The Mexican government is setting up legal clinics for immigrants in the United States with the help of U.S. nonprofits and some law firms, reports Julian Resendiz of Border Report.  

The initiative aims to help Mexican immigrants with the many legal roadblocks that they find once in the U.S. The clinics started in El Paso this week, where close to 60 people had a consultation. The services will soon be available at all of Mexico’s diplomatic sites in the U.S.  

Separately, as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) promises that his migrant busing program will continue, there may not be enough migrants to fill said buses, report Laura Strickler and Didi Martinez of NBC News. 

"[The buses] now come much less frequently, because they don’t have enough people to cross the border to fill up a bus," said Josh Goldfein, a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York.  

To the southeast, South American countries are facing a new level of uncertainty since Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s disputed election victory, report Franklin Briceño, Astrid Suárez and Nayara Batschke of the Associated Press. Countries including non-neighboring Peru and Chile are taking measures in case of a further Venezuelan exodus. 

We’re off Fridays this month, so we’ll be back Monday. Welcome to Thursday’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, Joanna Taylor, Ally Villarreal and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

JUSTICE AND MERCY — No matter their party leanings, Latino evangelical leaders are pushing for border and immigration reforms, Aleja Hertzler-McCain of Religion News Service reports. "Latino evangelicals are looking for people who know how to balance justice and mercy, law and humane treatment of people," said the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, National Latino Evangelical Coalition president and founder. 

STILL WAITING — As the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan three years ago this month, about 70,000 of our Afghan allies fled their home country and resettled here. Now they’re still waiting in uncertainty as legislation to cement their status has stalled, Kelsey Norman and Ana Martín Gil of the Baker Institute at Rice University write for The Conversation. Among other points, the pair write of the "strong precedent for providing expedited pathways to permanent residency" for U.S. allies.

This week in local welcome: 

ROOT CAUSES — After President Biden tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to address Central American migration, she focused on a long-term strategy of job creation and economic growth in the region, Dan Merica, Nicholas Riccardi and Chris Megerian of the Associated Press report. As the presidential race ramps up, that strategy is under a microscope: Some have praised her approach to the root causes of migration, while others say she was too restrained amid urgent challenges. (For more on Harris’ immigration record, click to Tyche Hendricks’ NPR piece.)  

A PLATE — At a shelter run by Children's Services of Roxbury in Massachusetts, Haitian-born Paul Richelle found a taste of home and new opportunities through a plate of food, reports Matt Fortin of NBC 10 Boston. After eating the food from Gourmet Kreyol and speaking with the organization’s head, Richelle found work with the group. Now, he is able to help spread Haitian culture in his new home state. 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan