A former boss would end in-person conversations by saying, "Keep the faith."

This was at a job unrelated to immigration or advocacy, and at the time I found it enigmatic. But the phrase came to mind this morning, reading about the Biden administration’s resumption of deportations to Venezuela and again about a new section of border wall. (Nick Miroff and Maria Sacchetti report on both in The Washington Post.)

We continue to read about increasing migration and its attendant challenges. And the leading Republican presidential candidate is speaking about migrants in a way that sounds alarming echoes, as Laura Barrón-López noted on PBS NewsHour this week.

So I remind myself, and you: We can offer a different way. The leaders we need, as Jennie pointed out this summer, are the leaders who offer hope and solutions. Americans overwhelmingly want these kinds of solutions for the border and immigration — and I have to keep faith that we’ll choose leaders who move us toward them.

There’s some good news at this moment, too. Yesterday the State Department announced that refugee admissions during fiscal year 2023, which ended Saturday, totaled 60,014. That’s the highest since 2016, and September’s total of 8,762 was the highest for a single month since October 2016. More work lies ahead to further strengthen our resettlement system and make the "ceiling" of 125,000 meaningful, but this is a noteworthy step forward. Read our statement here, and take another look at Jennie’s recent LinkedIn post.

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 Clara Villatoro, Jillian Clark and Katie Lutz. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].

U.S.-MEXICO — "We believe in bridges, not in walls," Mexico Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said yesterday amid a meeting with American officials, per Dave Graham of Reuters. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The secretaries’ meeting with Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador focused on combating fentanyl and organized crime, as well as easing migration pressures.

CRUCIAL BILLS — Veterans advocates and former members of the Afghan Female Tactical Platoon are urging Congress to support Afghan allies through legislative solutions, reports Leo Shane III of the Military Times. "We want to serve, we want to do more, but we don’t have the ability to do anything until someone makes a decision about our permanent status," said Mahnaz Akbari, former commander of the platoon.

In local welcome this week:

Bill Lawrence writes about his experience as one of 14 Christian retirees whose church experienced a transformation after welcoming an Afghan family. (Religion News Service)
An 8-year-old Afghan girl was able to get open-heart surgery in the U.S. thanks to efforts led by former Green Beret Joe Crane and other groups. (Brian Brehm, The Winchester Star)
Refugees are being welcomed to furnished places in the South Bay area near San Francisco thanks to retiree a retired woman who leads the online community Refugee Resettlement Village to gather donations and furniture. (Garvin Thomas, NBC Bay Area)

SKEPTICISM — The panel of appeals court judges hearing the Texas buoys case on Thursday expressed skepticism at the state’s argument it needed no federal permission because the barrier is "only temporary," report Todd J. Gillman and Aarón Torres of The Dallas Morning News. One, Judge Dana Douglas, noted that "removing the barrier, including the 143 submerged concrete anchor blocks that weigh a combined 140 tons, would take several weeks and $300,000."

UNIQUE CHALLENGES — A gathering in Ohio last weekend shed light on the unique mental health challenges that young people from immigrant families face, reports Peter Gill of The Columbus Dispatch. "Feeling like I have to be the best in school because I'm not only representing myself but my family, and I have to make their efforts to come here worth it — that … gave me a lot of performance anxiety," said college student Regina Loayza. The conference focused on access to mental health services, language barriers and cultural myths about mental health.

Keep the faith,

Dan