U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an extension of work permits for qualifying categories of immigrants while renewals are being processed, reports Rafael Bernal of The Hill. 

Nearly 800,000 people were at risk of losing jobs — and their employers were at risk of losing workers — because of backlogs that could have caused a gap while their Employment Authorization Document renewals were pending. Now, the grace period will be extended from 180 to 540 days. 

The business community welcomed the announcement. "It’s a benefit to companies but it’s a relief for them too, because they know that they were going to go through those headaches again," said Jon Baselice of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  

Our Vice President and Chief of Public Affairs, Emily Foster, sounded a similar tone in a statement: "This action will greatly improve certainty and stability for newcomers and their employers. It will allow thousands of authorized workers to keep working, and that’s a relief to employers."  

All of this is good given this morning’s breaking news, per Justin Lahart of The Wall Street Journal: The U.S. added 303,000 jobs last month, unemployment dropped slightly, and "wage growth remained contained, underscoring the growing belief among economists and policymakers that the country can keep adding jobs without fanning inflation." 

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]. 

RULING — A federal district court judge ruled Wednesday that the federal government must provide safe shelter to children who enter the U.S. without authorization, of whom some in California have been staying at open-air sites, reports Emily Baumgaertner of The New York Times. The ruling will affect thousands of children and require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide more resources.  

SERVICE — Leaders should support organizations that help people in vulnerable circumstances, not attack them, We Welcome Director Tess Clarke writes in The Dallas Morning News. Referencing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against Annunciation House in El Paso, Clarke writes, "Serving the vulnerable should never be illegal, and organizations seeking to do so should not have to wonder if they will be prosecuted." A We Welcome letter in support of Annunciation House has more than 300 signatures. 

NARRATIVES — Former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric yesterday on migration and the border was "unusually alarmist (if not unusually exaggerated) — even by his standards," Washington Post columnist Philip Bump writes. A team at NBC News offers a look at what Trump’s rhetoric and policy plans could mean in a second term. And Michigan business leaders are pushing back on Trump’s message during an appearance in Grand Rapids this week, Kate Carlson of Crain’s Grand Rapids Business reports. "[I]mmigration is a win for our communities," said Rick Baker, president of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. 

AFGHAN ALLIES — The U.S. must do more to fulfill its promise to Afghan allies, the Bloomberg editorial board writes. Turning our back would "not only endanger Afghans but also tarnish America’s global standing," the board writes, an argument national security leaders also have made. Separately, the Urban Institute recently released a report regarding evacuees’ mental health, including challenges and best practices from community stakeholders and Afghan community leaders.   

This week in local welcome: 

Anticipating basketball’s Final Four — even the men’s games, 

Dan 

P.S. Speaking of narratives, newly posted videos from faith and law enforcement leaders continue to highlight a more principled conversation.