The current challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border keep many people on the front lines urging for comprehensive immigration reform, as they see it as the only way to improve a deeply flawed system, reports Jim Avila of ABC 10News San Diego. 

Backlogged immigration courts and a lack of resources are two of the big issues highlighted by experts. Dana Leigh Marks, judge and [former] president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, recommends lawmakers improve the system and, among other items, she suggests allowing asylum seekers "the dignity of a timely court appearance."

"At this point, there is no legal way, and the public has been horribly misled by the publicity and the political opportunism of using immigration as a political bargaining chip," said Marks. 

Separately, a team at PBS News Hour presents the realities of the thousands of unaccompanied minors coming to the United States. Reporter Amna Nawaz was able to speak with three sisters who made the 1,500-mile journey from Chiapas in Southern Mexico to the southern U.S. border to meet up with their mother.  

The sisters’ journey was full of risks, from food scarcity to the possibility of being taken by cartels. The story is no longer unusual. "Officials tell us they are seeing at the U.S. southern border, more unaccompanied minors arriving there," said Nawaz. "[A]ll of this just underscores how incredibly precarious this journey can be, even when the girls felt they'd reached safety in the United States." 

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

CROSSINGS DROP — According to Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM), migrant crossings near the Jacumba area east of San Diego are down 90% from December, reports Salvador Rivera for Border Report. David Pérez Tejada, head of INM in Baja California, pointed to the increase in paroles on the Mexican side of the border as part of the reason behind the drop. 

TSA — The U.S. government has begun requiring migrants without passports to submit to facial recognition, reports Valerie Gonzalez for the Associated Press. This change caused confusion when several migrants with flights out of South Texas were turned away. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said in a statement that if they cannot match peoples’ identity to DHS records, "they will also be denied entry into the secure areas of the airport and will be denied boarding." The agency said this is a recent change but does not respond to any threat, Gonzalez notes. 

UPDATE NEEDED — Due to the current workforce shortage, the H2-B requirements should be updated to fit the needs of workers and employers, writes Erin Caldwell in an op-ed for The Hill. "By reforming the H-2B visa or creating a new program to efficiently process migrants willing to fill key jobs, we can ameliorate the labor shortage to the benefit of migrants, U.S. businesses, and U.S. consumers alike," writes Caldwell. "It would be a shame to squander the opportunity just because of politics or bureaucratic inflexibility." 

SUPPORT FOR AFGHANS — Over a dozen Republican and Democratic senators are calling out for an increase of visas available for Afghans who helped the United States, report Farnoush Amiri and Rebecca Santana of the Associated Press. In a letter, Senators said that around 20,000 more special immigrant visas are needed before the end of fiscal year 2024. 

This week in local welcome: 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara 

P.S. Check out an uplifting piece from The Bedford Citizen on Owen Brough, a Life Scout in Bedford, Massachusetts, leading a book drive for migrant children in the area.