In a disappointing move, Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Friday that Texas — which resettled more refugees than any other state in 2018 — is the first state to refuse refugee resettlement.

As I told Nicole Cobler for the Austin American-Statesman, “the governor has crumbled in the face of a lot of fear mongering, and along the way I think he's undermining the economy of the state.”

Lisa Gray at the Houston Chronicle reminds us of what’s at risk with this new policy, exploring the struggles and contributions of one Congolese refugee family that has successfully resettled in Houston: “The Alimasis are clearly a success story in a city that for decades has been a hub for refugee resettlement. The hardworking couple show just how well refugees can do in Houston, even when they arrive with little to no English and no highly marketable skills. But their story also shows how daunting the odds are against people like them."

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

EXPANDED TRAVEL BAN – The Trump administration is reportedly “considering dramatically expanding” its controversial travel ban to seven additional countries — the majority of which are Muslim, reports the Associated Press. “A document outlining the plans — timed to coincide with the third anniversary of Trump’s January 2017 executive order — has been circulating the White House. But the countries that would be affected if it moves forward are blacked out,” according to two people familiar with the plans.

YES, IT'S TRUE – Idaho state Sen. Jim Guthrie (R) has introduced new legislation to give special driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants to better support the state’s agricultural economy, reports John O’Connell in the Idaho State Journal. “One of the responsibilities of the Legislature is to be responsive to the needs of constituents, and I’m hearing a very considerable need for this from my constituents...I genuinely think it will help agriculture, and I’m getting a receptive ear on the issue,” said Sen. Guthrie. Yes, it’s true: Smart, constructive Republicans in conservative states exist.

GOLD RUSH ROOTS – In a guest piece for the Los Angeles Times, NPR’s Steve Inskeep explores how anti-immigrant sentiment and legislation have been a part California’s history since its earliest days. When California’s first U.S. senator introduced xenophobic legislation in 1850 to only grant mining permits to U.S. citizens during the Gold Rush, a “shockingly frank Senate debate revealed the true purpose of this clause: denying people of certain races and nationalities their chance to strike it rich.”

SHOWING UP – Despite President Trump’s calls to end the practice of releasing migrants from custody while their immigration cases are pending — often referred to as “catch and release” — new data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University shows that almost all asylum seekers show up for their court date — regardless of whether they are held in federal detention. Vox’s Nicole Narea reports: “The latest data from TRAC shows that nearly every asylum seeker showed up for their court hearings over the course of 2019. That’s even though the vast majority of asylum seekers — about 4 in 5 — were not detained at all or had been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before their court date.”

KOBACH IN KANSAS – With Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announcing that he will not run for U.S. Senate in his home state of Kansas, immigration hardliner Kris Kobach stands to benefit, writes Adam Shaw at Fox News. “Kobach is seen as the favorite for the party’s primary, but Pompeo could have shifted him out of that spot if he had elected to run. With the latest development, Kobach is optimistic about his chances in the primary and subsequent election in November.”

ARIZONA’S LEGACY – 10 years after Arizona’s infamous Senate Bill 1070, which “sought to make Arizona the strictest state in the nation for cracking down on undocumented immigrants by turning local police into de facto immigration agents,” Daniel Gonzalez at the Arizona Republic explores the law’s legacy and consequences in the state. “Arizona once had the second largest percentage of undocumented immigrants of any state. But the share of the state’s population that is undocumented dropped significantly after SB 1070, the state’s immigration enforcement law signed in 2010.”

Thanks for reading,

Ali