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The order came after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton named the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a lawsuit filed Oct. 24, claiming that the federal government illegally destroyed state property and allowed migrants to cross the border. The temporary order includes an exception for medical or life-threatening emergencies. While DHS has not responded to the lawsuit or the temporary order, it did release a statement saying that border agents "have a responsibility under federal law to protect and assist migrants, no matter their legal status." Separately, Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico is calling for Texas to remove the razor wire now placed on the border between the two states, reports Julian Resendiz of Border Report. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state was installing the wire because migrants were crossing into New Mexico and then coming to El Paso, Texas. "The governor’s actions are insulting to New Mexicans," Vasquez said in a statement. "Putting up concertina wire between two states in the United States is, first, unconstitutional and, second, disrespectful to the community." 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]. PROFIT — Nicaraguan officials are attempting to use migrants for profit and political gain, a team at the Miami Herald reports. The Nicaraguan government is offering charters from Haiti that cost migrants as much as $4,000. "No one should profit off the desperation of vulnerable migrants — not smugglers, and certainly not public officials or governments," a State Department representative said. In the words of President Daniel Ortega’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States, Ortega is using "migrants as a bargaining chip" to try to get the U.S. to lift sanctions. STILL WAITING — Resettled Afghans in Atlanta face confusion and frustration while waiting for certainty about their future, reports Clare S. Richie of Georgia Public Broadcasting. The International Rescue Committee Atlanta and Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network are partnering to provide legal clinics to help newcomers navigate the complicated process of filing for asylum. But Georgia has one of the lowest rates of asylum approval. Advocates are urging alternative solutions such as the Afghan Adjustment Act. REASONS TO LEAVE — A record number of Venezuelans have left the country to relocate to the United States and other countries. John Otis of NPR zooms in on the story of one family, the Maríns, and shows their reasons for saying goodbye to their home country. Analysts blame Venezuela's economic collapse on corruption, mismanagement and U.S. sanctions against an authoritarian regime. Referencing current Venezuelan leadership, Caroline Marín says, "These people have destroyed Venezuela. And they are forcing us to leave our country." A PIECE OF HOME — Our hearts have been with Lewiston, Maine, this past week — and we’re heartened by the story of a church choir there that offers a bit of home for the city’s growing African migrant population, as Steve Collins reports in the Sun Journal. The Choir Notre Dame de la Paix gathers in a small chapel in Lewiston’s Basilica, where a Mass is held in Kirundi, the primary language of Burundi. The native tongue allows participants "to connect more with God," said Father Felix Barutwanayo, the Jesuit priest who conducts the Mass. Thanks for reading, Dan
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