From Ali Noorani, National Immigration Forum <[email protected]>
Subject H-4 Visas
Date April 8, 2022 2:07 PM
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THE FORUM DAILY

 

To our readers: We'd love your feedback on The Forum Daily (formerly
Noorani's Notes) via this survey
, which will be open through April
22. Thank you! 

With the debate focusing squarely on the U.S.-Mexico border, a new
Morning Consult/Politico survey indicates that most voters are concerned
about the perceived lack of a plan for when Title 42 is lifted next
month, reports Jeff Brumley of Baptist News Global
.
While 60% of Democratic voters support lifting Title 42, "just 31% of
independents and 8% of Republicans feel similarly," according to the
poll.  

With some Democrats in Congress raising flags as well, Rebecca Beitsch
and Rafael Bernal of The Hill

offer that "[t]he friendly fire is in many ways a result of
the Biden administration's failure to define the Trump-era policy
for itself, at once decrying it as a bad immigration tool and defending
it as a public health necessity." 

In a recent letter to DHS, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) wrote, "Title
42 is an emergency order and should not stay in effect indefinitely,
especially as we continue making headway in combating the COVID-19
pandemic. But we should not end this policy without ample
preparation." 

Immigration advocates working closely with migrants at the southern
border, such as Al Otro Lado, agree, having expressed their concerns to
the administration about the lack of information surrounding the pending
Title 42 lift, reports Anabel Muñoz of ABC7

in Los Angeles. 

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) performative border response
"might help him win reelection, but it won't do anything to help at
the border," as I wrote in an op-ed for The Daily Beast
. 

As the brilliant Laura Collins, Director of the Bush Institute-SMU
Economic Growth Initiative of George W. Bush Institute, writes
,
"Ending Title 42 at the border is the right thing to do, but it is not
enough. Congress must seriously consider nimble legislative solutions to
improve border security and the legal immigration system." 

Welcome to Friday's edition of The Forum Daily, formerly
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
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**H-4 VISAS** - On Thursday, U.S. Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Georgia)
and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida) introduced legislation

that would help address labor shortages and help immigrant families, per
Lalit K Jha of the Press Trust of India
.
The proposed bill, known as the H-4 Work Authorization Act, would grant
the spouses of immigrants with H-1B visas the opportunity to work as
soon as they received their H-4 visa. "This bill removes these needless
barriers to ensure families can contribute and prosper together,"
Bourdeaux said. "If we are going to continue to be competitive and
attract the greatest minds and talent around the world, we must ensure
that the family members of high-value immigrants are able to build a
life and a career in the United States, just like everyone else." 

NETWORK OF HELP - First, a weekend must-read from one of my favorite
writers: For Politico
,
Amanda Ripley writes about the Afghan women who fought the Taliban -
and are now resettling in the U.S. Then, more good: A family vacation in
Los Angeles turned into a grassroots community effort to help Afghan
refugees temporarily housed at a hotel, reports Danny Schwartz of The
Detroit Jewish News
.
After meeting Shafi, a former interpreter for the U.S. military who was
staying at the hotel with his wife, mother, and two small children,
Metro Detroiter Karen Farber got to work, and her efforts blossomed into
a heartwarming network of help. "I think this is a forever friendship.
We now have an Afghan family," Farber says. 

Elsewhere in local welcome: 

* Atlanta's Frazer Center has recently hired seven Afghan refugees as
new teachers, helping to combat a labor shortage: "It's a four-month
pilot program in which the refugees, who are paid interns, become
certified as childcare instructors and will qualify for full-time
jobs. As they teach, they also learn English three days a week." (Mark
Strassman, CBS News
) 

* In collaboration with communities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,
M+M Two Wheelers, Lower Merion Township Police, and HIAS Pennsylvania
are donating bikes to Afghan refugees. (Beccah Hendrickson, WPVI
) 

**UKRAINE WELCOME** - Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, is
trying to accommodate the more than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees who have
increased its population by 20%, reports Joanna Kakissis of NPR News
.
To assist refugee students with language barriers and cultural
adjustments, for example, the country has hired some Ukrainian refugees
as teacher's aides. "We want to offer the students security, not just
an education," said Bozena Miko, a local Krakow elementary school
principal. Meanwhile, in California, some Ukrainian refugees are finding
comfort thanks to volunteers at Calvary Christian in Chula Vista,
reports Joe Little of NBC San Diego
.
Also worth noting: The Biden administration released data
on arrivals via the
refugee resettlement program in March - including, well, not many
Ukrainians. 

WELCOMING ALL - Refugees from Africa deserve as much attention and
care as those from Ukraine, Sylvia Agaba, originally from Uganda and a
graduate student at Wheaton College, writes in the Daily Herald
.
Noting that we do not choose our parentage, birthplace, race, or skin
color, she draws a parallel with Jesus' birth, his family's flight,
welcome in Egypt. "America must not forget that just as the Ukrainians
did not ask for the invasion, civilians in the Sahel did not invite this
aggression," she writes. "They find themselves victims of circumstances
and, like the Ukrainians, desire safety, security, and the response to
basic needs. ... [L]et our actions demonstrate our impartial solidarity
with those suffering from war and injustice worldwide." 

Thanks for reading, 

Ali

 

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