Yesterday, a Mexican court issued arrest orders for six people in relation to the fire, which killed more than three dozen migrants and injured several others on Monday, report María Verza and Mark Stevenson of the Associated Press. 

Federal Public Safety Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez said 27 migrants remained hospitalized in either serious or critical condition, they note. 

Following the incident, more than 1,000 migrants lined up outside international bridges to El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday after hearing false rumors on social media that the U.S. would allow them entry, a team at NBC News reports.  

"While we were trying to explain to them that the rumors are not true, sometimes you can’t compete with hope," said Betty Camargo of Border Network for Human Rights. 

Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s strategic communications manager, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Dynahlee Padilla-Vasquez and Katie Lutz. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM — A group of evangelical pastors and leaders from across Florida urged Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and state legislators to reconsider SB 1718, an immigration bill that would have serious ramifications for religious liberties, reports Jeff Brumley of Baptist News Global. "If this bill were enacted as currently drafted, it would place Florida’s Christians and churches in an untenable decision, having to decide between obeying biblical commands or facing criminal penalties for showing biblical compassion," said Gary Shultz Jr., senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Tallahassee. 

‘A GREAT WORK OF MERCY’ — Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville is among several Texas bishops urging Catholics to oppose Senate Bill 923, which would prohibit undocumented immigrant children from enrolling in the state’s public schools, per John Lavenburg of Crux. "[W]e cannot gamble with the education of innocent children," Flores said. "To educate a child is a great work of mercy, and it’s a great good for the whole society." 

TRUST NEEDED — Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden recently spoke out against House Bill 10, a Republican-sponsored proposal that would force North Carolina sheriffs to help with federal immigration responsibilities, reports Kayla Young of WFAE. "I want my citizens, my residents, to be able to come and tell me when a crime happened," McFadden said. 

SPONSORS — American citizens who are sponsoring their relatives under a new humanitarian parole program are working to help defend that program in court, Priscilla Alvarez of CNN reports. The Biden administration’s program for migrants from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, and Cuba creates a legal option that averts journeys to the border. 

USCIS MILESTONE — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has begun hiring staff for a new virtual service center to help process requests for humanitarian immigration relief while reducing backlogs and processing times, reports Suzanne Monyak of Roll Call. Among the requests are crime victims with U visas, domestic abuse survivors under the Violence Against Women Act, and more. 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara