"Nationwide, immigrants are a vital force in powering the American job machine and keeping the U.S. economy humming," he reports. " ... The broader data shows that immigrants are not displacing native workers, but rather filling a hole that's been created by retiring baby boomers. Were it not for immigration, job growth likely would have stalled."
That’s especially true in cities such as Dayton, Ohio, where the population has diminished in the past half-century or so. At FC Industries, an $85 million manufacturing business in Dayton, nearly 10% of employees are immigrants.
The company offers incentives for bilingual workers who also serve as interpreters and plans an English class for employees with limited proficiency. (FC, feel free to give us a call.)
In health care, 1 in 4 doctors are foreign-born medical graduates, and most of them are based in rural areas, Boston University postdoctoral associate Selma Hedlund writes in The Conversation.
Hedlund analyzes the hurdles that immigrant doctors face, whether to complete a U.S. residency program or to stay and work after their education. "The complexity and sheer unwieldiness of the U.S. visa regime is causing the nation to lose skilled professionals to other countries," she writes.
International nurses are also encountering obstacles, and health care companies and advocates are urging changes to address labor shortages, reports Dave Fornell of HealthExec. "Putting immigration in paralysis mode doesn’t make economic or security sense," said Kathleen Campbell Walker of the law firm Dickinson Wright.
"Should the United States expand legal immigration?" That is the central question of a Braver Angels debate Saturday, in which Jennie is one of an interesting quartet of panelists. Register here.
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, Soledad Gassó Parker, Camilla Luong, Ally Villarreal and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
SEEKING STABILITY — The future of thousands of asylum seekers is decided in immigration courts, amid backlogs and long processes. Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Miami Herald offers a glimpse at how courthouses turn into a multicultural space where people try to defend their hopes and dreams in their brief appearances before a judge. "The government needs to think of a different solution to provide stability and relief outside of the immigration court system," said Adriel Orozco of American Immigration Council.
DEPORTATION PROMISES — Former President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that people who entered the country legally under two Biden administration programs could be part of large-scale deportations, reports Rebecca Santana of the Associated Press. Trump was speaking of parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, as well as people who followed the federal government's demands and waited for appointments using the CBP One app.
CONCERNS — Advocacy groups in Texas are warning that state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) recent request to clean up voter rolls could prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots, reports Melia Masumoto of KVUE. "We've seen from Texas’ past voter purges just like this one that they always result in voters of color and naturalized citizens being the ones that are targeted," said Ashley Harris, an attorney with the ACLU of Texas.
WELCOME — Americans continue to show hospitality to refugees through Welcome Corps, reports Sarah Matusek of The Christian Science Monitor. One year in, arrivals via the program are at 919 and counting. Mohammed Humed, who spent about half his life so far in a refugee camp and is now settled in Southern Colorado, is one. "Welcome Corps is my second family," he said.
