The United States and Panama have signed a memorandum of understanding, with the U.S. agreeing to pay for flights and offering other assistance to help remove migrants from Panama, reports Rebecca Santana of the Associated Press.
The deal was signed during Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ trip to Panama for the inauguration of the new president, José Raúl Mulino. According to a statement released by the National Security Council, the deal is "designed to jointly reduce the number of migrants being cruelly smuggled through the Darien, usually en route to the United States."
Mulino took office Monday, while saying his government will curb unauthorized immigration and he will advocate for international assistance to face the "humanitarian and environmental crisis" in the Darién Gap, reports Elida Moreno of Reuters.
"We cannot continue financing the economic and social costs that massive illegal immigration generates for the country, along with the consequent connection of international criminal organizations," said Mulino in his first address as president.
Separately, unauthorized crossings in the U.S. dropped to a three year low in June, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News.
Border Patrol reported processing 84,000 migrants who crossed without authorization in June, a considerable decrease in comparison to the 118,000 reported in May. This number is the lowest since Biden came into office in January 2021.
Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s strategic communications assistant VP, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Dan Gordon and Ally Villarreal. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
DREAMS — For 23-year-old Oscar Silva, his future as a Dreamer could be a little more stable if granted parole in place through the Biden administration’s new program for spouses of U.S. citizens, reports Stella M. Chávez of KERA News. Despite academic prowess, he is not able to get full-time job because of his legal status. "Up to this point, I’d been rejected about 80 times just because I didn’t have a work permit," said Silva. "That was the one thing holding me back. And so now, it’s just so many doors that are going to open up for me." Most Dreamers have no access to legal pathways and keep waiting for a permanent solution. Check out the Forum’s look back at their long wait for stability.
FLORIDA FARMS — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vetoed a bill that would make building housing for farm workers in the state easier, citing concerns over unauthorized foreign workers, reports News Service Florida. The bill was unanimously passed by the state’s House and Senate. In addition, many in the agricultural industry have backed the bill, saying that housing would meet federal
requirements for temporary foreign workers under the H-2A visa program.
INITIATIVE — In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced last week that $20 million will be allocated to aid refugees entering the workforce, reports Corey James of Spectrum News. The funds will be distributed among 17 non-profit organizations tackling various issues within this sector. The state initiative will offer a variety of services such as health support, child care assistance and English training. It
will be open to refugees who arrived through the U.S. State Department process, asylum seekers, certified victims of trafficking and special immigrant visa holders, James notes.
ENTREPRENEURS — Immigrant entrepreneurs have a great impact in the U.S. economy, writes Rohit Arora for Forbes. This July 4, as the U.S. will welcome thousands of new citizens across the country, Arora takes the opportunity to analyze how some of them could thrive in business. "[I]mmigrants
often become successful entrepreneurs who contribute significantly to the economy, create jobs, and drive innovation. Their ability to see opportunities where others might not, coupled with their determination and resilience, makes them well-suited to the entrepreneurial path." Arora writes.
