The Forum Daily | Tuesday, February 27, 2024
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**THE FORUM DAILY**

Faith leaders and organizations are urging officials to approach
migrants, the border and immigration more broadly with humanity and
workable solutions, reports Marietha Góngora V. of OSV News
. 
 

Experts shared their thoughts and firsthand experiences working with
migrants at the border during a Center for Migration Studies webinar
last week. 

"We believe that there are ways to manage our southern border without
sacrificing human rights," said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, also a
Forum board member and chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops' migration committee. "The border would stabilize if our
elected officials looked at all aspects of our broken immigration
system. An emphasis on legal avenues would protect migrants and asylum
seekers, weaken smuggling networks and help meet our labor needs."  

The faith community has a long and venerated tradition of fighting for
the rights of immigrants, professors Brad Christerson, Alexia
Salvatierra and Robert Chao Romero point out in a recent piece for The
Conversation
. 

The trio, who recently co-authored the book "God's Resistance.
Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants" with sociologist Nancy Wang
Yuen, highlight how this history contrasts with the message from
hardline pastors that has gained attention recently. Faith leaders "are
central to the current movement to protect immigrant rights, and they
have been for over a hundred years," they write. 

Speaking of faith, a press webinar tomorrow will highlight results of a
new Lifeway Research poll of evangelical attitudes on immigration.
Jouranlists, email [email protected] for more
details.  

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

**'WE NEED PEOPLE'** - In Freeborn County, Minnesota, some groups
question how changes in immigration processes will affect the livelihood
of farmers who rely on foreign labor, reports John Lauritsen of WCCO
News
.
Migrant workers have become a huge part of the harvesting season for
many local farms through the H-2A visa program. "We need people. We can
talk automation, which we're always open to, but you still need people
in our industry," farmer Pete Van Erkel said.  

**BORDER TRIPS** - President Joe Biden and former President Donald
Trump are set to visit the U.S.-Mexico border separately on Thursday, as
a team at NBC News

reports. In Brownsville, Texas, Biden plans to meet with Border Patrol
agents, law enforcement officials and local leaders and discuss the need
for a bipartisan border security agreement. Trump plans to speak about
300 miles to the northwest in Eagle Pass. 

**SURVIVAL** - Chinese migrants are arriving in a small Colombian town
near Panama to embark on a perilous journey through the Darién Gap to
the United States, reports Peter Yeung of Al Jazeera
.
"We have no choice but to survive. That's why we want to go to the
United States," migrant Wu Xiaohua said while waiting in Necocli,
Colombia. Opting for costly "VIP" routes facilitated by smugglers for
faster passage, their journey reflects a desperate search for better
living conditions, Yeung reports. 

**WHEN WE WELCOME** - People newly in the U.S. can bring economic
benefits such as alleviating labor-market pressure, in addition to
intangible social benefits, Sasha Chanoff, Founder and CEO of
RefugePoint, writes in his latest piece for WBUR
.
"When we are welcoming, a national characteristic rooted in our
founders' search for freedom from persecution and tyranny, we bolster
the economy in vital ways and strengthen the social and economic fabric
of our towns and cities," Chanoff writes. "We also hold up a moral torch
for the world to follow." 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan 

 

 

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