The Texas Senate’s Committee on Border Security is evaluating the future of Operation Lone Star after hearing testimony on its effects last week, report Ryan Chandler and Areebah Bharmal of KXAN/NexStar.
Texas has spent about $11 billion on the program since its 2021 start. Some officials remain all-in. But the program has faced federal legal challenges, staffing shortages and public outcry, as our policy team notes in a resource posted yesterday.
At the same time, Texas leaders say labor needs and economic growth will require more workers born elsewhere, reports Charles Frantes of TexasGOPVote. Business, faith and civic leaders met recently at Amegy Bank to highlight new data from the American Immigration Council underscoring this principle and indicating that labor shortages increase prices for all Texans.
"Today, we are deeply in trouble by not having enough workforce," said Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, M.D., President and CEO of Harris Health System. " ... And you heard about the aging population. The discrepancy is only going to grow."
In construction, "There's this demand that is constantly growing and it's not like it's going to go away," said Paul Puente, Executive Secretary of the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council. "We have a retiring workforce that's adding to this number."
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, Soledad Gassó Parker, Ally Villarreal and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
IMMIGRATION PROMISES — Vice President Kamala Harris has not spoken recently about whether she would follow previous policy promises regarding Dreamers, Alex Thompson and Stef W. Kight of Axios report [though she has spoken about an "earned pathway to legalization"]. In her 2020 campaign, Harris promised to expand protections, Thompson and Kight note. Harris is expected to visit the border later this week, report Reid J. Epstein and Nicholas Nehamas of The New
York Times. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump kept up his misinformation around immigrants during a campaign appearance in Pennsylvania, Patrick Svitek reports in The Washington Post.
RESETTLED — For two Venezuelan refugees, moving to Indiana was both a challenge and a blessing, reports Marina Silva of WTHR 13. Silva zooms in on the stories of Antony and Eduardo, who came to the U.S. through the refugee program six years after escaping violence and upheaval in their native country. "Most people in Indianapolis are from America, so we felt that it was a challenge and allowed us to be able to integrate better into the culture and how things work here in the country," Antony said.
IDENTIFICATION — Volunteers training with Texas State University’s Operation Identification program are learning how to identify the remains of migrants found on the South Texas border, reports Sandra Sanchez of Border Report. "It means a lot to us to be able to come in and be able to volunteer, perform these services and help bring some closure to these families," said Amerika Garcia Grewal, co-founder of the Border Vigil Coalition.
ENCOUNTER — Ahead of the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, echoed the welcome messaging of Pope Francis, reports OSV News. "[The Pope] emphasizes that every encounter with migrants is an encounter with Christ," Seitz said. The church will celebrate National Migration week events, including volunteer opportunities, special Masses and legal clinics.
