The Forum Daily | Monday, April 8, 2024
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**THE FORUM DAILY** 

The economy's strong comeback after the pandemic has exceeded
expectations, largely because of immigration, write Wendy Edelberg and
Tara Watson in their piece for Time
.  

A larger workforce has allowed a faster increase in jobs than was
originally thought without heightening inflation, highlight Edelberg
and Watson. This benefit is not new, though. Analysis of years of
employment data proves the positive impact of immigration in job
creation, writes Stuart Anderson for Forbes
. 

Academics and economists emphasize that by increasing the labor supply,
immigrants "have contributed to higher economic growth" through the
years, Anderson notes. 

Meanwhile, as work permits have been expanded for asylum seekers and
those applying for their green cards, long-time undocumented immigrants
are receiving more attention as advocates urge the Biden administration
for legal work permits for them, too, reports Rafael Bernal of The Hill
.  

Asked about solutions for long-term undocumented residents, Homeland
Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said: "I don't think we've
ignored it at all, but Congress has not acted." 

Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) and business leaders
announced some initiatives to push for work permits for undocumented
individuals. Advocates are urging the Biden administration to use some
of the executive authorities available to support this group of
immigrants, Bernal highlights. 

Welcome to Monday'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]. 

**LONG WAIT** - The story of Daibai, a 99-year-old Indian woman who
gained U.S. citizenship recently in Orlando, Florida, has placed
immigration backlogs and wait times in the spotlight once again, reports
The Economic Times
.
While Daibai's story was highlighted on social media as being
heartwarming, advocates also underlined her journey as evidence of the
need for reform, given that the immigration process for those looking to
become U.S. citizens is often long and arduous. 

**NEW LEADERSHIP** - The new presidency in Guatemala gives the Biden
administration a new opportunity to get the Central American country to
help slow migration, reports Rebecca Beitsch of The Hill
.
"The country is in a complicated position when it comes to migration
because it's a country of origin, it's a country of transit, it's
a country of destination," said Stéphanie Daviot, chief of mission of
the International Organization for Migration in Guatemala. In February,
Guatemala joined a trilateral discussion on immigration alongside
Mexico. Guatemalan president Bernardo Arévalo visited the White House
in March and the Biden administration expressed optimism after the
visit. 

**SOCIAL MEDIA** - Millions of people around the world are now able to
watch migrants' journey to the U.S.-Mexico border through messaging
apps and social media, writes Regina Lankenau in her op-ed for the
Houston Chronicle
.
But this type of exposure provides a larger platform for smugglers and
makes the journey north and the process of asylum seem easy. Yet, the
reality is that asylum is much more complicated and the journey north
much more dangerous than many are led to believe, Lankenau writes.  

**HEALING** -A Los Angeles based nonprofit that teaches refugee
children through soccer, iACT , is now expanding
its reach to northern Mexico, reports the Los Angeles Times
.
"For children who have experienced a lot of hardship and trauma and
uncertainty, the opportunity to just move their bodies and be children
in a structured environment will go a really long way," said Sara
Christine Dallain, the executive director of iACT. 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara 

** **

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