Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2022

This Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2022 Report to the Congress is submitted in compliance with Sections 207(d)(1) and (e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This report provides the following information required by those sections: 1) A description of the nature of the refugee situation; 2) A description of the number and allocation of the refugees to be admitted, and an analysis of conditions within the countries from which they came; 3) A description of the plans for their movement and resettlement and the estimated cost of their movement and resettlement; 4) An analysis of the anticipated social, economic, and demographic impact of their admission to the United States; 5) A description of the extent to which other countries will admit and assist in the resettlement of such refugees; 6) An analysis of the impact of the participation of the United States in the resettlement of such refugees on the foreign policy interests of the United States; and 7) Such additional information as may be appropriate or requested by such members. This report also contains information as required by Section 602(d) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-292, October 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2787) (IRFA), as amended, about religious persecution of refugee populations eligible for consideration for admission to the United States

Local public health workers' perceptions toward responding to an influenza pandemic

BACKGROUND: Current national preparedness plans require local health departments to play an integral role in responding to an influenza pandemic, a major public health threat that the World Health Organization has described as "inevitable and possibly imminent". To understand local public health workers' perceptions toward pandemic influenza response, we surveyed 308 employees at three health departments in Maryland from March – July 2005, on factors that may influence their ability and willingness to report to duty in such an event. RESULTS: The data suggest that nearly half of the local health department workers are likely not to report to duty during a pandemic. The stated likelihood of reporting to duty was significantly greater for clinical (Multivariate OR: 2.5; CI 1.3–4.7) than technical and support staff, and perception of the importance of one's role in the agency's overall response was the single most influential factor associated with willingness to report (Multivariate OR: 9.5; CI 4.6–19.9). CONCLUSION: The perceived risk among public health workers was shown to be associated with several factors peripheral to the actual hazard of this event. These risk perception modifiers and the knowledge gaps identified serve as barriers to pandemic influenza response and must be specifically addressed to enable effective local public health response to this significant threat

Field, capital and the policing habitus: nderstanding Bourdieu through The NYPD’s post-9/11 counterterrorism practices

This article extends existing Bourdieusian theory in criminology and security literature through examining the practices of the New York City Police Department in the post-9/11 counterterrorism field. This article makes several original contributions. First, it explores the resilient nature of the policing habitus, extending Bourdieusian criminological findings that habitus are entrenched and difficult to change. Second, this article examines the way the resilient habitus drives subordinate factions to displace dominant factions in a field’s established social hierarchy through boundary-pushing practices, a concept previously unexamined in Bourdieusian criminology. Drawing on original documentary analysis, this article uses the illustrative example of the NYPD’s post-9/11 counterterrorism practices, exploring how it sought to displace the existing social structure by using its aggressive policing habitus and an infusion of ‘War on Terror’ capital to challenge the dominant position of the FBI in the post-9/11 counterterrorism field. The NYPD’s habitus driven counterterrorism practices were novel and unprecedented, creating strain with both the FBI and local communities

The social production of substance abuse and HIV/HCV risk: an exploratory study of opioid-using immigrants from the former Soviet Union living in New York City

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several former Soviet countries have witnessed the rapid emergence of major epidemics of injection drug use (IDU) and associated HIV/HCV, suggesting that immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) may be at heightened risk for similar problems. This exploratory study examines substance use patterns among the understudied population of opioid-using FSU immigrants in the U.S., as well as social contextual factors that may increase these immigrants' susceptibility to opioid abuse and HIV/HCV infection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 FSU immigrants living in New York City who initiated opioid use in adolescence or young adulthood, and with 6 drug treatment providers working with this population. Informed by a grounded theory approach, interview transcripts were inductively coded and analyzed to identify key themes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The "trauma" of the immigration/acculturation experience was emphasized by participants as playing a critical role in motivating opioid use. Interview data suggest that substance use patterns formed in the high-risk environment of the FSU may persist as behavioral norms within New York City FSU immigrant communities - including a predilection for heroin use among youth, a high prevalence of injection, and a tolerance for syringe sharing within substance-using peer networks. Multiple levels of social context may reproduce FSU immigrants' vulnerability to substance abuse and disease such as: peer-based interactional contexts in which participants typically used opioids; community workplace settings in which some participants were introduced to and obtained opioids; and cultural norms, with roots in Soviet-era social policies, stigmatizing substance abuse which may contribute to immigrants' reluctance to seek disease prevention and drug treatment services.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Several behavioral and contextual factors appear to increase FSU immigrants' risk for opioid abuse, IDU and infectious disease. Further research on opioid-using FSU immigrants is warranted and may help prevent increases in HIV/HCV prevalence from occurring within these communities.</p

Unexpected decline in tuberculosis cases coincident with economic recession -- United States, 2009

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since 1953, through the cooperation of state and local health departments, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has collected information on incident cases of tuberculosis (TB) disease in the United States. In 2009, TB case rates declined -11.4%, compared to an average annual -3.8% decline since 2000. The unexpectedly large decline raised concerns that TB cases may have gone unreported. To address the unexpected decline, we examined trends from multiple sources on TB treatment initiation, medication sales, and laboratory and genotyping data on culture-positive TB.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed 142,174 incident TB cases reported to the U. S. National Tuberculosis Surveillance System (NTSS) during January 1, 2000-December 31, 2009; TB control program data from 59 public health reporting areas; self-reported data from 50 CDC-funded public health laboratories; monthly electronic prescription claims for new TB therapy prescriptions; and complete genotyping results available for NTSS cases. Accounting for prior trends using regression and time-series analyses, we calculated the deviation between observed and expected TB cases in 2009 according to patient and clinical characteristics, and assessed at what point in time the deviation occurred.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall deviation in TB cases in 2009 was -7.9%, with -994 fewer cases reported than expected (<it>P </it>< .001). We ruled out evidence of surveillance underreporting since declines were seen in states that used new software for case reporting in 2009 as well as states that did not, and we found no cases unreported to CDC in our examination of over 5400 individual line-listed reports in 11 areas. TB cases decreased substantially among both foreign-born and U.S.-born persons. The unexpected decline began in late 2008 or early 2009, and may have begun to reverse in late 2009. The decline was greater in terms of case counts among foreign-born than U.S.-born persons; among the foreign-born, the declines were greatest in terms of percentage deviation from expected among persons who had been in the United States less than 2 years. Among U.S.-born persons, the declines in percentage deviation from expected were greatest among homeless persons and substance users. Independent information systems (NTSS, TB prescription claims, and public health laboratories) reported similar patterns of declines. Genotyping data did not suggest sudden decreases in recent transmission.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our assessments show that the decline in reported TB was not an artifact of changes in surveillance methods; rather, similar declines were found through multiple data sources. While the steady decline of TB cases before 2009 suggests ongoing improvement in TB control, we were not able to identify any substantial change in TB control activities or TB transmission that would account for the abrupt decline in 2009. It is possible that other multiple causes coincident with economic recession in the United States, including decreased immigration and delayed access to medical care, could be related to TB declines. Our findings underscore important needs in addressing health disparities as we move towards TB elimination in the United States.</p

Environmental Stewardship Plan for Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of Vehicle Fence, and Related Tactical Infrastructure, U.S. Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, Arizona, Sonoita Station, Arizona

The Project will be implemented in two western sections and two eastern sections. The two western sections include a 2.3 mile section of new TI within the EV-1B alignment and a 3.8 mile section of TI improvements within the EV-1A alignment. The two eastern sections include a 0.4 mile section of new TI within the EV-1B alignment and a 17.7 mile section of TI improvements within the EV-1A alignment. Two staging areas totaling approximately 3.5 acres in size and three previously used storage areas, all of which occur on USFS lands, will be utilized for the duration of the construction period and re-vegetated at the end of the Project. Vehicle gates will be constructed within this alignment to allow USFS firefighters access to Mexico

Environmental Stewardship Plan for the Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of Vehicle Fence and Related Tactical Infrastructure, U.S. Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, Douglas Station, Arizona

Note: this is an extremely large file and may take some time to download. The plan considers the environmental consequences associated with the project to "construct, operate, and maintain approximately 16 miles of tactical infrastructure to include approximately 9 miles of post-on rail fence and 7 miles of Normandy-style fence, and access roads along the U.S./Mexico border in the USBP Tucson Sector, Arizona. The tactical infrastructure will encroach on multiple privately owned land parcels and public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), USFWS, and Arizona State Lands.

Proposed Finding of No Significant Impact: Environmental Assessment for the Proposed SBInet Tucson West Project: Ajo, Tucson, Casa Grande, Nogales, and Sonoita Stations Areas of Operation, U.S. Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, Arizona

"The Secure Border Initiative (SBI) is a comprehensive, multi-year plan established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in November 2005 to secure America’s borders and reduce illegal immigration.

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed SBInet Tucson West Project: Ajo, Tucson, Casa Grande, Nogales, and Sonoita Stations, Areas of Operation, U.S. Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, Arizona

Note: this is an extremely large file and may take a long time to download. Your computer must also have the memory to handle a 115 MB file. When last viewed, the website for this environmental assessment included the report separated into smaller PDF format files and a list of public libraries where the hard copy could be viewed. Includes maps, tables, and bibliographic references. "The Secure Border Initiative (SBI) is a comprehensive, multi-year plan established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in November 2005 to secure America’s borders and reduce illegal immigration.

Arizona Four Years Later -- a Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service: a Cooperative Study Authorized by U.S. Public Law 108-767, Title XXXVI

The results for Arizona presented in this report are based on 55 fire departments that responded, or 42% of the 132 departments in Arizona that were sent forms as part of the 2005 Fire Needs Assessment Survey. The state was part of a national survey of a sample of 27,166 fire departments listed on the NFPA Fire Service Inventory. Response rates varied considerably by size of community protected, with larger communities responding at a rate of 67% to 85%, medium sized communities at a rate of 44% to 52%, and smaller communities (less than 10,000) responding at a rate of 19% to 31%