Recent events in the United Kingdom are offering an object lesson to the world: Misinformation and disinformation are powerful and can have dangerous consequences. 

Following a fatal knife attack in the U.K., misleading images and incorrect information shared on social media contributed to the wave of anti-immigrant riots in the past few days, Danica Kirka reports for the Associated Press. More than 400 rioters have been arrested, the BBC reports. 

Armani Syed of Time goes deeper into social media’s role in the events, in which rioters targeted hotels housing, or that they believed were housing, asylum-seekers — among many other offenses. 

Social media is a crucial medium for extremist groups looking to take advantage of a "spark to flash," said Jacob Davey of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. 

The events are a reminder that conspiracy-theory rhetoric in the U.S. is dangerous, too. Take another look at our resource on one such theory that pertains to the immigration conversation.  

We’ve already witnessed tragic consequences, including the August 3, 2019, Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas, in which 23 people were killed. The negative rhetoric that drove that tragedy has been amplified even among politicians, reports Suzanne Gamboa of NBC News. 

When it comes to immigration and the border challenges, writer Laura Pritchett makes a call for empathy beyond politics in a Los Angeles Times op-ed. After visiting the border, she says: "So many don’t see what’s going on out here. We wish they could see ...[We] can recognize that unseen lives are meshed with our own lives more than we think, and that they matter." 

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

CONCERNS — With Iowa's immigration law held up in court, advocates continue to raise questions about its potential impacts, reports Mikaela Mackey of The N'West Iowa Review. "[Immigration] is a federal responsibility, and local law enforcement and local jurisdictions shouldn't be involved with it," said Mark Prosser, a Forum board member and former Storm Lake, Iowa, police chief. As Jennie told Mackey, Congress must come up with bipartisan solutions that help address immigration challenges on a federal level. 

HELP FOR CITIES — Advocates are speaking in favor of a bill introduced a week ago in Congress that would help migrant-receiving cities address "self-sufficiency, emergency shelter costs, homelessness prevention and compliance with existing immigration regulations," Jeff Brumley of Baptist News Global reports. The Destination Reception Assistance Act offers a hint of potential cooperation even amid an election year, Brumley notes — as does last week’s announcement that Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-New York) and Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas) are working on legislation. 

VENEZUELA — The political instability after Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election could lead to an increase in asylum seekers from the South American country, analyzes Kevin Clarke of America Magazine. Eduardo Porter of The Washington Post argues that the U.S. and other Western Hemisphere countries aren’t ready. 

OLYMPICS — A new analysis by George Mason University shows that 3.7% of U.S. athletes in the Olympics are foreign-born and more than 7% are children of immigrants or second-generation immigrants, reports Beau Dure for The Guardian. Among their many stories: Some arrived in the U.S. to study or for sports opportunities, while others fled dangerous situations in their home countries. We’re feeling proud of all of our athletes, no matter where they were born. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan