Immigration was a hot-button topic last night at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Speakers exaggerated links between immigrants and crime, Fiona Harrigan of Reason writes.  

She quotes the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force: "[E]xisting evidence shows that immigrants do not represent a threat to public safety any more than every other segment of the population."  

"No one came close to conveying just how difficult it is for the vast majority of people to immigrate to the U.S. legally," Harrigan writes. Calls for a closed border and mass deportations "aren't statistically informed conclusions, nor are they attainable or realistic policy goals." 

A team at NBC News highlights a similar conclusion in analyzing the mass deportation proposal and its implications. "There is no logistical way to track down 10 to 12 million undocumented immigrants with the ICE employees they currently have," said Abigail Andrews, a professor at the University of California, San Diego.  

Diana Roy of Foreign Policy delves into the similarities between today’s immigration narratives and those of a century ago. "As Americans prepare to head to the polls in a few months’ time, the immigration policy debate would benefit from a reminder of the economic possibilities that abound from having a large immigrant population. Otherwise, the country may be forced to relearn a tough lesson," Roy concludes. 

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, Beau Starbuck and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

DEMOGRAPHICS AND LABOR — As industrialized countries around the world grapple with aging populations, immigration is one way demographics and labor forces can stay on track, report David Brancaccio, Chris Farrell and Nic Perez of Marketplace. Separately, Dan Gooding of Newsweek analyzes immigration’s impact on the labor market. "It is extremely troubling how far we're falling behind global competitiveness by not being open to folks who want to come to the U.S. [legally]," Jennie told Gooding. 

UPPING THE ANTE — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is known for his fiery rhetoric and policies surrounding immigration and the border. Benjamin Wermund of the Houston Chronicle combs through the history and political influence of Abbott’s claims. He writes that Abbott has targeted immigration at "new levels, leveraging billions of state dollars on a militarized crackdown, arresting and detaining thousands of migrants, busing many more to Democratic-led cities and attempting to seize deportation duties from the federal government."  

POSITIVES — Despite anti-immigration rhetoric and tough policies in some states, other state legislatures are introducing bills to strengthen migrant and immigrant rights, reports Maria Villarroel of The Latin Times. States including Washington, Virginia and California "are investing in their future by ensuring their workforce can meet and keep up with growing state economies and labor demands," reads a new report by the American Immigration Council and Local Initiatives Team. 

DRIVE — At 19, Syrian-born Ahmad Alsaleh is doing what few others his age can: buying a house for his family, reports Zara Norman of the Bangor Daily News. After his family resettled in Maine as refugees from Syria, Alsaleh attended high school and worked three jobs before continuing his education and getting work through the Jobs for Maine Graduates program. "Folks who are refugees from war-torn countries [have] this other level of drive," said state Sen. Matt Pouliot (R-Augusta). "Ahmad is one of them." 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan 

P.S. Journalists especially, take a look on the Poynter website at the insights Jon Greenberg of PolitiFact took from a recent Poynter Institute workshop onsite at the border in El Paso, Texas. Having visited the border myself recently, I highly recommend visiting and meeting the real people there.