This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
Samayra’s son stopped eating after he was separated from his father at the Texas border in June 2018. Her son and his father arrived in the U.S. seeking refuge after leaving behind poverty and violence in Honduras. By the time her son was reunited with his family, Samayra said he was so undernourished she could not recognize him. And even when he was reunited with his family in Los Angeles, the child became quiet, had difficulty in school and could not concentrate on homework. Experts say families who were separated at the border struggle with anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, guilt, fear of separation and changes in behavior. AZCentral
Immigrant-Owned Restaurants Struggle During Pandemic in California
About 40,000 restaurants in California have closed since last year, according to Yelp. Immigrant- and Black-owned restaurants are mainly at risk for closing. The California Restaurant Association learned 60 percent of those restaurants are owned by people of color, but the $2.2 trillion CARES Act did not reach many minority-owned businesses. Ashok Kumar, an immigrant from India and owner of Punjab Palace, is one of thousands of restaurants facing this problem. The buffet had to start providing takeout only, and now Kumar and his family do not make enough to pay the restaurant’s rent of $12,000. The New York Times
USPS Delays Immigration Papers Due to COVID-19
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recognized postal service delays due to COVID-19 restrictions are increasing filing times and delaying scheduling for appointments to collect biometric data. USCIS says the delays are also affecting receipt notices for immigration applications and petitions filed at USCIS lockbox facilities. The agency’s Office of Intake and Document Production assembles and mails identification documents, including permanent resident cards or green cards and employment authorization documents. It also sends immigrants receipt notices four to six weeks after they file an application or petition with a USCIS lockbox. Miami Herald
Trump Visiting U.S.-Mexico Border
President Donald Trump is expected to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday to mark the completion of 400 miles of the border wall. The government built hundreds of miles of fencing as tall as 30 feet in the last few months of Trump’s presidency. His administration focused areas where the wall could be built the fastest to achieve his promise of 400 miles of fencing. Construction crew blasted hills and bulldozed habitats in national wildlife refuges and on American Indian land to complete it. This visit will be Trump’s first public appearance since a violent mob of his followers attacked the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The Associated Press
Mural Portrays Immigration Policy in San Fernando
Lalo Garcia, a South California artist, has finished creating a temporary art installation called “Children in Cages,” which the San Fernando City Council approved back in September. The mural displays the U.S. federal program handling migrant children in detention at the border. It shows children sitting in a crowded room behind a physical chain link fence. City leaders hope the collaboration with a nationwide coalition of artists will continue to push immigration to the top of national policy discussions. The mural will be on display until March. ABC7
