A new study shows that immigrants long have been strong contributors to American innovation and economic growth, Stuart Anderson writes in Forbes.

Academics from George Mason University, Harvard University and the University of Exeter examined surnames, counties and patents in the United States from the 1850s to the 1940s. They found that diverse backgrounds and ideas are powerful.

"The core idea is that many, if not most, innovations arise from the recombinations of existing ideas, approaches and techniques that come together through the connections among diverse minds," the authors write.

Other research supports the findings, including a November 2021 study from the National Bureau of Economic Research concluding that "[t]he large inflow of foreign migrants into the U.S. since 1965 may have contributed to an additional 8% growth in innovation and 5% growth in wages."

Those contributions, not to mention relief for an economy that needs more workers, are on hold for more than 400,000 migrants who are eligible for work permits but have been waiting at least six months. Daniel Rivero of WUSF reports on work permit differences among humanitarian parolees from different countries, forcing migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean to wait.

"At a minimum, we would like for the Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to have the same eligibility for work that the Afghans and Ukrainians have so that at least they can start working …," said Cecilia Esterline, an immigration research analyst at the Niskanen Center — who also highlights a potential solution.

Welcome to Wednesday’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]. 

RESETTLING — The Afghan Adjustment Act is firmly on the radar of Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), AJ Dome reports in the Kansas Reflector. "The goal is to have this bill completed by the end of the year," Moran said at an event in Garden City. Meanwhile, U.S. resettlement organizations and former top officials are urging Pakistan to exempt "thousands of Afghan applicants for special U.S. visas or refugee relocation to the United States" from plans to deport Afghans back to Afghanistan, Jonathan Landay of Reuters reports.

SUPPORT NEEDED — Cities and states continue to struggle with the volume of arriving migrants. Nearly 18,500 immigrants have been released in the San Diego area with limited coordination since Sept. 13, Daniel Trotta of Reuters reports. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced this week that shelter stays for migrant families with children will be limited to 60 days, reports Anthony Izaguirre of the Associated Press. And Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said her state "can no longer guarantee shelter placement for families who are sent here" as shelters reach capacity, per Samantha J. Gross and Matt Stout of the Boston Globe.

FINANCIAL BURDEN — Dallas County commissioners said they may sue the state if a bill that would permit any law enforcement officers to arrest undocumented immigrants becomes law, reports Josephine Peterson of The Dallas Morning News. County officials say the law would require thousands of additional beds when the Dallas County Jail has been nearly full for months. They worry that the financial burden will fall on them, without state assistance.

SAFETY — In the past year, Erie, Pennsylvania, has welcomed 45 refugees from Guatemala, adding diversity to the refugee community already settled in town, reports Matthew Rink of the Erie Times-News. "It was very difficult to leave home, to leave what you knew, your neighborhood, your childhood, to leave your friends, to leave some of your family," Guatemalan Tania Perez Bolos said through an interpreter. "It was painful. It's difficult, but it was for the best for the safety of the family."

Thanks for reading, 

Dan