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A new report shows that Latinos were responsible for 9.2% of Ohio’s economic growth during the decade ending in 2021, reports Peter Gill of The Columbus Dispatch. In general, Ohio is relying on immigrants for some of the most in-demand work fields. Although immigrants represent only 4.7% of Ohio’s population, they make up 24.7% of physicians and 23.1% of postsecondary teachers. "Overall, the view is immigrants are quite good for the economy," said Mark Partridge, economist of Ohio State University. More evidence we need them: Labor shortages still have dairy processing plants operating below capacity. The situation is "a threat to business viability" and could evolve into food insecurity, J. David Carlin of the International Dairy Foods Association writes in an op-ed in Dairy Foods. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act aims to improve the situation for farmers and farmworkers, but the bill is dormant in Congress. "[A]ccess to a more stable workforce would decrease business expenses, which will help lower food prices at the grocery store," Carlin writes. "... It’s never too late to do the right thing." Meanwhile, Census Bureau data indicate that today’s migration numbers in the U.S. are not historically high, David Bier of the Cato Institute writes in USA Today. "[T]he past decade has seen unusually slow growth in immigration" — slowest since the 1960s, he notes. And that’s causing economic strain. "The solution? We need people," Bier writes. "We need workers across all skill levels to drive our economy, support our aging population and maintain our global competitive edge." Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Clara Villatoro and Katie Lutz. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. KEEPING THE PROMISE — The Afghan Adjustment Act "would help settle the moral debt America incurred with its botched withdrawal," Sierra Dawn McClain writes in a Wall Street Journal column. Afghans such as Daryoosh Kabeer, an experienced military pilot who for two decades helped the U.S. military fight the Taliban, cannot make long-term plans given their legal limbo. Bipartisan action in Congress could halt their legal uncertainty. "Keeping its promise to them is the least America can do," McClain writes. BISHOP’S TAKE — The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops migration committee praised the refugee resettlement cap for the fiscal year that began Sunday, Carol Zimmermann of The Tablet reports. At the same time, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso [also a Forum board member] raised concerns about a drop in allocated spots for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. "We welcome the administration’s efforts to increase resettlement from the Western Hemisphere, while reiterating that this should not come at the expense of other populations," Seitz said. ACCOUNTABLE — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) urged the Biden administration to offer broader support to cities seeing high numbers of migrant arrivals, reports Mitch Smith of The New York Times. "We ask that the White House and the administration continue to look for ways to ‘cut the red tape’ and speed up the work authorization process by all means necessary," Pritzker wrote. OVERCOMING BARRIERS — A nonprofit in Plano, Texas, stepped up to help after recognizing that a language barrier was keeping highly educated immigrants in low-paying jobs, reports Haeven Gibbons of The Dallas Morning News. The Storehouse, a nonprofit mainly known for its work as a food bank, has set up educational and job partnership programs to help educated immigrants rebuild their careers. Thanks for reading,
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