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The Biden administration plans to lift Title 42, a public health rule restricting entry at the U.S.-Mexico border, in late May, per Eileen Sullivan of The New York Times. Whether the CDC will end Title 42 gradually or all at once remains to be seen, she notes.

Since the Trump administration put the rule into effect in March 2020, it has resulted in 1.7 million expulsions of migrants who have had no opportunity to request asylum.

As we noted yesterday, the timeline looks to coincide with a new asylum rule the administration announced last week. That rule can be part of an orderly, more humane process — we need to do better than rely on a rule that has proved dangerous for migrants and beneficial to smugglers and cartels, and whose public health rationale is outdated.

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP, filling in for Ali today and tomorrow. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS — Andrew Kreighbaum of Bloomberg Law takes a closer look at the Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus, which is urging Republicans and Democrats in Congress to pass bills protecting farmworkers, Dreamers, and Temporary Protected Status recipients, "paired with investments in border security." (The Forum is among the alliance’s 30-plus members.) Legal challenges to DACA and TPS affect "hundreds of thousands of workers that a lot of companies rely on," said Jorge Lima, senior vice president of policy at Americans for Prosperity. "The uncertainty makes it very difficult for businesses to make decisions." In the Baptist Press, Tom Strode reports on the efforts of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, a member of the alliance, to encourage Congress to permanently safeguard Dreamers.

‘FOOD ON AMERICANS’ TABLES’ — Immigration reform can be the solution to Idaho’s farm labor shortage, write Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Bryan Searle, president of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, in an op-ed for the Idaho Statesman. "The need to address the extreme labor shortage is incredibly urgent. We don’t want more waste and empty shelves in stores because workers are not available to harvest crops," they write. They call for meaningful reforms to stabilize the existing workforce, improve the economy, and better the program for agricultural guest workers. "We strongly urge the Senate to pick up negotiations and get to work so that our farmers and our farm workers can continue to work putting food on Americans’ tables," Simpson and Searle conclude.

NEW RESETTLEMENT OFFICE — Church World Service recently opened a new office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to meet the demands of Afghan resettlement and beyond, reports Daniel Urie of The Patriot-News. The office aims to provide case management support and employment services to help refugees achieve "long-term self-sufficiency and success" in their new communities. Today the office is hosting a welcome event featuring the Oscar-nominated documentary "Flee," which centers on an Afghan refugee’s journey. "Most people are aware of the humanitarian disasters in Ukraine and Afghanistan, but we can’t lose sight of the other long-term issues from other parts of the world," said Alex Swan, the office director for Church World Service-Harrisburg. (Michael Cavna at The Washington Post has more on "Flee’s" Oscar nominations, and Mia Galuppo of The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on its upcoming adaptation as a YA Graphic Novel.)

Elsewhere on the local front:

In partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has welcomed 108 Afghan evacuees since December 2021, offering medical and cultural support, among other integral services. (Gina Christian, CatholicPhilly.com)
The Edmonds School District in Washington is utilizing a tool called Edmond’s-Hub, a facility transpired from the pandemic "where [Afghan] families from across the district can get homework help, do laundry, access services, and use the district’s food pantry." (Kalie Greenberg, KING 5 News)

ELLINA’S FLIGHT — For the Tennessean, Brad Schmitt tells the harrowing journey of a mother and her three young girls’ escape from war-struck Ukraine. "I had a picture in my mind that I’m running from the evil that’s chasing me," she said. "It was self-saving mode …" Eventually, Ellina Lesnik and her daughters found refuge at the home of friends in Williamson County, Tennessee, with whom they connected through the evangelical Christian movement in Kyiv. But she had to leave her husband, with whom she established a church and a Christian-based sports academy, behind — as well as her mother, sister, and niece. "... Imagine you have a life, a community, a job, a ministry, and suddenly you leave to go to a place for who knows how long and wait ... for what?" Lesnik said. For more on Ukrainian women making tough decisions to flee with their children, see Luke Johnson’s powerful piece in The New Republic.

Thanks for reading,

Dan