On Tuesday, Florida lawmakers approved a sweeping bill targeting undocumented immigration, in line with much of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) framework. 

Among other concerns, the legislation would invalidate driver's licenses issued by other states to immigrants without legal status and make hospitals collect information about their patients' immigration status, reports John Kennedy of the Tallahassee Democrat. The bill also would bar DACA recipients and other students with work authorization from practicing law in the state. (Read more about these concerns here.)  

The crackdown is expected to have far-reaching consequences for key industries in Florida from agriculture to tourism, Skyler Swisher reports for the Orlando Sentinel. It also is likely to discourage immigrants from seeking critical medical care and cause confusion. 

And yet it’s not as bad as it could have been. As Swisher notes, in-state college tuition for certain Dreamers remains in place. And the bill does not include language that would have made it a felony to transport people within the state who lacked legal status — after evangelical Christians and other faith leaders raised concerns "they could be arrested for giving immigrants rides to church services or Sunday school." 

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Alexandra Villarreal, Clara Villatoro and Katie Lutz. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

TROOPS TO THE BORDER — Nearly 1,500 military personnel will be sent to the border in preparation for the end of Title 42 and likely increases in migrant arrivals, Natasha Bertrand, Priscilla Alvarez and Haley Britzky report for CNN. The troops will serve in administrative roles and not as law enforcement, but the measure has raised concerns. "[D]eploying military personnel only signals that migrants are a threat …. Nothing could be further from the truth," said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey). The Forum has raised concerns previously about similar actions. 

DEPORTATIONS TO MEXICO — Mexico has agreed to accept non-Mexican migrants deported from the U.S. after the expected lift of Title 42 next week, Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports in CBS News. The agreement will allow the U.S. to quickly remove migrants who don’t qualify for asylum but whose return to their countries of origin is complicated by diplomatic issues or other obstacles. The U.S., in turn, will continue accepting Venezuelans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans through the Biden administration's new parole programs, per a White House statement. 

MINNESOTA MICROCOSM — Last week we noted a new study from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development on how immigration could address the state’s labor shortage. Howard Schneider of Reuters has more on how the state could be a harbinger: "In a dilemma offering a glimpse of the country's future if birthrates and immigration remain low, companies are competing for workers from a labor pool little changed since 2017 and projected to see ‘next to no growth over the next decade,’" per Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower.   

AFGHAN REFUGEES — A new documentary film, "Starting From Zero," follows three Afghan refugees after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, as they take long journeys to find safety for themselves and their families. "It's a story about the human spirit, really," director Hassan Amini told NPR and WBUR’s Here & Now. "And, you know, obviously being a refugee is the extreme example. But we all take knocks in life, and, you know, we have to get up and carry on." 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan