"[Senate Republican Leader Mitch] McConnell and his top deputy, Senate GOP Whip John Thune (S.D.), argue that Democrats have made major concessions on reforming asylum law, and this is a unique opportunity to toughen the nation’s immigration laws ... " Bolton writes. But the political winds are strong — around a bill for which the language remains under wraps.  

Separately, in Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said Monday that the state will continue installing razor wire at the border despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that the Biden administration can remove it, reports Sareen Habeshian of Axios. Arelis R. Hernández of The Washington Post offers some context on how Eagle Pass, Texas, ended up in the middle of this debate and how the circumstances are affecting the border town. 

Yesterday, Jennie weighed in with some frank talk about these challenges and the kinds of solutions we need. "Republican and Democratic voters alike want us to remain a refuge for the persecuted and want broader border and immigration solutions," she concluded. "Our elected officials have an opportunity to create policies that unite us, rather than further feed the forces that polarize us." 

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

BACKLOGS — The U.S. is grappling with a record backlog of more than 3 million immigration cases, with Florida accounting for more than 481,000, reports Juan Carlos Chavez of the Tampa Bay Times. "Waiting for eight years has been very tough," said Carlos Bohorquez, a Venezuelan immigrant affected by the delayed process. Among other states with high numbers of accumulated cases are Texas, California, New York and Illinois, Chloe Mayer of Newsweek reports. 

THE REALITY — Two needs, for humanitarian responses and for policy changes, coexist at the southern border, a team at KXAN/Nexstar reports. U.S. Border Patrol agent and National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera has witnessed the reality of migration for more than 20 years. "We’ve pulled bodies out of the river. Young kids, men, women, and children," Cabrera said. "It’s terrible to see. But we see it all too much. And it’s becoming a normal thing." 

DEMOGRAPHICS — A recent study shows that rising sea levels could lead to young people migrating from Florida and "leaving aging coastal populations," reports Gabriella Pinos of WUSF. Experts point out that immigration can help balance the state’s demographics. The growing percentage of Americans who are retirement age remains across the country, as our policy expert Arturo Castellanos Canales notes in a new "Room to Grow" update. 

UNANIMOUS — State Sen. Nikki Torres (R), a first-generation American and the first Latina senator from Central Washington, is advocating for DACA recipients through a Senate bill that just passed unanimously and is moving to a House committee, reports Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero of the Seattle Times. This bill would mandate that state agencies specify on their websites which services and programs are open to DACA recipients, for whom a lack of information could be limiting access. 

Thanks for reading,