Migrant encounters at the border increased nearly 33% from June to July according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) data released on Friday, reports Nick Robertson of The Hill. 

July’s data also shows the highest monthly tally of family apprehensions since the end of last year, writes Maria Sacchetti of The Washington Post.  

Officials have said that the increase of families could be related to rumors spread by smugglers about potential protections for adults traveling with children even if they cross the U.S. border unauthorized. 

"Smugglers have lied to people, saying that there won’t be consequences for people who arrive in family groups, and we want to clarify that this is not true," said Department of Homeland Security spokesman Luis Miranda at a Spanish-language news conference on Thursday. 

In May, after the end of Title 42, the Biden administration implemented new restrictions to reduce illegal border crossings. But in recent weeks, officials have had to counter smugglers’ messaging with news and radio outlets in Latin America, Sacchetti notes. 

Thousands of asylum seekers and migrants remain in Mexico waiting to cross the border, as reported by Patrick M. Davis of the Texas Standard. Drivers of migration stay the same despite the changes to U.S. policies.  

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

NEW ROUTE – An alternative route to the U.S. from Mauritania has spread on social media increasing migration from this African country, report Jake Offenhartz, Patrick Orsagos and Renata Brito of the Associated Press. From March to June, more than 8,500 Mauritanians crossed the Southern border illegally, the teams note. Nicaragua has become the new entry point to the region since the country allows Mauritanians "to purchase a low-cost visa without proof of onward travel." 

SUPPORT— Ariana Figueroa of States Newsroom analyzes how some of the resettlement challenges for Afghan evacuees are linked to their legal limbo and how Congress could offer a permanent solution. Separately, in the Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma, former Vietnamese refugees in the community have welcomed and supported Afghan neighbors despite cultural and religious differences, writes Bobby Ross Jr. of The Christian Chronicle. "I have a lot of sympathy for them," said Hong Kluver. Ross also writes about grassroots ministry to Afghan refugees that has become a significant outreach effort by member of Texas’ NorthWest Church of Christ. 

WORKFORCE – Chris Anstey of Bloomberg writes on how political clashes over the situation at the border have diverted attention from the need for increasing legal migration to strengthen the labor force. A similar analysis is presented by Johannes Lang and Zuzana Cepla in an op-ed for The Hill. "American policymakers need to wake up to a new reality: The country is running out of workers, and immigration must be part of the solution," Lang and Cepla write. 

ALTERNATIVE FOR UKRAINIANS – The Biden administration announced on Friday the extension and redesignation of temporary protected status (TPS) for Ukrainians, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News. Nearly 26,000 Ukrainians who currently hold TPS status could renew their enrollment in the program through April 2025. In addition, the new designation date would allow around 166,700 more Ukrainians in the U.S. to apply for the program. 

Thanks for reading, 

Clara 

P.S. Check out the story of a Ukrainian refugee who found a new community through his passion for a local football team in Philadelphia. (Sapna Bansil, The Philadelphia Inquirer)