Immigration experts advise that the reasons behind Texas’ decrease in migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border are more complex than what the state claims, reports Alejandro Serrano of The Texas Tribune.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) emphasized in an interview last month that the numbers decline is a sign of Operation Lone Star’s effectiveness, Serrano notes. The program has been a point of contention in Texas and cost taxpayers around $11 billion.
While more border encounters are being reported outside of Texas, the reasons for such a change are due to many factors, experts say. Texas’ actions are just part of it. "We’ve always treated the border as a simple line on a map, but it’s more than that — it’s an ecosystem," said retired Tuscon Sector chief Victor M. Manjarrez Jr.
According to experts, that "ecosystem" mentioned by Manjarrez is impacted by factors such as global migration trends, foreign policies, federal policies, and even the weather conditions, Serrano highlights.
Separately, Kelsey Norman and Ana Martín Gil of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy offer a deeper dive into the intricacies of migration and how border communities are handling the impact, take a look at their new report.
Meanwhile, on immigration foreign policy, Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said his country is willing to take more deportation flights from the United States, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News.
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 Darika Verdugo. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
INCIDENT — Texas is investigating a border-related shooting incident that took place recently, reports Todd South of the Army Times. In a statement by the Texas Military Department, it was detailed that on April 14, "A National Guard service member assigned to Operation Lone Star discharged a weapon in a border-related incident." NewsNation’ Ali Bradley reported first that an Indiana National Guard discharged their weapon after seeing a violent struggle between two individuals.
COMMUNITY — Despite becoming a national talking point against immigration, residents in Whitewater, Wisconsin, are coming together to welcome and support newcomers, reports Samuel Benson of Deseret News. The small town has unwillingly become a political symbol of how migration is affecting communities far north of the border. Despite the rhetoric, community members have created the "Immigration Support
Group" to welcome people. "We told the city that respect is one of the most important elements," said manager of the town’s adult ESL program, Jorge Islas Martinez. Respect will help us build trust, and trust will help us build unity."
HONEST CONVERSATION — American susceptibility around immigration is connected to broader cultural and economic unease, write Chris Murphy and Ian Marcus Corbin for their piece in The xxxxxx. "What is needed is an honest conversation about why so many Americans feel so scared and alone that they view a relatively nonthreatening crowd." The answer for the authors is that "people here feel abandoned." They propose focusing on values like
solidarity "to rebuild a culture that prioritizes the common good."
‘WORK IS LIFE’— Migrants arriving in Massachusetts are finding independence through a state program that helps them with the process to get work authorization, reports Sam Drysdale for The Berkshire Eagle. The program allows migrants to meet with lawyers at the same centers where they would pick up food and other essential items. Junior Alexandre, who came from French
Guiana, was able to get his work authorization through this assistance. "Work is life, work is freedom, I want to be able to work and take care of the needs of my family," said Alexandre.
