Issue 29: November 7, 2022
In this issue...
We're covering Puerto Rico's challenges in managing hurricanes destruction and a worsening crisis in Mozambique as a result of natural disasters and violence. We're also covering the devastation of recent flooding in Pakistan and the surge of Russian migrants fleeing their country due to Russia's war with Ukraine.
US Immigration Policy Update
By Marin Theis
Biden grants Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopians in U.S.
Due to the displacement caused by the civil war in Ethiopia, President Biden has granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Ethiopians already residing in the US.
TPS protects people who cannot safely return to their home countries from deportation from the US. According to Department of Homeland Security policy, in order to qualify for TPS, a country must meet one or more of three conditions: “ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions.” The Ethiopian designation will last for 18 months, and applies to any Ethiopian nationals or those who previously resided in Ethiopia habitually.
The war, centered around the northern region of Tigray, has caused nearly 2 million people to leave their homes since it began in 2020. The Council on Foreign relations reports that nearly 5.1 million people have been displaced.
In a loss for immigration rights activists, negotiations to extend TPS protection for 337,000 immigrants from other countries collapsed in late October. Immigrants from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nepal fought to have their designation extended, but they failed to come to an agreement with the Biden Administration. After the Trump administration attempted to end TPS for these countries, these immigrants may lose their rights to live and work in the US as soon as next year.
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Department of Homeland Security announces increase in H-2B visas
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will nearly double the amount of H-2B visas available for fiscal year 2023. Of the 64,716 new visas available, DHS will reserve 20,000 for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras. New regulations will allocate more visas to returning workers, and create an H-2B Returning Workers Taskforce to increase worker protections.
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Puerto Rico Remains Under-Equipped to Manage Frequent Hurricanes it Faces
By Jack Elworth
On September 18, Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico as a Category One storm, bringing upwards of 30 inches of rain and widespread devastation. The storm winds and rains swept roads and bridges away, decimated the power grid, destroyed homes, and crippled critical infrastructure across the island. In the following days, less than a tenth of the population had electricity and less than a third had access to drinking water, according to an Accuweather report. Days grew to weeks, and now weeks to months as many Puerto Ricans still lack electricity and potable water. Landslides and flooding destroyed millions in crops and an NPR report estimated the resulting economic loss to be in the range of billions of dollars. Though the scope and severity of this storm shocked many, this tale of devastation in Puerto Rico certainly isn’t a novelty.
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Hurricanes and tropical storms have plagued Puerto Rico for centuries. Among the most disastrous and recent of which are the 2017 pair of Maria and Irma, the former trailing the latter by a mere two weeks. Maria, widely regarded as the worst natural disaster to affect Puerto Rico in recorded history, was an unprecedented disaster by every metric.
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But if Maria was unprecedented, and Fiona was a gentler storm than Maria, why was Puerto Rico so vulnerable to such a predictable disaster? Contrast Puerto Rico’s saga to Florida’s: Florida, just like Puerto Rico, has experienced massively destructive hurricanes in the past; in fact, many hurricanes hit both Florida and Puerto Rico. The natural disasters have been largely the same: Hurricanes Andrew and Charley both killed dozens and caused billions of dollars in damages.
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But, in 2022, Florida survived Hurricane Ian, among the strongest storms to strike the United States, with negligible damage to infrastructure and property. For example, Punta Gorda’s Charlotte High School in Florida, entirely destroyed by Hurricane Charley, sustained “barely any structural damage” according to a Reuters report during Hurricane Ian. Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico, a New York Times Magazine article reports that hundreds of schools have closed, most in some part due to storm damage. Those that were rebuilt after Maria were destroyed by Fiona. Both Puerto Rico and Florida have and continue to receive massive amounts of funding from the federal government, both in order to recover from the immediate disaster and to better prepare the state and territory for inevitable future disasters.
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The key difference between the two situations appears to be governance. Florida, in the wake of disastrous storms, efficiently used resources to rebuild and prepare for the eventuality of another massive storm. Florida effectively revamped its building codes, as demonstrated by the Charlotte High School anecdote. Scientists and pundits alike credit Florida’s improved building codes––among the strictest in the nation––for the remarkable lack of property damage in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
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Local and state governments took steps to protect critical infrastructure. Many Floridians regained power in the days after the storm, and electrical companies were able to restore power to nearly all Floridians within a week of Ian’s landfall. Meanwhile, in the prelude to 2022’s hurricane season, Puerto Rico was attempting to bring consistent electricity to its inhabitants; weather-proofing the island’s system wasn’t even on the horizon. Unlike Florida, Puerto Rico never really recovered after Hurricane Maria.
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Corruption and poor leadership has long plagued the Puerto Rican government. The government’s inefficiencies surely bear a fair amount of blame for Puerto Rico’s feeble and unprotected infrastructure. Despite the federal government’s huge grants to the territory for the purpose of recovery and rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Maria, only a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars of aid had been parceled out and utilized by the ineffective Puerto Rican government.
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However, Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory also contributes to its problems: the territory has no voting representatives in Congress, yet still must abide by all U.S. laws. Puerto Rico’s problems are not a priority in Washington, and there’s no one on Capitol Hill to force action.
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In the days after Fiona struck, fuel was scarce but needed. The federal government struggled to get the requisite supply to the island, but a BP diesel tanker remained near the island and had offered to supply Puerto Rico with the much-needed fuel. The problem, however, was that the 1920 Jones Act required all shipping between U.S. ports to be carried out by ships flying the American flag; this BP tanker was flying that of the Marshall Islands, and accordingly could not dock in Puerto Rico. The Biden Administration eventually waived the act for the BP tanker after bipartisan pressure. Despite the eventual alleviation, a law which Puerto Ricans had no say in delayed much needed supplies.
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President Biden’s response to the natural disaster received high marks from a number of pundits. Mr. Biden announced a state of emergency and swiftly dispatched federal funding and FEMA aid. But reactions to President Biden’s moves have not been entirely positive: others scrutinized the President’s lethargy in visiting the disaster-stricken territory, especially in comparison to his widely publicized appearances with potential 2024 opponent Ron DeSantis in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Ultimately, poor disaster recovery and disaster protection left Puerto Rico greatly susceptible to another storm. If Puerto Rico cannot recover effectively or protect itself sufficiently from the next one, even more destruction will only be inevitable.
Mozambican Humanitarian Crisis Worsens As Violence and Natural Disasters Grow More Devastating
By Jade Xiao
Since October 2017, violence by the armed insurgent group, the Islamic State in Central Africa, has displaced around 783,000 people in the Cabo Delgado region in Mozambique, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Recently, multiple tremendously destructive tropical storms ravaged the nation, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. According to a report by the Center for Strategies and International Studies, over 1.5 million people are in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance, and internal displacement has increased by 35% since last June.
The Islamic State in Central Africa has been active in Mozambique for years. However, violence intensified recently, when Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed their Mission (SAMIM) along with the Rwandan police and military and Mozambican Defense Armed Forces (FDS) to combat the Islamist group. The attacks by non-state armed groups in Mozambique have involved a number of atrocities, including murder, decapitation, and dismemberment of bodies, sexual assault, abduction, forced recruitment, and torture, according to an interview with UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov. A press release by Solidarités International estimates that as of 2021, approximately 2000 people have died as a result of the violence.
Cheshirkov stated in the same interview that between January and mid-March of 2022, these attacks displaced about 24,000 people in the Nangade district alone. The arrival of foreign armed forces has also altered the locations and tactics of the attacks, threatening the lives of even more citizens, as approximately 6,000 people have been displaced in 2022 thus far, according to an interview with the Director of Division of International Protection at the UNHCR, Grainne Ohara.
Tropical cyclones have further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and dramatically increased the need for aid.
According to a report from the UNHCR, in 2022 alone, five tropical storms have landed in Mozambique. On January 24th, Tropical Storm Ana affected about 181,000 people, and on March 11, Tropical Cyclone Gombe, the strongest storm to hit Mozambique since 2019, affected over 736,000 people. Nampula City suffered tremendously, with over 380,000 people affected and seeking aid in this region, according to a UN article. The Maratane refugee camp was likewise affected, with 80% of the shelters damaged and over 27,000 people in need of assistance, according to Ohara.
The extreme influx of displaced Mozambicans as a result of these events has put many host communities and refugee camps at risk of food and resource insecurities. According to the report from CSIS, the cost of food in Cabo Delgado increased by 161%. Due to a lack of funding, the World Food Programme (WFP) cut their assistance in half and could no longer provide aid for all 1.1 million food-insecure people, only giving aid to those in severe crises, according to the CSIS. Thus, many communities struggle to house and support the displaced peoples.
Furthermore, the violence had decimated much of the already-rare resources and led to severe overcrowding. 80% of provincial health infrastructures were destroyed, limiting the health services available, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The construction of an accommodation center was terminated due to security issues, aggravating the overcrowding.
With constant risk of attacks, absence of ample health support, overcrowding, and food insecurity, over 141,884 displaced people returned to their homes, despite the persistent threats. Children, women, elderlies, and people with disabilities and HIV/AIDS are particularly at risk from the violence.
Non-governmental organizations (NGO), along with the Mozambican government, have been supporting the communities and displaced people in affected regions. However, the underfunding, violent conflicts, and scarcity of resources hinder the progress.
Here are a few resources to help the people in Mozambique:
Floods in Pakistan: a Repeating Climate Change Catastrophe in Need of Aid
By Harrison Huang
Located in the Monsoon Zone stretching from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, Pakistan is prone to heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides. This year, devastating amounts of rainfall, coupled with an unprecedented magnitude of melted glaciers from mountainous regions, inundated one-third of the country, washing away villages and displacing over 8 million people.
Flash floods––rapid inundation in typically less than 3-6 hours––in particular are a strikingly frequent occurrence. Flash floods disproportionately affect the urban areas of the nation more than the countryside, for the near-impervious cement and asphalt surfaces of urban settings do not allow water to seep underground to relieve its enormous accumulation. Such was the case in the Balochistan province of Pakistan during a particular episode, when Balochistan lost communication with the rest of Pakistan overnight due to intermittent flash floods.
By Harrison Huang
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Climate change affects weather patterns, and the floods in Pakistan are just one of many proofs of the devastation of the current climate crisis. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture than a colder one, and certain geographic characteristics increase a region’s susceptibility to excessive amounts of rainfall. As the climate warms, many regions already susceptible to high precipitation may only experience even greater amounts.
According to a Pakistan Institute of Development Economics report on the Water Crisis in Pakistan, the country relies heavily on the use and reuse of groundwater, a practice that weakens surrounding soils and the water table. In addition, Pakistan has little infrastructure that manages and treats water flow. As a result, over 80 percent of water supplied is considered unsafe and water scarcity continues to strain the country, according to the OCHA and the Asia Foundation.
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The monsoon season between April and September may have passed, but Pakistan still desperately needs relief and a solution for more sustainable water management to defend itself against the ever-worsening effects of climate change. It is also important to bear in mind that monsoons are a periodic, annual occurrence, and Pakistan, as well as many other Southeastern Asian countries, are victims of this repeated natural disaster.
If you would like to support aid efforts for Pakistan flood and displacement relief, here are some organizations that you can donate to:
UNICEF operates on funds and helps deliver drinking-safe water, food, and medical supplies to people affected by the floods. They regularly update their progress on relief via Twitter @UNICEF_Pakistan.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) are currently working to offer emergency assistance including shelter, water, and food.
Substantial Emigration of Russians Demonstrates Internal Dissent of War with Ukraine
By Nick Costantino
On September 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of reserve forces, drafting 300,000 men to active duty. Since then, at least 200,000-700,000 Russians, mostly upper-class people with the money to leave, have fled Russia in an attempt to escape the draft. Most have gone to either Kazakhstan or Georgia through land borders, but others have also gone to many different countries on flights and some have even crossed into the E.U. over land. The E.U. is strengthening their border security after the influx of Russian migrants.
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Countries like Georgia and Kazakhstan do not require a passport for Russians to enter, a fact which has made it far easier for Russians to cross these borders. However, E.U. countries, especially Poland and the Baltic states, have tightened their borders and have categorically ruled out expanding their asylum categories to include Russians fleeing conscription, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The Russian government has also set up a database for people that have already been conscripted and has sent this information to border security to check everybody attempting to cross the border; people who are caught trying to escape the draft can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in Russia, so anybody who has already been drafted is taking a huge risk to try to flee. However, those that are eligible for the draft but have not actually been drafted can still leave the country without any risk of being imprisoned.
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Some countries, like Poland and the Baltic states, want these Russian citizens to stay in Russia, but these people are fleeing for their lives. An anti-Putin protester from Saint Petersburg named Anton believes that it's ludicrous to expect “a crowd of unarmed civilians facing an army to do something,” according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. As more and more Russians escape Russia over the coming weeks, countries will need to prepare for an influx of more migrants, even after many countries are still reeling from a massive influx of Ukrainians.