The Forum Daily | Tuesday, December 19, 2023
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THE FORUM DAILY

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed three bills into law that will make
illegal border crossings a state crime and provide more money and other
resources for his controversial border efforts, reports Uriel J. García
of the Texas
Tribune
.  

Senate Bill 3 includes an additional $1.54 billion toward the
construction of barriers along the Texas-Mexico border. It also will
provide "up to $40 million for state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a
housing development

near Houston that far-right publications claim is a magnet for
undocumented immigrants." 

Senate Bill 4 will allow Texas law enforcement to arrest migrants they
believe crossed the border without authorization. The American Civil
Liberties Union in Texas already has said it will challenge the law in
court, report Valerie Gonzalez and Paul J. Weber for the Associated
Press
.  

NPR's

All Things Considered picks up Stella M. Chávez's reporting on the
impact. "Immigrants are going to be afraid to go out," said Gustavo
Caballero, who has lived in North Texas for 20 years. "If they don't
know their rights, they could get into more trouble or take unnecessary
risks." 

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

**SUPPORT** - A new effort to launch today as part of Welcome Corps,
the refugee sponsorship the Biden administration launched in January,
will allow American sponsors to nominate specific people they want to
bring to the United States, report Ted Hesson and Mica Rosenberg of
Reuters
.
"This program taps into the tremendous capacity and willingness of our
communities to help people arrive in safe, orderly and legal ways with
the support that they need, which should appeal to any administration,"
said Sarah Cross, a State Department deputy assistant.  

**MILITIAS** - Keegan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Times
,
in partnership with Scripps News
,
reports that militias are patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border. "Fueled by
right-wing rhetoric about the border being overrun, long-established
groups ... are enjoying a resurgence, attracting volunteers from across
the country and influencing the national debate on immigration,"
Hamilton writes. Immigration advocates speak of a significant risk these
groups pose to the safety and legal rights of asylum seekers.  

**DEBT** - Debt can become one hurdle among many for young immigrants,
reports Nadine Sebai of The Public's Radio

in Rhode Island. Alondra, a 16-year-old originally from Guatemala, came
to New Bedford, Massachusetts, with a dream to support her mother and
six siblings back home. But debts from her journey to the U.S. loom.
With a work permit, Alondra could work legally part-time, but the wait
is long. 

**HOPE IN CHANGE** - Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has experienced a
significant increase in immigration, bringing hope and challenges,
reports Jacob Geanous of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
.
Amid migrants' uncertainty with immigration cases pending, local
leaders see potential benefits. "An increase in immigration, legal
immigration, would be a big plus for the Pittsburgh regional economy,"
said Don Smith, president of the Regional Industrial Development
Corporation. Related: Our colleague Arturo Castellanos-Canales writes
that the census's newly released American Community Survey

"highlighted how foreign-born residents have powered population growth
in key states," among other findings. 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan 

**P.S.** We're feeling proud this morning. Johnny C. Taylor Jr.'s
suggestions in USA Today

on how businesses can help foreign-born employees improve their English
include a nod to the Forum's work "with employers to offer live
instruction and virtual English language training programs." 

 

 

 

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