Once expelled from the United States, many migrants are being taken from the border to southern Mexico, forcing them to make the trip back north if they want to attempt to cross again.  

Keilly Bolaños, a Venezuelan single mother trying to get asylum, has been sent to the south of Mexico and has returned to the border six times. Bolaños hopes that in the U.S., her 4-year-old daughter can receive leukemia treatment that is not available in their home country. 

"I know that all this struggling will be worth it someday," Bolaños said.  

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of NPR dives into the decisions that migrants face under the new asylum restrictions. Despair pushes many migrants to take the risk of paying smugglers. So far, data has suggested that Biden’s restrictions might lower the number of migrants at the border, but only temporarily, Martínez-Beltrán notes. 

Don’t miss our newest resource: an explainer on the Biden administration’s new asylum policies. It follows our Q&A on the president’s proclamation last week.  

Welcome to Wednesday’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, Samantha Siedow, Darika Verdugo and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

EMPLOYMENT — Dan Shingler of Crain’s Cleveland Business picks up on Northeast Ohio employers’ tough task of finding new hires in a tough market. Immigrants could help. "We’ve got the people. It’s not a matter of is the fuel for the future coming through to the engine or not," said Joe Cimperman, CEO of the nonprofit Global Cleveland, referring to the immigration system. "It’s a question of can the engine process the kind of fuel that’s here."    

COMPASSION — Merinda Cutler and Meredith Gardner of Mormon Women for Ethical Government share their recent experiences at the border in an op-ed for The Salt Lake Tribune. Arriving with curiosity, ready to speak to and learn from the people there, they found common humanity and write that perceptions about migrants and migration may differ from reality. "We invite you to join us as we let go of fear and embrace the truth that it is possible to both secure the border and treat all people with compassion and dignity," they conclude. 

BITTERSWEET — As Arizona communities deal with current realities for immigrants, celebrating National Immigrant Heritage Month is bittersweet, reports Erick Trevino of La Voz (also published in English). Immigrants make up 13% of Arizona’s population , according to the American Immigration Council. "This month, I think it's a great opportunity for us to shine light that immigrants are human beings that live in Arizona, [and] we're so interconnected in our communities," said Reyna Montoya, founder and CEO of Aliento, which supports immigrants. 

SMOOTHING INTEGRATION — Sammy and Erlendre Lamy are working to help newly arrived Haitians overcome the hurdles of their new lives through their nonprofit, Jobs4Us, reports Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Miami Herald. They are children of Haitian immigrants themselves, and their organization hosts fairs with prospective employers and community organizations — also benefiting employers with jobs to fill. "I want prosperity, to get better," said Haitian immigrant Louise Michelle, who wants to become a nurse. 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan 

P.S. John Cassidy of The New Yorker further unravels the need for more workers, including immigrants, "to keep the U.S. economy growing and to fill essential jobs in industries such as construction, agriculture, food processing, hospitality, and long-term care."