Deportations have ramped up since the end of Title 42. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), about 85,000 migrants have been "repatriated" since May 12, up 65% from the same period last year, reports Gabe Gutierrez of NBC News.

The increase comes as the Biden administration has been touting a 42% drop in illegal border crossings since its new policies took hold in May.

And border-related efforts are affecting DHS finances, with billions of dollars in shortfalls across the department, Stef W. Kight writes in Axios. DHS is planning to ask Congress for an extra $2 billion to ensure it can maintain those efforts through the end of September, Kight reports.

"Managing a broken immigration system operating under decades-old laws takes significant resources and funding," a DHS spokesperson told Axios.

Welcome to Friday’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, Christian Blair and Ashling Lee. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].

DESPERATION — Despite a new parole program combined with border-enforcement measures, millions of displaced Venezuelans still present a challenge for the U.S., report Michelle Hackman, Juan Forero and Santiago Pérez of The Wall Street Journal. Venezuela’s economic crisis and a lack of jobs, and sometimes hostility in other countries, are among the factors pushing people to migrate or continue traveling north. "The journey hasn’t been easy," said migrant Nolbert Coy. "If I don’t make it, at least I made the attempt."

TEXAS PERSPECTIVE — In Texas Monthly, Christopher Hooks offers an eye-opening inside look at the dynamics of the border and immigration conversations in his state. Reports of sanctioned cruelty toward migrants "hearken back to some of the darkest days in Texas history," Hooks writes, then parses out the context around the state’s Operation Lone Star. The full piece is well worth a read.

ALONE — Afghan evacuee "BH" was 17 in August 2021 when he and his family tried to escape Kabul as the Taliban took control. But he was the only one to make it out, Tom Bowman and Lauren Hodges of NPR report. Christ Church in Alexandria has helped support BH and other resettled Afghans. As for people such as BH’s family members still stuck in Afghanistan, the Pentagon is looking to speed visa processing, J.P. Lawrence reported recently in Stars and Stripes.

Meanwhile, stories of local welcome continue to inspire:

Across the country, scholarships have provided displaced Afghan students, such as Fahima Sultani, an opportunity to pursue their education and to build a better future. (Jamie Stengle, Associated Press)
In Iowa, Shir Agha Safi, an Afghan refugee who experienced the horrors of war, relates his own story of finding hope and purpose in the U.S. Now, through his nonprofit, Safi helps fellow Afghans to adjust to their new lives. (As told to Lee Rood, Des Moines Register)
In Washington County, Maryland, six Afghan families are rebuilding their lives with the support of the Refugee Welcome Network. (Katharine Wilson, The Herald-Mail)

H-1B LOTTERY — Good news for certain U.S. employers who need workers: A second visa lottery will be held to reach the annual H-1B limit for fiscal year 2024, Andrew Kreighbaum reports in Bloomberg Law. Registrations for the first lottery, in March, suggested that some employers might be trying "to game the lottery system."

Thanks for reading,

Dan