Some wealthy nations around the world are overcoming opposition and attracting foreign workers to help meet job needs and counter inflation, Tom Fairless reports in the Wall Street Journal. 

But. 

"The U.S. remains an outlier," Fairless writes. "Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have arrived through back channels, but the country isn’t openly welcoming more legal workers, despite the tight labor market. That hesitancy carries economic costs." 

The list of our "global rivals" allowing more immigration includes Germany, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Spain. But "The U.S. hasn’t made any significant immigration reforms in 33 years," Fairless notes. 

"I do think more migrant workers would reduce the inflation rate," said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R).   

Meanwhile, as the Biden administration attempts to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., executives in the energy and engineering industries are calling for more foreign labor, Amanda Chu and Alex Irwin-Hunt write in the Financial Times. "Sending the most brilliant, foreign-born, U.S.-educated talent to work somewhere else is just ludicrous," said Patrick Wilson, an executive at MediaTek.  

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, Keylla Ortega, Samuel Benson and Katie Lutz. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

WHERE AMERICANS AGREE — Despite immigration gridlock in Congress, Americans agree on some aspects, Andrew Dorn writes for NewsNation. A majority of both Republican and Democratic voters support "highly skilled" migration to the United States. The Forum’s February polling is a highlight as well, Dorn reports: Majorities support protections for asylum seekers and targeted border and immigration solutions. 

BORDER TOWN REALITIES — Border town residents hope that national attention will lead policymakers to address issues that affect their communities as well as the ones that affect migrants, reports Ashley Lopez of NPR. When it comes to migrants at the border, "It's not at all the picture that … people want to portray — or those dehumanizing terms like 'waves' or 'surges' of people, it's much more like families and individuals among the most vulnerable in the world," said Dani Marrero Hi of local organizing group LUPE.  

NEW LAW’S IMPACT — After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a sweeping immigration law last week, farmers and advocates are warning of economic repercussions, reports Ivan Taylor of CBS News Miami. John Alger of Alger Farms Inc. said he’s worried about his employees’ fear for family and the potential labor shortages. "Get ready to pay more at the grocery store," he warned.   

THE NEW MAYOR — Congratulations to Nigerian immigrant Yemi Mobolade, who made history Tuesday as the first Black candidate to be elected mayor of Colorado Springs, as Sandra Fish and Jesse Paul report in the Colorado Sun. Mobolade co-founded two popular restaurants in the city. He concluded his victory speech by noting that his father passed the citizenship test last week. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan