In many communities around the country, local officials still see immigration as an important lifeline to rejuvenation, reports Tim Craig of The Washington Post.

That’s the case in many Midwestern and Rust Belt communities in particular. Cities experiencing population loss, such as Detroit; Dayton, Ohio; and Erie, Pennsylvania, have worked to make sure city services can meet the needs of newcomers.

"We are not here to reject any immigration," Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said. "As a matter of fact, we want to make this the most safe, welcoming, thriving place in America, and you can’t do that without immigration."

Separately, as world leaders discuss climate challenges at this year’s COP28 in Dubai, the Othering and Belonging Institute’s Global Justice Program at the University of California, Berkeley, released an interactive database to explore climate-induced displacement, Ivan Natividad writes at Futurity.org.

One focus: the "right to stay in place amidst the climate crisis," in addition to a right for people to safely resettle elsewhere when displaced by climate change.

For more on climate-related migration, take a look at our newly posted paper, Environmental Migration: Finding Solutions for the 21st Century.

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

PRE-EMPTIVE — District Judge Dana Sabraw is set to prohibit the separation of families at the border for eight years, reports Elliot Spagat of the Associated Press. This decision would block any resumption of the Trump-era policy during that period. Meanwhile, there’s further word that President Biden is open to new asylum restrictions as part of a compromise for aid for Ukraine and Israel, Ted Hesson reports for Reuters.

BORDER — Aline Simerman of the El Paso Times tells the story of Diego Suy Guarchaj, who initially was reported to have died after the March fire at a detention center in Juárez, Mexico. Diego had survived, but with lingering wounds both physical and psychological. "Sometimes I have a sad feeling. They were my friends," he says of fellow migrants who perished in the fire. "We had dreams, goals, and a future, and now what can I do?" The fire was part of the deadliest year along the border near El Paso, with about 220 recorded deaths.

RETURN — Since Pakistan began deporting displaced Afghans, around 350,000 have returned or been returned to Afghanistan, reports Anwar Iqbal for Dawn. The UN World Food Program, currently stationed at two border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan to help returnees, is seeking more than $26 million to help them. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Julieta Valls Noyes has been in Pakistan this week to discuss the potential U.S. resettlement of some Afghan refugees.

Recently in local welcome:

After fleeing to the United States, Afghan doctor Said Pasoon is continuing his medical career. He’s about to graduate from nursing school in Georgia. (Ken Scar, Gwinnett Daily Post)

An immigrant himself, Fab Glass and Mirror co-founder Ahmed Mady has hired 18 refugee employees through Ohio nonprofit Community Refugee & Immigration Services. (Jennifer Conrad, Inc.)

For Human Rights First, Fatima Safi describes her "heartening experience" of witnessing collaboration at a USCIS event to support hundreds of resettled Afghans.

TOGETHER — Marissa Flores Madden shares her experience of fatigue and hope while working for newcomers in a National Catholic Reporter op-ed co-authored by Bernadette Madden. Contemplating the complexities of a broken system on top of the human impact and guidance Scripture offers, Madden ends on a hopeful note: "Yes, our country is in need of self-examination. Still, there are signs of restoration all around us, and I have to believe that together we can heal. Together we can do better."

Thanks for reading,

Dan