Yesterday, bipartisan border and immigration legislation failed to move forward, Ursula Perano of Politico reports. The vote followed four months' worth of effort by bipartisan senators to find common ground. 

"The surprising part is that productive bipartisanship seems to be alive, even on an issue as divisive as immigration," David Leonhardt of The New York Times writes, noting that the proposal had the endorsement of a wide range of experts and groups.  

The challenges remain. The White House is looking at alternative ways to stem the high numbers of encounters at the border, report Julia Ainsley and Monica Alba of NBC News. But in the words of a White House spokesperson, "No regulatory actions would accomplish what the bipartisan national security agreement would have done for border security and the immigration system [writ] large."  

Andrew Tisch, Co-Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Loews Corporation, writes compellingly in Forbes about the need for solid reforms to solve "twin crises."  

With a declining birth rate and many employers across the country starved for workers, we need reforms that both stop unauthorized migration and encourage more legal immigration, he writes: "What’s missing in today’s immigration debate is a sensible, humane, and smart way to transmute the supply of people who want to come into the United States into a flow of workers who meet the demands of citizenship in the American economy."  

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

WORK VISAS — To help reduce pressure at the border, DW Gibson of Ideaspace points to worker visa programs in his op-ed in the Los Angeles Times. He points out that while many come to our country seeking economic opportunities, not many legal migration options exist. Gibson highlights the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act from Reps. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pennsylvania) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). "By creating more guest worker programs we would not only thin the crowds at the border, but also help the country meet some glaring economic needs," Gibson writes. 

ADVERSE EFFECTS — As the effects of Florida’s 2023 immigration law sink in, many are seeing their communities disrupted, Grey Moran reports for Civil Eats. The law, in effect since July, has driven many undocumented workers out of the state — particularly farmworkers. Now, the Florida Legislature is considering measures that would loosen the state’s child labor laws, reports Brendan Farrington of the Associated Press.  

EAGLE PASS — An overwhelming amount of attention has been tiring for Eagle Pass, Texas, residents, whose perspectives Ted Hesson shares for Reuters. The recent restrictions in Shelby Park have had a particularly strong impact on city life. Margie Montoya, interim executive director of the Eagle Pass Chamber of Commerce, notes that plans for some major festivals and events in the park will need revising and that two bridge closures last year harmed local businesses.  

LIFE-SAVING SOLUTIONS — New York's health care sector is facing a staffing crisis, Simone Smith, vice president of HR and volunteers at Cabrini of Westchester, writes in a Lohud op-ed. This shortage has affected various services, including hospitals and home care, but newly arrived immigrants could help — and Cabrini is launching a Certified Nursing Assistant apprenticeship program for immigrants. 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan