The Forum Daily | Tuesday, May 7, 2024 ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

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**THE FORUM DAILY**

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Guatemala today to discuss regional migration, report Aline Barros and Chris Hannas of Voice Of America News .????

Blinken plans to "look ahead to next joint steps to bolster humane migration management and robust enforcement, lawful pathways and access to protection, and increasing refugee and migrant integration in the Americas," said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller.?????

Amid the talks, administration officials said yesterday that the U.S. is planning to announce new migration-related funding, "including humanitarian support such as food and shelter,"??reports Eric Martin of Bloomberg . The officials also cited the efforts of Mexico and countries to its south as contributing to the recent decline in migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.??

The number of migrant encounters on the U.S.-Mexico border is down 40% in the first four months of 2024, compared with the last four months of 2023.??

Meanwhile, David Noriega,???Aarne Heikkila???and???Adiel Kaplan of NBC News take a deeper dive into the global causes of migration. "We have to recognize that what's happening at our border is a microcosm of what's happening everywhere," said Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "This is not a U.S.-Mexico border problem. This is now a worldwide issue." ??

Welcome to Tuesday'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] .?????

**DESIRE FOR SOLUTIONS** - New Mexico business owners dealing with smugglers in border towns are calling on politicians to focus on real solutions, reports Marty Schladen of the Ohio Capital Journal . "I absolutely think the rhetoric [on migration] is not helping at all," said Robert Ardovino, owner of Ardovino's Desert Crossing??where New Mexico, Texas and Mexico meet. "This is a problem. We all know it's a problem. Let's get down to how we fix it." Schladen notes that solutions are possible, including the border framework proposal from partners including the Forum.??

**CHIEFS' CONCERNS** - Iowa police chiefs say they lack guidance and resources regarding the new state law that would allow them to arrest undocumented immigrants, reports Galen Bacharier of the Des Moines Register . Law enforcement leaders also expressed concerns on how the new law could affect their relationship with immigrant communities. "I think our community's worried about profiling," said Marshalltown Chief Michael Tupper. "We don't want people to be afraid to call the police."??

**DARI??N**??- Panama President-elect Jos?? Ra??l Mulino says he plans to shut down migration paths through the Dari??n Gap, reports Demian Bio of The Latin Times . The dangerous jungle connects Panama and Colombia and is a vital path for migrants making the journey north. A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report in April pointed out that the Panamanian government was not doing enough to protect migrants who traverse such paths. ??

**KEY CONTRIBUTIONS** - A new study quantifies Dallas immigrants' major contributions, reports Jacob Vaughn of the Dallas Observer : 28.4% of the city's employed labor force and contributions of $1.6 billion in federal taxes and $900.6 million in state and local taxes. In Dallas, "immigrants are highly involved in some of the technology, math and science areas," said Steven Hubbard of the American Immigration Council, which partnered with the city for the study. "Those are important to keeping the economy going, especially as we're facing more AI jobs."??

Thanks for reading,??

Dan??

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