Citing economists' analysis, Kapur and Vaishnav emphasize how the immigrant workforce is one of the biggest U.S. advantages. However, the current immigration system limits the options to face labor shortages in some industries, including those in need of high skilled workers. 

"It is hard to overstate the importance of attracting and nurturing foreign-born talent as a method of boosting innovation and economic prosperity," Kapur and Vaishnav write. 

There is bipartisan consensus around industrial policies, but similar consensus on immigration is needed to succeed with the ‘"Made in America vision," Kapur and Vaishnav conclude. 

Separately, the Biden administration’s new program giving pathways to lawful residence for undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens could be an economic opportunity, reports Elizabeth Trovall of Marketplace. 

With legal status, experts argue that this population of immigrants will now be able to move forward in their fields and earn more for their families and communities. "You’ll see higher labor force participation, especially among women who gain status," said Pia Orrenius, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. 

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s assistant VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Dan Gordon, Joanna Taylor and Ally Villarreal. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

DNC UPDATE — Last night at the Democratic National Convention, several speakers covered immigration and the border in their speeches, report Camilo Montoya-Galvez and Fin Gómez of CBS News. The speakers ranged from Congress members to Javier Salazar, the sheriff of Bexar County in Texas. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D- New York) lamented the struggle for compromise on updating border and immigration policies, while highlighting the rewards to be had. "To be a nation of immigrants is hard sometimes too," Suozzi said. "You have to work for it."  

DETENTION TROUBLES — In Bakersfield, California, the ACLU is pushing for ICE to shut down two immigration detention centers, reports Leslie Santibanez-Molina of Eyewitness News - KBAK. Both facilities are facing criticism for "inhumane conditions for detainees." Separately, a man in Philidelphia faces potential deportation as he is taken into an ICE detention center. In an op-ed for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Kate Firestone and David Bennion analyze his case and reflect on the legal loopholes in the immigration system that lead to family separation.    

A BISHOP'S JOURNEY — For the Catholic Standard, Mark Zimmermann outlines how Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala’s immigrant experience shapes his work. Menjivar-Ayala came to the U.S. from El Salvador at 18 and believes his experience shaped the way he connects to all members of his community: "We need to walk with people, we need to meet people where they are … [Jesus] walked with them, that means everybody, with all people." 

LEGAL HELP — In Des Moines, Iowa, Jennifer Block works many hours pro-bono to help reunite Afghan families, reports Kayla James of KCCI. A senior attorney at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Block usually works on the office’s finance team. However, since she started volunteering in 2022 to help Afghans stuck abroad, Block is finding herself in a different position: "We haven't walked in those shoes. Then, when I learn about the shoes in which they were walking, I say, welcome them and welcome them with open arms." 

This week in local welcome: 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara