Today the White House is expected to roll out a new policy restricting visas for pregnant women.

Matthew Lee and Colleen Long report for the Associated Press that the new policy “raises questions about how [consular] officers would determine whether a woman is pregnant to begin with, and whether a woman could get turned away by border officers who suspect she may be just by looking at her. … Consular officers don’t have the right to ask during visa interviews whether a woman is pregnant or intends to become so. But they would have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the U.S. primarily to give birth.”

Keep in mind that other than estimates from the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies, “there are no figures on how many foreign women travel to the U.S. specifically to give birth."

And for this week’s installation of “Only in America,” I chat with Sami DiPasquale, a faith leader in El Paso working to support migrants and migrant shelters along the US-Mexico border. We talked about migrant shelters in the border region, how the faith community is helping, and the challenges they face in doing so.

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

FUTURE OF FARMING – The American agricultural industry — historically dominated by an aging generation of white men — is experiencing major growth in the number of immigrant farmers that are bringing new crops and practices to every corner of the country. In Gaithersburg, Maryland, “[Tanya] Doka-Spandhla, who came to the U.S. two decades ago, said she started her farm in 2015 because she missed food from home. … On summer weekends, her three-acre farm in Gaithersburg is a buzzing hub for Montgomery’s expanding West African population,” Rebecca Tan writes in The Washington Post. Some of the best stories I hear on the road are of 4-H chapters engaging immigrant youth.

FAMILY BAN – Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, writes in Forbes that the Trump administration’s travel ban is primarily affecting American citizens — not foreign countries — who are trying to live together with foreign-born family members in the U.S. “The administration’s travel ban caused the number of Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens — the spouses, children and parents of Americans — who received permanent residence in America from the five majority-Muslim countries (Yemen, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Syria) to decline by 69% between FY [fiscal year] 2016 and FY 2018, according to a National Foundation for American Policy analysis.”

MUSICAL DREAMS – A new original musical opening this month in Phoenix, “¡Americano!,” will bring the plight of thousands of Dreamers to center stage by telling the true story of 29-year-old Tony Valdovinos, reports Kerry Lengel in the Arizona Republic. “Growing up in the shadow of 9/11, Valdovinos’ biggest dream was to fight for his country as a Marine. After discovering a family secret at the worst possible moment, he despaired for his future, but ultimately he decided to get to work, reinventing himself as an activist and entrepreneur doing the work of political activism at the street level.” “¡Americano!” opens January 29 at Phoenix Theatre.

NEW PRESIDENT, SAME AGREEMENT – The administration of new Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei announced Wednesday that it will continue its controversial agreement with the U.S. to receive Central American asylum seekers, Sofia Menchu reports for Reuters. “[Foreign Minister Pedro] Brolo said his government was in the process of determining if other nationalities will be included in the U.S. asylum deal, which the government of former President Jimmy Morales struck in July. … Brolo said a delegation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was due to visit Guatemala for further discussions on migration.”

HOPEFUL DAY IN COURT – A federal judge signaled in court Wednesday that he may soon “side with migrants in a lawsuit that alleges extreme overcrowding and inhumane conditions at some of the Border Patrol’s facilities in Arizona,” reports Astrid Galvan for the Associated Press. While a final ruling is not expected until at least next week, attorneys suing the Border Patrol are hoping that U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury could issue a “broad order” to improve overall conditions in detention facilities, including providing migrants with beds after a certain amount of time detained, more layers of clothing and access to showers.

Thanks for reading,

Ali