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.
