In early 2021, the Biden administration asked Harris to help address the "root causes" of migration in a diplomatic role. She focused on Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, tackling issues including poverty and violence. More border-specific policies have been the purview of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Montoya-Galvez notes. 

Facilitating U.S. aid to the three Northern Triangle countries has been a big part of Harris’ work, reports Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal. "Harris’ job was meant to be narrow, and over the years Harris has fulfilled it by announcing tranches of private investments by companies like Pepsi, Cargill and Nestle in Central America," Hackman writes. 

During a visit to Guatemala in 2021, Harris received backlash from some advocates after she said in a speech, "I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come." 

Welcome to Tuesday’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, Ally Villarreal and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

'COMPASSION AND ORDER' — Democrats and Republicans must put immigration solutions above politics, Forum mobilizer Jason Lief writes in a Des Moines Register op-ed. Lief recognizes the need for border solutions and calls for workable policies, referencing the Forum’s border and asylum framework. Separately, Pastor JR Forasteros advocates for solutions over divisive rhetoric on immigration in an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News. "Our leaders must commit to a path that prioritizes both compassion and order, meaning action from Congress rather than hate-filled, demonizing rhetoric," Forasteros writes. 

WOULD-BE DISASTER — Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan would cause an "economic and humanitarian disaster," Andres Oppenheimer writes in his Miami Herald column. Oppenheimer points to economists' concerns over inflation should such a program come to fruition. "There is no question that America’s immigration system needs to be fixed, and foreign criminals should be extradited," he writes. "But America badly needs more immigrants to fill existing jobs. Deporting millions of hard-working and tax-paying workers would speed up inflation and make all Americans poorer."  

RESEARCH — The Pew Research Center published new data yesterday looking at unauthorized immigrants in the United States and changes in immigration patterns, reports Megan Butler of Courthouse News Service. Foreign-born populations within the United States reached 46.1 million in 2022, with most immigrants in the country legally, the data show. Among all foreign-born residents, 49% are naturalized U.S. citizens.  

GROWING TOGETHER — Nebraska nonprofit Community Crops, which helps people build sustainable farming businesses, is now helping many immigrants, reports Sam Cobb of 1011Now. "So many of these people come from all over the world because it’s a refugee resettlement community, and they have incredible agricultural knowledge," said Megan McGuffey, the organization’s program coordinator. But some, including Iraqi immigrant Shahab Bashar, are first-time farmers. "I always say I want to grow more food to feed more people," Bashar said. "I just believe in what I am doing." 

Thank you for reading,  

Dan