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According to a statement made by White House spokesperson, Angelo Fernández Hernández the program is meant to be "a one-stop-shop work authorization clinic to help get eligible noncitizens work authorizations and jobs — and decompress the shelter system." "[The program] is an important part of the overall strategy to create a faster pathway for asylum-seekers to work and achieve independence," said Rachel Otwell, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Human Services. A similar pilot program is expected to start soon in Boston. Massachusetts shelters are reaching maximum capacity, and more funding is expected to be discussed in the state House today, reports Kelly Sullivan for Boston 25 News. Officials and advocates of states where migrant arrivals have increased have urged the federal government for waivers and shorter processes for asylum seekers’ work permits. Maine has been active in this petition, the Bangor Daily News editorial board writes. Republican and Democrat representatives of Maine have introduced bills — both in the House and the Senate— to offer solutions about the permits. This includes the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, a bipartisan bill. "At a time when Maine faces an ongoing shortage of workers, asylum seekers, many of whom have skills and work experience, could help fill gaps in the state’s workforce," the board writes. "[T]hose seeking asylum are here legally and living in our communities now. Allowing them to work more quickly would help them and the Maine communities hosting them." Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s strategic communications senior manager, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Katie Lutz and Dan Gordon. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. CONDITIONS — Senate Republicans introduced a border proposal that would condition President Biden’s $106 billion request for supplemental aid for Israel and Ukraine, reports David Sivak of the Washington Examiner. The proposal would limit migrants’ ability to request asylum, it would demand the president restart border wall construction and it would create a statutory authority similar to Title 42, among other policy changes, Sivak notes. RELOCATION — Afghan nationals under the process of relocation to America received letters from the United States embassy and their names were shared with authorities in Pakistan to prevent their deportation, reports Iftikhar A. Khan for Dawn. Pakistan announced it would start deporting unauthorized people after November 1, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans waiting to be resettled in the U.S. Despite the letters issued by the U.S. embassy there is no clear agreement about the deportations, Khan notes. WARNING — The Biden administration is warning those involved in chartering jets to help migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and other countries get to the U.S. that they could be faced with legal repercussions, report Jacqueline Charles and Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Miami Herald. Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, said that the administration "is exploring the full range of possible consequences for those facilitating this means of irregular migration." EDUCATION ACCESS — Refugees and asylum seekers need better guidance to get a higher education in the U.S., writes Professors Kerri Evans, Ishara Casellas Connors and Lisa Unangst as they discuss the findings of their study in The Conversation. There are three main barriers for refugees and other immigrants to achieve education. First, getting their previous degrees recognized in the U.S. Then, the lack of information to navigate the education system and, finally, the high price of education, the professors note. Thanks for reading, Clara
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