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THE FORUM DAILY
Many mixed-status families in Iowa are uncertain about their futures after the state passed a law that allows law enforcement to arrest and charge noncitizens who were previously deported or blocked from entering the U.S., reports Mónica Cordero of Investigate Midwest.
A federal judge has put the law on hold while court challenges continue. In the meantime, advocates warn that a mass movement of immigrants out of Iowa could negatively impact the state’s economy, which relies heavily on immigrant workers — particularly in agriculture.
Many sheriffs in the state have expressed concerns about the law, pointing out that immigration enforcement has not been their responsibility and that their resources are limited, Cordero notes. [Law enforcement leaders from Iowa and elsewhere have spoken out about similar state-level efforts.]
Other immigrant families are experiencing incredibly long waits to reunite. Rasia Sharaz Wells, who came to the United States in 2000 from Kyrgyzstan, petitioned in 2010 for her son to join her, reports Mathew Miranda of The Sacramento Bee. Fourteen years later, she’s still waiting.
And the American Friends Service Committee shares a Honduran mother’s fight to keep her son in the United States, the only home he has known since he was 5. "Before deporting us, look at us as people, not just bodies you need to move," she said. "Everyone should be treated humanely and given a second chance."
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].
ECONOMIC EFFECTS — Regarding the economic effects of increased immigration, improved output far outpaces upticks in inflation, reports Steve Goldstein of MarketWatch. That’s according to a new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, in which economists also recommend refining models to better capture immigration’s effects. "In the long run immigration is neutral on inflation[;] in the short run it may have helped," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said yesterday.
VOTING — A House vote on a bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote could happen this week, reports Jay Waagmeester of the Florida Phoenix. Noncitizen voting in federal elections is already illegal — as the Forum also has pointed out. Voting rights advocates are concerned that the conversation itself will block or steer away some immigrant citizens from voting.
CHINESE MIGRANTS — The United States and Ecuador are attempting to slow or stop the journeys of a growing number of Chinese migrants crossing through Ecuador en route to the U.S., report Alfredo Corchado, Mónica Almeida and Paúl Mena Mena of the San Antionio Express-News. Ecuador recently began requiring Chinese visitors to get visas before entering the country, and just last week the United States conducted the largest deportation flight to China in five years.
TOPEKA WELCOME — A welcoming program for immigrants and refugees is making the Topeka, Kansas, community stronger, report Janet Shamlian and Alicia Hastey of CBS News. Top City Promise is a volunteer-based organization that helps welcome new immigrants. "Community is what makes Topeka different, because of the desire of the Topeka community to help, to help them to be successful," said Yana Ross, a Ukrainian immigrant who founded the program.
QUICK ‘ICYMI’ — As we continue catching up from the holiday week, here are a few more recent pieces worth your time:
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