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During the Trump administration, the CDC implemented Title 42 at the start of the pandemic. Under the policy, many migrants at the border continue to be expelled without being able to make a case for asylum in the U.S. — even though the public-health rationale for the policy has all but disappeared.

In Axios, Stef W. Kight and Alayna Treene summarize the minefield for the Biden administration as it reportedly prepares to lift Title 42 in May. "Republicans are already testing harsh new border messages for the coming midterm ad war," they report, and although many Democrats have called for Title 42’s end, others are expressing concern.

Elsewhere in dangerous border policies, Adolfo Flores and Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News report on the extremely dangerous conditions migrants face while waiting in Mexico under the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), another Trump-era policy, this one still in effect because of a court order.

The pending asylum rule changes the administration has announced should set the table for better border management. Title 42 and MPP have been a boon to cartels and dangerous to migrants, and Title 42 has inflated border numbers as previously expelled migrants try repeatedly to reach the U.S.

Rather than holler, Republicans and Democrats in Congress should meet their responsibility to find solutions on border security and management — and on the broken U.S. immigration system that helps drive this situation.

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

‘A MATTER OF WILL’ — Speaking of solutions, the words of Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) continue to offer some hope. Emergency visas for medical personnel (per Durbin) and protections for DACA recipients (per Cornyn) are among the possible areas of compromise on immigration reform, Warren Rojas reports in Business Insider. As Jorge Lima, senior vice president of policy at Americans for Prosperity, notes, recent polling [including from the Forum and the LIBRE Initiative] shows support for solutions for the border as well as Dreamers and farmworkers. "If Congress wants to add more to that, I think we would be excited," Lima said. " ... [W]e definitely think it's a very positive and impactful first step — if they can get it done." On whether the Senate could find some consensus before the November election, Cornyn suggested it’s possible: "I think it's just a matter of will."

LIMBO — Despite the Biden administration’s promise last week to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, those arriving at the southern border are in legal limbo, Alicia Victoria Lozano of NBC News reports. Without a direct way to seek asylum, some have been stuck at the border for a day or longer while relatives in the U.S. worry. At a makeshift holding area in Tijuana, "Packed into a long line littered with food and water, hundreds of Ukrainians crammed together in recent days to stay out of the wind and rain," Lozano reports. "There is no rhyme or reason why they treated people like this," said Mark Lehmkuhler, who had been waiting for his fiancée to be processed. "Nobody was prepared." Julia Ainsley, Yuliya Talmazan and Didi Martinez of NBC News share additional stories.

RESETTLEMENT REFLECTIONS — Leaders of the Wisconsin National Guard were key to helping Afghan refugees who were temporarily housed at the Fort McCoy military base. This week they reflected on their experiences with KSTP. The Guard oversaw 12,600 Afghan nationals and provided shelter, food and clothing, in addition to translation services, resettlement efforts, and medical support such as administering COVID-19 vaccinations. The evacuees have since resettled in communities across the country. Lt. Col. Cory Newmann, a liaison officer for the Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff, said the mission was "incredibly meaningful … I will never forget it as long as I live." Our digital map continues to highlight Afghan resettlement and welcome efforts in the U.S.

On the local front:

On Sunday, Pilar’s Foundation hosted a fundraiser at the Zion Lutheran Church to raise funds for Afghan resettlement and services in Washtenaw County, Michigan. (Cecilia Duran, The Michigan Daily)
Also in Michigan, the Community Chorus of Detroit is helping a three-generation Afghan family get settled and integrate. (Quinn Klinefelter, WDET)
With financial and emotional support from parishioners and volunteers at the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Salimees family was able to resettle in Elkridge, Maryland, after fleeing from the Taliban. (Priscila González de Doran, Catholic Review)

BAIL BONDS — On Tuesday, a U.S. District Court barred ICE and Southern California immigration judges "from setting unreasonable bonds for detained immigrants" based on their financial situation, reports Scott Schwebke of The Orange County Register. Immigrants who are unable to pay high cash bonds are often forced to stay in detention while awaiting a decision on their asylum applications. "The settlement puts a stop to the government’s shameful practice of incarcerating immigrants without even considering their ability to pay a bond," said Michael Kaufman, the Sullivan and Cromwell Access to Justice senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. "The Constitution forbids incarceration based on poverty, for citizens and noncitizens alike." Added Michael Tan, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project: "No one should be locked up because they don’t have the money to buy their freedom."

Thanks for reading,
Dan