The Forum Daily | Friday, February 2, 2024
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THE FORUM DAILY

 

Amid the current debate in Congress on immigration and large cities
struggling to manage the increase of migrant arrivals, the city of
Topeka, Kansas is trying to attract migrants who have work
authorization, reports Alicia A. Caldwell of The Wall Street Journal
. 

"We know that for our community to prosper we have to have a diverse
community," said Topeka's Mayor Michael Padilla.  

The city has struggled to fill nearly 6,600 open jobs. Since 2019, it
has run a marketing campaign targeting Spanish-speaking immigrant groups
given the increase in the Latino population in the recent years. Lately,
nonprofit organizations working with refugees have also focused on
finding local sponsors to resettle Ukrainians in Topeka.  

Elsewhere, more Americans across the country are open to supporting and
sponsoring refugees. Don Rush of Delmarva Public Media

talks about the impact of a new program, the Welcome Corps, with Nazanin
Ash, CEO of Welcome.US, and Leslie Sperry of the Beacon Heights
Welcoming Group. 

Separately, in an op-ed for The Tennessean
,
Lisa Sherman Luna of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Coalition recognizes the need for improvements in our immigration system
and urges Gov. Bill Lee (R) to honor the state's tradition of
hospitality and promote a more welcoming environment.   

Meanwhile, last week a bipartisan group of Ohio's congressional
delegation introduced legislation to provide additional protections for
nationals of Mauritania, reports Sam Allard of Axios Cleveland
.
More than half of the Mauritanians living in the U.S. are settled in
Ohio, and many arrived fleeing life-threatening conditions - including
slavery, Allard notes. 

Welcome to Friday's edition of The Forum Daily. I'm Clara Villatoro,
the Forum's senior strategic communications manager, and the great
Forum Daily team also includes Isabella Miller, Jillian Clark and Ally
Villarreal. If you have a story to share from your own community, please
send it to me at [email protected]
. 

**A PROMISE** - Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) said that the "full
text" on border and immigration policies negotiated in the Senate will
be released "no later than this Sunday," reports a team at NBC News
.
In an op-ed for Bloomberg
,
Mary Ellen Klas emphasizes the need for commitment by both sides of the
aisle, as immigration affects all Americans. "Disagreement is healthy,
but not if it leads to intransigence," she writes. Separately, Ben
Werschkul of Yahoo! Finance

analyzes how the current negotiations are missing some solutions for the
business sector, including much-needed improvements in worker visa
programs. 

**ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION** - A group of large employers warned
yesterday that eliminating the protections for those under the Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) would drain $460 billion
from the gross domestic product, reports Andrew Kreighbaum of Bloomberg
Law
.
Over 100 of the nation's top businesses are part of the Coalition for
the American Dream , the
group that filed an amicus brief  Thursday
in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recognizing the
economic contribution of DACA recipients. 

**CONCERNS** - A group of Americans opposed to unauthorized
immigration will rally near the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday in what
has been advertised as a peaceful protest, report Helen Coster, Ted
Hesson and Mica Rosenberg of Reuters
.
Advocate groups and other critics worry "it could fuel anti-immigrant
sentiment" amid the current immigration debate, Reuters notes.
Separately, Latino rights groups expressed their concerns on the Texas
leaders' rhetoric on immigration and the possibility of leading to
violence against migrants, reports Craig Huber of Spectrum News1
. 

**RESETTLING** - Helping hands are more important than ever in Western
New York as they expect nearly a thousand refugees this year, and the
nonprofit World Relief is seeking volunteers to help with resettlement,
reports Halena Sepulveda for S
pectrum
News1
.
"We have tons of asylum seekers moving to Western New York and our
hearts are also with them," said Angie Matiz of World Relief. "Without
the volunteers we couldn't do absolutely anything."  

This week in welcome: 

* In Akron, Ohio, a Ukrainian refugee finds assistance through Grace
Bible Church's International Welcome Center. (Luke Gehm, KentWired.com
) 

* Between classes at Milwaukee Area Technical College and his job at a
local warehouse, Afghan born Ahmad Mokhtar Rezaei has now published a
book. (Kelly Milan, Spectrum News1
) 

* In Boston, those seeking refuge find safety and community through
Boston Catholic Charities programs. (Erika Tarantal, ABC News Center 5)
 

Thanks for reading, 

 

Clara 

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