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."
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