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With Title 42 ending in May, Democrats are alarmed with the lack of current guidance on how to lift the pandemic-era order and targeted messaging phasing the policy out, reports Sabrina Rodriguez of Politico.
"[T]he party has been unable to settle on a unified message on immigration and border policy — a disconnect the party cannot afford with their slim Senate majority hanging in the balance."
Said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada): "We should be working to fix our immigration system by investing in border security and treating immigrant families with dignity. Instead, the administration is acting without a detailed plan."
For the Boston Globe, Marcela García breaks down the "long shelf life" of Title 42, its
implications on the immigration system, and next steps the administration needs to take in order to "unravel the chaos and backlogs, and deliver consistently humane asylum policies."
Meanwhile, a Morning Consult/Politico survey shows that the move to end Title 42 is the Biden
administration’s most unpopular decision so far, per Cameron Easley.
A majority of registered voters — 56% — oppose the decision, which is "the largest backlash against a Biden administration policy among dozens tracked by Morning Consult since January 2021." 60% of Democratic voters support the move, while just 31% of independents and 8% of Republicans do.
As Easley notes, the findings underscore the challenge the Biden administration faces moving forward from Title 42.
But it must be done. And if we want border security that weakens the cartels, keeps us safer and treats immigrants with dignity, Congress needs to pass legislation.
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BORDER OPERATION — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R)’s multibillion-dollar border initiative was meant to combat cartels, in addition to drug and human smuggling — but instead it has centered on arresting migrants seeking asylum at the southern border, reports Jolie McCullough of The Texas Tribune. An investigation by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica, and The Marshall Project found "that trespassing cases represented the largest share of the operation’s arrests, despite Abbott’s focus on arrests of people accused of serious crimes. "What we are seeing is terrible," said Gastón, an asylum seeker and former human rights attorney, who fled from Venezuela and was later detained in a Texas prison for months. "That in the 21st century we are seeing how human beings crossing the river to seek protection from the U.S. government are being criminalized by the Texas governor."
CUBANS FLEEING — According to the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, 47,000 Cubans arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border between October and the end of February. "That number is larger than the 39,303 Cubans who came in the entire fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2021, a figure that already marked a steep increase over previous years," reports Nora Gámez Torres of the
Miami Herald. Political strife, widespread poverty, and a lack of educational and economic opportunities are among the reasons Cubans are fleeing. "Many young people are trying to emigrate
because they are looking for a better future, but they also saw closely what this regime is capable of doing to those who decide to confront or oppose it openly," said Abel Cartaya, a Cuban entrepreneur.
ALL REFUGEES — While the world is currently focused on Ukrainian refugees, we must also remember that all refugees deserve sympathy and compassion, South Sudanese refugee and community activist Nhial Deng writes in an op-ed for Al Jazeera. "Where were these world leaders, corporations and universities when armed invaders attacked and burned my village just 11 years ago? Where were the people of goodwill offering for me to stay with them instead of being stuck in a refugee camp for a decade?" We should use the international community’s support for
Ukraine as a model, Deng writes, and "repeat this successful example in other geographies and conflicts. Because every child, every human being, everywhere, deserves peace and a place to call home."
‘A PORTRAIT OF GRACE’ — Churches in North Carolina are spearheading efforts to build community with Afghan refugees, reports Margaret Colson for The Baptist Paper. "It is a beautiful portrait of grace to see God using His people to show His love to those who feel such hurt and abandonment from their previous lives," said Patrick Fuller, executive director of the Raleigh Baptist Association. Jason Lief, one of our field mobilizers, offers his personal take on building community with immigrants and Afghan refugees — and what the Christian community needs to do to
advance these efforts.
- Former U.S. diplomat Deborah Alexander and other volunteers have been working nonstop to assist Afghans with asylum and visa applications. (Ruchi Kumar, NPR)
- Framingham, Massachusetts-based Open Kitchens Project and Hospitality Common Inc. helped gather 65 people virtually "to learn about the experiences of Afghan refugees and watch a traditional Afghan appetizer prepared." (Mary Ellen Gambon, Patch)
WORK SOLUTIONS — The "obvious — and much-needed" step to improve U.S. labor shortages is immigration reform, writes The Washington Posts’ Editorial Board. 9.5 million people are currently waiting for their legal immigration paperwork to be processed by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. "More funding and more staffing is the clear way to address all of these backlogs," said Julia Gelatt of the Migration Policy Institute. (Recently, DHS announced a
new asylum rule that would help institute a more humane and orderly process for asylum application processing, as noted in our statement.) "Companies are desperate for workers. Millions of legal immigrants want to work in the United States. This shouldn’t be so hard to fix," the
board concludes.
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