The construction industry continues to feel the effects of labor shortages and is urging Congress to help, reports Tami Luhby of CNN. 

"We’re losing business. There’s no doubt," said Eddie Martin, CEO of Tilson Custom Home Builders in Texas. "So many of those skilled workers are aging out. There’s nobody replacing them." 

Construction groups are advocating for an expansion of the H-2B visa program to help fill jobs in the sector. Projections indicate an increase in demand for homes, infrastructure and commercial development in the upcoming years, Luhby notes. 

"The reality is the biggest fix to this is us being able to hire immigrants," said Shane Wegner, vice president at Midlands Contracting. "We’re getting all this infrastructure money, but I don’t have the people to do it. [W]e just can’t [do it] unless we can get more legal immigration."  

Wall Street is bullish on immigration’s benefits: Goldman Sachs recently raised its GDP growth forecast with immigration data in mind, report Augusta Saraiva and Enda Curran of Bloomberg. And HSBC's global chief economist wrote to clients that, in Saraiva and Curran’s words, "No advanced economy is benefiting from immigration quite like the U.S." 

By strengthening the American workforce, immigrants have helped our economy excel compared with Asian competitors, report Nathaniel Taplin and Megha Mandavia of The Wall Street Journal.  

Welcome to Friday’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, Ally Villarreal and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

FUNDING — The government funding agreement Congress released yesterday includes monetary increases for CBP and ICE and cuts for governments and nonprofits that care for migrants, Ellen M. Gilmer of Bloomberg reports. The agreement reflects some concessions from both sides, but it fails to balance compassion with security — and is not the bigger-picture solution we need, as Jennie alludes to in an interview with Kimberly Adams of Marketplace this morning. 

MIRRORS — A bill that would make unauthorized migration a state crime in Iowa is on its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), who said she’ll sign it, reports Stephen Gruber-Miller of the Des Moines Register. The bill mirrors Texas’ SB 4, currently held up in court. As David W. Chen of The New York Times analyzes other states’ interest in following Texas’ example, we’d note that such bills are not in line with principles focused on long-term, balanced solutions. (You can sign on to the principles here.) 

LEGAL AID — Migrants are at a disadvantage because of a shortage of immigration lawyers, including in Wisconsin, as Sarah Lehr of Wisconsin Public Radio reports. Nearly 20,000 pending cases in immigration courts are from Wisconsin, and local nonprofits’ resources are limited. 

A BLESSING — The International Institute of St. Louis is welcoming more refugees and migrants from all over the world, reports Elizabeth Barmeier of Spectrum News. Arrey Obenson, the institute’s president and CEO, calls it a blessing and says, "They are reigniting the workforce here in St. Louis." 

Elsewhere in local welcome: 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

P.S. Check out Gaby Velasquez’s compelling photos from last night’s "Do Not Be Afraid: March & Vigil for Human Dignity" in El Paso, Texas. They’re in the El Paso Times.