Rumors have it that today the Trump administration will celebrate completion of its 100th mile of border wall in Yuma, Arizona. Some questions we have for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership:

o What is old and refurbished, versus new construction?
o How does DHS justify the taking of private land in order to build the border wall?
o How does DHS justify sending asylum seekers to demonstrably dangerous places while they wait months for court hearings?

Some resources for the news media from the National Immigration Forum:
• Fact sheet on the use of eminent domain along the southern border
• Working paper on how to address the increase of Central American migrants
• Fact sheet on border security along the southwest border
• Podcast episode on demystifying the southern border

Welcome to this Friday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me [email protected].

NUMBERS – For the seventh consecutive month, the number of migrants arrested or turned away by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) at the southern border declined, Nicole Narea reports in Vox. Crossings are down 70% from a peak of 130,000 in May. “Fewer migrants typically try to cross the border during the winter, when below-freezing weather at night can make the journey all the more hazardous. But the percent decline in those arriving at the southern border over recent months exceeds what could be attributed to seasonal trends...”

TWO CASES – The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco heard two important challenges to Trump administration rule changes yesterday, Bob Egelko reports in the San Francisco Chronicle. At issue was (1) the ban on entry for immigrants who lack private health insurance — “two of the three judges expressed doubt that President Trump was acting within his legal authority.” And (2) an asylum ban on anyone who passes through another country without seeking refuge there first — the same panel of judges “seemed undecided.” As we noted yesterday, a federal appeals court in New York denied the Trump administration’s attempt to lift a nationwide injunction barring the “public charge” rule from being implemented.

UNTIL THINGS CHANGED – For decades, Bismarck, North Dakota, hosted refugees from around the world, writes Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times. Newcomers “greet shoppers at Walmart, process beef at the Cloverdale Foods plant, run the register at Arbys, clean the Holiday Inn and drive for Uber.” But then President Trump took office, and some local politicians are now reassessing their relationship with immigrants in smaller places far away from Washington. Bismarck’s mayor, Steve Bakken, “became a leading proponent of closing the door on more refugees, arguing that homeless veterans need help more than those fleeing war on another continent.” (For now, Bismarck is still accepting refugees — but opponents are already campaigning for the next vote.)

TEACHING HISTORY – Teachers at Boston Latin School are rethinking how to teach history — specifically, the history of America’s involvement in Central America — in order to more accurately teach the reality of immigration today, Anna-Cat Brigida writes in Yes Magazine. “The sample curriculum ends with a lesson on immigration, in which students can exchange their ideas — but only after learning about the history of the countries’ migrants flee.”
KENTUCKY – A bill banning “sanctuary” policies by police departments or public agencies in Kentucky has led to sharp words exchanged on both sides of the argument, Jack Brammer reports in the Lexington Herald Leader. While there are currently no cities with sanctuary policies in Kentucky, the bill “was pre-filed last year after Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said ‘our city only assists ICE when there are arrest warrants issued from a judge, or there is a clear danger to public safety.’ She said that policy had been in place for 20 years.”
HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA – If it’s a “shame” that immigration changes the “fabric” of a culture — as President Trump said in 2018 — then surely the increase of immigrants of South Asian ancestry to Canada means “ice hockey would be on its way out, and cricket, a far more popular sport in India, would be ascendant in the Great White North. In fact, the opposite is the case. Instead of threatening this quintessential Canadian institution, immigrants are strengthening it at a time when it needs the help.” Shikha Dalmia writes for Reason that the Punjabi Indian diaspora — especially in Canada — is in fact very much into hockey. Supported by shows like Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition, “Nothing says ‘Canadian’ to them more than watching a game at Scotiabank Arena wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.”

BETWEEN A WALL AND A HARD PLACE – For Season Three of our podcast, “Only in America,” we’ll be releasing a series of episodes that dive deep into some of the most complex questions about our immigration policies. This week we released a trailer for the first series of the year: Between a Wall and a Hard Place, a journey across the U.S.-Mexico border to better understand the region — and how border policies create even more disorder for migrants and Americans. Have a listen.

Thanks for reading,

Ali