As unauthorized border crossings reach a low during the Biden administration, migrants continue to face extended wait times to receive appointments through the CBP One app that allow them to try to enter legally, reports Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of NPR.
Yasmelin Velazquez and her two young children have been waiting more than eight months. Trying to make an asylum claim after crossing without authorization has gotten more difficult since President Biden’s executive actions to restrict asylum claims.
A union representing federal asylum officers is supporting a legal challenge to those restrictions, reports Hamed Aleaziz of The New York Times.
"Expanding lawful immigration pathways for some does not justify foreclosing lawful immigration pathways for others," wrote the union, which represents more than 1,000 asylum and other officers in the United States.
Jennifer Babaie, Director of Advocacy and Legal Services at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, writes of the human toll in an Austin American-Statesman op-ed.
Separately, an appeals court ruled Tuesday that Texas can proceed with floating a 1,000-foot river barrier to stop migrants, reports Ryan Autullo of Bloomberg Law. The court reversed a preliminary injunction that forced Texas to stop work on the barrier.
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, Darika Verdugo and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
NEW COALITION — A new coalition to work on border and immigration solutions comprises House Republicans and Democrats, reports Tom Brune of Newsday. Led by Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-New York) and Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas), the efforts began with a roundtable last week. Jennie praised the efforts, saying in part, "National security, law enforcement, faith and business leaders have been pushing for this conversation. Voters across the political spectrum want solutions. We look forward to working with all members of Congress who are willing to come together and put solutions over politics."
NUANCE — Vice President Kamala Harris’ role on border and immigration policy is much more nuanced than some are making it out to be, report Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Jazmine Ulloa of The New York Times. Border enforcement was not her purview, "[b]ut she did have a prominent role in trying to ensure that a record surge of global migration did not become worse," they write. In that role, she encouraged economic investment in countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
DEPORTATION — A mass deportation effort "would rank with the worst atrocities in American history," Brian Lyman of the Alabama Reflector writes in a commentary. The son of an Irish immigrant, Lyman lays out objections to what he calls an irrational and cruel plan. "We face two futures," he writes. "One involves men and women becoming part of our nation and living their lives in peace. The other involves violent expulsions, deportation camps and the destruction of the rule of law."
ARIZONA VOLUNTEERS — A national nonprofit that assists unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody is offering free training for volunteers in the Phoenix area, reports Kirsten Dorman of KJZZ. Volunteers at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights have the opportunity to "accompany children to hearings, research their home country situation, and help advocate for their best interests," Dorman notes.
P.S. The U.S. men’s and women’s gymnastics team performances at the Olympics were awe-inspiring. Paul Juda’s celebrating to "USA!" chants was possible because his father emigrated from Poland to seek opportunity in Chicago, as Stacy St. Clair of the Chicago Tribune noted.
