TASK FORCE INFORMATION:
>> Our next meeting will be held on Zoom on Monday, March14th starting at 7:30.

>> I’ll be sending out the minutes from the Feb 14th meeting shortly.

>> In case you missed it: the House passed the Work and Family Mobility Act (H.4461/S.2289) last week with 120 Yes and 36 No votes, driving us one step closer to ensuring safe and secure roads for everyone in our Commonwealth!
The bill has moved on to the Senate. Take action today by asking your State Senator to support S.2289.

Now would also be a good idea to call Denise Garlick to say THANK YOU for voting in favor of the driver’s license bill allowing undocumented foreign nationals to obtain a driver’s license after passing an oral  test and a road test.  We are all grateful for her continued support of immigrants.  Now is the time to also call Sen. Rausch to ask for her support of the bill in the Senate.

 >> I will be rescheduling our speaker from the Needham Community Council.  There was a problem in her receipt of the ZOOM site.

AFGHAN EVACUEES NEWS
>> The World published an article entitled “Afghan evacuees not guaranteed permanence in US”.  For the full article SEE: https://wng.org/roundups/shortcut-to-asylum-proposed-for-afghans-1644530865?utm_source=Recent%20Postings%20Alert&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=RP%20Daily

 >> The International Institute of New England sent the following:  Tell your senators and representatives that they must pass an Afghan Adjustment Act to ensure our new Afghan neighbors can have a safe and stable life in the United States!  The thumbnail sketch is worth reading. SEE: https://iine.salsalabs.org/feb282022aaaaction?wvpId=c696271b-97cc-4577-b678-8ec935f2c26f

LITIGATION:
>> A federal court issued a decision on February 7 invalidating two Trump-era regulations that restricted access to work permits for asylum seekers. In her decision, Judge Beryl Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia found that Chad Wolf had not been lawfully serving as Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) when it issued the two regulations, so the regulations were void from the start.  SEE:  https://immigrationimpact.com/2022/02/09/access-work-permits-for-asylum-seekers/?emci=50b8f316-898b-ec11-a507-281878b83d8a&emdi=56aea797-de8c-ec11-a507-281878b83d8a&ceid=9900747#.YgkhjC-B0Ut

 >> NPR reports  that enforcement guidance issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security last year stating that living in the United States illegally is no longer enough reason to arrest or deport someone is in jeopardy, as a legal challenge against it heads to trial in Texas this week. Under the new guidance, immigration authorities are supposed to consider the “totality of the circumstances” in each case — including whether an immigrant is caring for a family member or has a potential pathway to legal status. 

NATIONAL NEWS:
 >> The pandemic has seen demand for doctors, nurses, and other critical healthcare workers soar across the country, leading to workforce shortages. 2.8 million immigrant healthcare workers continue to play a vital role in the fight against Covid-19. In a Congressional hearing on Feb 10th,  members of Congress examined the health care workforce shortage and heard from public health professionals about the need for recruiting, revitalizing and diversifying the labor force in this industry. This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council provides an overview of the importance of immigrants to the U.S. healthcare workforce. (Note that there are +/- 109,000 foreign born health care workers comprising +/- 27% of the health care work force in MA.). SEE: https://research.newamericaneconomy.org/report/covid-19-immigrant-healthcare-workers/?emci=50b8f316-898b-ec11-a507-281878b83d8a&emdi=56aea797-de8c-ec11-a507-281878b83d8a&ceid=9900747

>> Gallop has published the disturbing results of polls indicating dissatisfaction with US immigration on the rise.  SEE: https://news.gallup.com/poll/389708/dissatisfaction-immigration-level-rises.aspx   (This result does not help in convincing Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.)

>> On Feb 23, Bloomberg News reported on immigration advocates ask  Pres. Biden to exercise his executive powers to remedy some immigration issues.  SEE:
https://about.bgov.com/news/stymied-immigration-advocates-ask-biden-to-build-something-new/

 >> CNN reports  on a study released February 24th,  that showed that Black male immigrants are less likely to be approved for United States citizenship than white immigrants. Researchers at the University of Southern California analyzed more than 2 million citizenship applications filed by U.S. permanent residents between October 2014 and March 2018 and found racial disparities among those whose applications were approved.

 LOCAL REQUEST:
>>Cinzia Solari  (cinzia_solari@hotmail.com ) sent along the following: Please urge the Biden administration to grant Ukrainians fleeing Russian aggression TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) to eligible Ukrainians already here: https://p2a.co/monTFsR?utm_source=General+List&utm_campaign=6c2a28ce81-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_25_10_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e4451d0ede-6c2a28ce81-87666602&mc_cid=6c2a28ce81&mc_eid=c948005206\     Urge the Biden administration to act swiftly to protect Ukrainians in the U.S. and prepare for Ukrainian refugees (p2a.co )

 >> The Needham Community Council  English Language Learners program will hold a training session for tutors on March 9.  Contact Julie Tovar  for detailed information. (jtovar@needhamcouncil.org )

 So much is happening so fast, it’s hard to keep up.

Stay safe

Gerry Rovner