The Biden administration’s asylum policy shift after lifting Title 42 has transformed the way asylum seekers and migrants are processed along the southern border, report Nick Miroff and Toluse Olorunnipa of The Washington Post.  

June presented the largest decline in apprehensions at the border since Biden took office. And new facilities have been set up for those who pass the border with a CBP One appointment.  

The strategy is based on the belief that reducing the chaos and illegality of migration is more feasible than trying to stop it. But officials also acknowledge that it is too soon to tell whether their new approach can achieve lasting effects, write Miroff and Olorunnipa.  

There’s also a catch on the other side of the border: A new report describes the dangers asylum seekers have faced since the end of Title 42, reports Alicia Victoria Lozano of NBC News. Human Rights First attorneys and researchers interviewed more than 300 migrants and asylum seekers in Mexican border cities such as Reynosa and Matamoros. 

"Under the asylum ban, people seeking this country’s protection are forced to wait for months in Mexico where they are targeted for kidnapping, sexual violence, and exploitation," said co-author Christina Asencio.   

Recent visits indicate that conditions at camps continue to deteriorate quickly as temperatures soar, clean water is scarce, and criminals are taking advantage of people seeking asylum.  

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

INCREASING DANGER — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection document warns that razor wire set up by the state of Texas along the Rio Grande is preventing Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants in distress, report Benjamin Wermund and Jeremy Wallace of the Houston Chronicle. The wire is part of Operation Lone Star, implemented by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). Buoys Abbott is placing in the river are raising additional concerns about migrants’ risk of drowning.  

INELIGIBLE — A new generation of undocumented children is cut off from the temporary protection Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) offers, Suzanne Monyak reports in Roll Call. Citing a FWD.us report, Monyak notes that "the majority of the nation’s approximately 120,0000 undocumented high school graduates this year are not eligible for DACA because of the [2007] cutoff date," and the percentage will only increase with time. Yet more reason for Democrats and Republicans to work together on lasting solutions — and in The Hill, Jennie sounds a note of optimism on that score. 

FLORIDA HEALTH CARE — Florida hospitals are collecting citizenship information from patients according to a new state law, and advocates are keeping a close eye, reports Ana Goñi-Lessan for the Tallahassee Democrat. "Hospitals have discretion regarding the exact language and level of detail included in the required disclaimers," said Julie Hauser of the Florida Hospital Association. 

TEACHERS’ WELCOME — Teachers in Chicago are holding regular classes for refugee children, hoping they will provide some normalcy and prepare them for new schools in the fall, writes Crystal Paul for Chalkbeat Chicago. Classes focus on teaching English, while maintaining the child’s native language and incorporating elements from their cultures into lessons. "The more we can help them feel like there’s a desire to understand who they are first … that’s where connections can be forged," said teacher Melissa Faccini Deming. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan