Catholic shelters and nongovernmental groups in the area estimate that nearly 2,500 migrants are waiting in Mexico City. Most are living in six camps, where families sleep in tents and basic sanitation is lacking.  

Catholic Church officials have urged the government to provide migrants with better living spaces to no avail, said Father Juan Luis Carbajal, director of migrant ministries for the Archdiocese of Mexico City.  

"It's the church giving humanitarian aid and the one making an effort at dialoguing with authorities to address this situation," he said. 

Separately, Catholic advocates spoke out against Texas’ SB 4 and negative rhetoric regarding immigrants in a conference hosted by the Catholic University of America and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), reports Tyler Arnold of the Catholic News Agency. 

"[SB 4] puts fear into every immigrant no matter what their immigration status may be," said Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso (also a Forum board member). He also spoke out against negative immigration rhetoric and policy approaches within both major political parties.  

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]. 

CRUCIAL WORKERS — In Maine, immigrants are taking on jobs as the state’s native-born population ages, reports Jeanna Smialek for The New York Times. Foreign-born workers are increasingly important in Maine, home to the oldest population of any state. The nation overall faces similar demographic circumstances. "I’m very confident that we would not have seen the employment gains we saw last year — and we certainly can’t sustain it — without immigration," commented Wendy Edelberg, the director of the Hamilton Project.  

UNCERTAINTY — Pakistan could soon begin a new round of deportations of Afghans, report Ali M. Latifi and Lutfullah Samim Sherzai of The New Humanitarian. People who worked alongside Western governments and many women and girls have reason to fear a return to the Taliban regime. More than 515,000 Afghans have been forced to return from Pakistan since September. 

Local welcome in the U.S. continues to offer a brighter note: 

FALLACIES — Research highlights the fallacies of much of the negative rhetoric on immigration and crime, Ted Hesson and Mica Rosenberg of Reuters report. "A range of studies by academics and think tanks have shown that immigrants do not commit crime at a higher rate than native-born Americans," they write before taking a deeper dive into the studies themselves. 

SUPPORT — In Denver, Colorado, Mayor Mike Johnston has announced a new resettlement support program, reports Gabriela Vidal of CBS News Colorado. The program will help migrants transition from the shelter system, including via asylum application and rental assistance. Speaking of support, Peter Fink, 22, is providing migrants who cross the border near Campo, California, with food, water and safe places to sleep while they await Border Patrol pickup, Emily Baumgaertner of The New York Times reports.