Immigration seems certain to come up as one of the main topics tomorrow during the first 2024 debate between President Biden and former President Trump, report Nicholas Nehamas and Michael Gold of The New York Times. 

Each candidate’s recent language reflects their narratives on immigration, as Toluse Olorunnipa of The Washington Post explores.  

The debate comes soon after Biden’s Border Proclamation severely restricting asylum and new executive actions that will smooth the legalization process for certain Dreamers and undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens.  

It also comes as Trump continues to promise mass deportations, reports Edith Olmsted of The New Republic. Safia Samee Ali of NewsNation further explores the potential economic effects of such an effort. 

And last week, Trump said international students who graduate from American colleges should get green cards "automatically," but his campaign has since walked that back, reports Michael Lee of Fox News. 

In Forbes, Stuart Anderson argues why the former president was unlikely to implement such a policy, given Trump’s record on international students and professional immigrant workers. And Catherine Rampell of The Washington Post puts a finer point on it. 

Stay tuned for more resources from us in coming days, and have another look at our six immigration principles for 2024, which are focused on solutions and rooted in American values. Reporters, Jennie is available for interviews. 

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]. 

WORKERS WANTED — The U.S. Conference of Mayors is urging Congress to establish a program that would bring professional immigrants and entrepreneurs to cities facing population decline and economic challenges, reports Fiona Harrigan of Reason. Vivek Wadhwa and Alex Salkever recently discussed such a program in Fortune. And in Nebraska, local authorities and employers discussed strategies to attract more immigrants to fill the thousands of jobs available in their communities, reports Cindy Gonzalez of the Nebraska Examiner. 

NURSES — Maya Goldman of Axios takes another look at how the State Department’s halt in visa processing is limiting the arrival of international nurses, adding to an already critical shortage. "We can't bring in people fast enough to fill the hole that we already have," said Megan Cundari, senior director of federal relations at the American Hospital Association. A wide coalition of health care advocates are pushing a bipartisan bill that would help address this shortage by reclaiming unused green cards to offer more employment-based visas for nurses. 

PREVENTABLE DEATHS — A new report shows that most of the deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities from 2017 to 2021 could have been prevented with proper medical care, reports Daniella Silva of NBC News. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Physicians for Human Rights and American Oversight collaborated on the report. "I really saw significant deviations from what is really considered standard of care," said Dr. Chanelle Diaz, a Columbia University Medical Center assistant professor of medicine who reviewed the detainee records for the report. 

LONG WAIT — After the recent announcement of executive action for families, eligible immigrants married to U.S. citizens are eager to start the process as soon as possible, reports Maria Guerrero of NBC DFW. Bennie Ayala, a citizen, has been married to an undocumented immigrant for 11 years. Her husband has been in the process for permanent residency for more than five years, but the new measure could reduce their waiting time. "I just want him to be able to work legally for us, to support our family," Ayala said. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan