The Forum Daily | Thursday, December 14, 2023
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THE FORUM DAILY

Department of Homeland Security officials are sharing their concerns
about immigration policies that could be part of a bipartisan agreement
in Congress, Julia Ainsley and Julie Tsirkin of NBC News

report. 

Blocking the right to seek asylum from many migrants and making
detention mandatory "would break the border," one official said. Another
warned, "It would be completely counterproductive." 

The latter official said detention centers would quickly fill,
preventing agencies from apprehending newly arriving migrants. 

Negotiators also are considering including the ability for Customs and
Border Protection to expel migrants before they get asylum screenings,
similar to pandemic-era Title 42. As Ainsley and Tsirkin note, "Border
crossing numbers soared under Title 42 in part because Mexico could not
take back the large numbers of migrants being returned."  

Our take: It's good that Democrats and Republicans are talking. They
should work together on making the border more orderly, secure and
humane. But these potential provisions are concerning on all three
fronts. We need more resources for border and asylum processing so that
people with and without valid claims will know quickly. And we need to
provide legal alternatives for people who otherwise would come to the
border and request asylum in the first place. 

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

BACKLOGS - The recent increase in border crossings is affecting people
whose cases already are stalled in immigration backlogs, reports Alex
Valdez of KOLD News 13
.
Upward of 2 million cases are pending in immigration courts, compared
with more than 600,000 pending cases in 2020. A temporary policy to
waive in-person interviews for certain visa applicants is designed to
help address the backlog - and is set to expire in a week. As for
solutions, longtime immigration attorney Siovhan Sheridan-Ayala notes
that Congress could help with funding to remedy USCIS staffing
shortages. 

REAL SOLUTIONS - Update immigration and asylum laws. Increase funding
for immigration court judges. Improve sightlines along the Rio Grande by
tackling invasive carrizo cane and salt cedar plants. These are just
three recommendations Dennis E. Nixon, Chairman of the International
Bank of Commerce, sent Texas officials this year, Jorge A. Vela reports
in the Laredo Morning Times
.
"All of these suggestions come at a cost well below that of building
walls, which only act to destroy private property, farms, ranches and
homesteads, not to mention our valued relationship with Mexico: our ally
and partner," Nixon said. 

RISK TO WORKERS - The recent death of an H-2A visa holder has raised
concerns among advocates in North Carolina about worker exploitation,
report Claudia Rivera Cotto and Grace Vitaglione of the Carolina Public
Press
.
Most workers with H-2A visas rely on their employers for food, shelter
and transportation. "You may be disincentivized from reporting something
happening at work because of that power dynamic," said Caitlin Ryland,
an attorney at the Farmworker Unit of Legal Aid of NC. Proposed federal
regulations could help. 

SUPPORT GROUPS - For migrants including those who have made the
journey to Chicago, the emotional and mental toll of leaving home can be
great, reports Kristen Schorsch of WBEZ Chicago
.
Informal support groups have been popping up around the city as mental
health professionals and volunteers offer spaces for migrants to connect
and share their experiences. Besides building community, these support
groups are trying to prevent the most extreme outcomes of traumas and to
help migrants feel less isolated, Schorsch notes. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

 

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