Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) of Arizona vetoed a bill — similar to Texas’ SB 4 — that would have made crossing the border without authorization a state misdemeanor and allowed state police to arrest undocumented immigrants, reports Gloria Rebecca Gomez of the Arizona Mirror.
Hobbs said the bill "does not secure our border, will be harmful for communities and businesses in our state and burdensome for law enforcement."
Former Tucson Border Patrol Sector Chief Victor Manjerra told Eric Fink of KVOA, "I think [such a law would put] our peace officers at a liability risk and even judges who aren't immigration judges at a liability risk. And that becomes a liability to the state of Arizona, in Texas, that's just a bad approach."
Also yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court put a pause on the Texas law until at least March 13, reports Julián Aguilar of The Texas Newsroom. The decision came amid a rush of court activity over the bill.
And while border states are debating new enforcement measures, at least 10 migrants were injured after falling from a border wall near San Diego this weekend, reports Emily Isaacman of CBS 8.
"We've definitely seen an increase since the border wall was raised to 30 feet at the end of 2019," said Alexander Tenorio, a neurological surgery resident at UC San Diego Health. "Not only are the numbers going up, but the severity of these injuries — it's much, much worse."
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, Ally Villarreal and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
BIBLICAL SPARK — A recent survey on evangelicals’ views of immigration shows nuance and a desire for solutions, reports Michael Reneau of The Dispatch. A strong majority of respondents want solutions that secure our border and offer compassion. Jeff Brumley has more on the survey in Baptist News Global. Separately, Michael Cooper-White, president emeritus of United Lutheran Seminary,
looks to Women of Welcome for inspiration in a Gettysburg Times op-ed. "[I]t’s no surprise that those who may rescue their fellow evangelicals from unbiblical attacks on immigrants are women," Cooper-White writes.
AI COMPETITIVENESS — If the U.S. wants to be an innovator and compete globally in artificial intelligence, we need immigration reforms to keep foreign-born talent, José-Marie Griffiths writes in an op-ed in The Hill. "If the United States does not invest in all AI talent, the shortage of qualified practitioners for AI roles will continue to grow, hamstringing the U.S. economy
and, ultimately, harming our national power," writes Griffiths, former commissioner of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence and president of Dakota State University.
A LONG JOURNEY — Indians now represent the third largest immigrant population in the U.S., driven by job shortages and financial circumstances at home, reports Karishma Mehrotra of The Washington Post. Many opt for indirect routes via Mexico or Canada because of current U.S. visa requirements. This journey, often taking up to a year, is dangerous and costly, and it poses legal risks, including detention by authorities en route, Mehrotra
notes.
LAWS’ HARM — Anti-immigration sentiments in Florida hurt everyone, Silvana Caldera, a senior policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, writes in the Miami Herald. Recent laws have hurt local communities, she argues. "Florida has long been celebrated for its diverse communities, where cultures and people from all backgrounds have flourished," Caldera writes. "The state has benefited — not suffered — from the
contributions of newcomers welcomed into our communities."
