The groups behind the legal challenge say the measures are similar to Trump-era policies and violate law that allows people to request asylum regardless of how they entered the U.S. The government says the new measures are different because they include exceptions and new legal paths. 

The judges "gave no indication how they were leaning," Spagat and Santana note.  

Separately, officials in Tijuana say that only about a third of asylum seekers crossing into the U.S. will receive asylum, reports Salvador Rivera of Border Report. Advocates say migrants are not prepared to make a case for asylum in court, and most who get denied don’t have adequate legal representation.  

A pilot program led by Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center shows that more than 90% of asylum seekers pass a credible fear interview when given legal orientation, reports Susan Dunlap of NM Political Report.  

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] 

CHILDREN IN COURT — Unaccompanied children face a complex and unfair set of challenges in immigration court, Cuban immigrant and former Republican congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen writes in The Hill. Ros-Lehtinen outlines the problems with how the immigration court deals with children. Bri Stensrud, director of Christian network Women of Welcome, shares similar concerns in her op-ed for Baptist News Global, urging compassion and understanding for these children. Both Ros-Lehtinen and Stensrud argue that the newly introduced Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act would create a more efficient and fair system. 

A CALL FOR COMPASSION — A special session of the Texas Legislature ended without passage of border bills — and Gov. Greg Abbott called a new special session starting an hour later, Zach Despart of The Texas Tribune reports. But Hispanic faith leaders are urging Abbott to veto two immigration bills likely to be considered again, reports Ken Camp of the Baptist Standard. "We believe that these bills, if enacted, will adversely affect our communities and churches and deviate from the principles of love and compassion towards the most vulnerable among us," pastors wrote in a letter to Abbott. 

‘OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL’ — After agreeing to enable the hiring of undocumented immigrants on its campuses, the University of California system is coming up on a deadline to spell out its plan, reports Andrew Kreighbaum of Bloomberg Law. Student advocates have argued that federal law does not restrict state agencies such as the university from hiring undocumented students or graduates. The university accepted the students’ petition and gave itself a Nov. 30 deadline to present a plan. Experts say such a program, which would be a first, would face legal challenges.  

TECHNICAL TALENT — The Biden administration’s new executive order on artificial intelligence might help immigrants with science backgrounds looking for professional opportunities, Stuart Anderson writes for Forbes. The executive order on the "Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence" recognizes the importance of immigrants, international students and temporary visa holders as AI and other crucial technologies expand, he writes. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan