3.5 Million Ukrainians Flee Country, Using Data to Create Change, Upcoming Immigrant Events, and More.
I was off last week for Spring Break, but back in the publishing rhythm this week. There’s a lot of news to catch up on, but I continue to do my best to give you the headlines, links to the most relevant stories and insights you might not see elsewhere, my own hot (and cold) takes on what’s happening in immigration policy, and alerts about immigration events where you can learn more—all targeting a general audience. If you care about immigration and want to be part of a learning community that goes beyond the headlines and the polarization, you are my people.
3,557,245 Ukrainians Have Fled the Country Since February 24
According to the UNHCR, between February 24 and March 21, 3,557,245 Ukrainians have fled the country. Poland remains the most common destination. Many more are now displaced from their homes inside Ukraine and are counted as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).
As I often tell my students, almost any humanitarian crisis in the world will eventually reach the United States. In the past week, many reports have come out about Ukrainian refugees reaching the US-Mexico border and being turned away due to Title 42, the Trump-era policy dubiously based on public health concerns surrounding the pandemic that allows border officers to turn away migrants at the border.
There may be some indications that the Biden administration is creating a carveout for Ukrainian refugees. But for now, Ukrainian refugees and now even Russian refugees who have been targeted for protesting Putin’s war in Russia are arriving at the border seeking safety.
Vice News has a really terrific video below that interviews a Ukrainian and Russian woman together on the Mexican side of the San Ysidro port of entry just south of San Diego, California. While Russians and Ukrainians are pitted against each other in the war, these two women find solidarity in their shared displacement. (Warning: it’s a tear-jerker.)
“Just the Facts: Using Immigration Data To Effect Change”
I recently sat down with Carl Hamad-Lipscombe of Envision Freedom's Dismantling Injustice podcast to talk about the role of data in fostering understanding and contributing to a more fair society. If you want to understand more about how TRAC works and learn how to use data effectively to effect change, give the podcast a listen. And as always, feel free to reach out with feedback, questions, comments, criticisms, etc. How are you using data to effect change in your world? (Link to podcast webpage here.)
561 People Took the Immigration Quiz
Last week, I posted an immigration quiz online for people to take. The quiz included 20 questions related to basic information about the US immigration system and migration studies more generally. Amazingly, 561 people took the quiz—which is far more than I would have expected. The average across the board was 77% (which is quite respectable) and there were about 50 people who got a 100%. Click on the Twitter thread below to review the questions and see the answers. A few people reached out to ask if they could borrow the questions for their own class, to which I say, “absolutely!”
Here’s a link to my previous post with a link to the quiz (now closed):
Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia Recognized for Leadership
Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, immigration law professor at Penn State and a rock star of the immigration legal world, was recently recognized for community leadership. Shoba is the founder and director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State Law. Among her many written works, I can definitely recommend her book “Banned: Immigration Enforcement in the Time of Trump.”
Upcoming Event on Immigration and Racial Capitalism with Emily Mitchell-Eaton
My colleague Emily Mitchell-Eaton, a geographer at Colgate University, is presenting on immigration and racial capitalism at an upcoming workshop from #ImmigrationAND. Immigration AND is a justice-oriented program exploring interdisciplinary issues within immigration in order to convene intersectional imagination and pursue collective liberation founded by Prashasti Bhatnagar. More information about upcoming events is available below.
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That video is required viewing. Those two women ... powerful stuff.