintendent for special populations for the district. (Megan Schellong, WKAR Public Media)

UNDER TITLE 42 — Ruben Garcia, director of the largest migrant shelter in El Paso, is among the immigration advocates waiting and preparing for the Biden administration to end Title 42, reports Lauren Villagran of the El Paso Times. "‘When Title 42 goes away, this will be a sea of cots," Garcia said, referring to a waiting area at Annunciation House that would be used to accommodate an increase in the number of migrants released to their care, following a potential policy lift. "The continued use of Title 42 by the Biden administration is a clear targeting of vulnerable people that the administration sees as political liabilities and not as humans seeking safety in this country," said Shaw Drake, staff attorney and policy counsel for the ACLU of Texas in El Paso. Related: For Time Magazine, Jasmine Aguilera and Madeleine Carlisle dive deep into how the administration’s unclear stance on key immigration policies like Title 42 greatly impacts migrants and families. Worth a read.

Thanks for reading,

Ali