THE FORUM DAILY
There’s a lot to get to today, but first: We continue to pray for everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. Our hearts are with you.
Without further ado: On Monday, the Biden administration announced a finalized rule that toughens the asylum restrictions the president implemented in June, reports Rebecca Santana of the Associated Press.
The original proclamation stipulated that restrictions would lift if the seven-day average of daily unlawful crossings were below 1,500 for seven days running, followed by 14 days of continued low crossings. The update increases this period to 28 days. In addition, among unaccompanied migrant children, only those from Mexico have been counted toward the total; now, all children will be - a significant numerical increase.
The changes extend the possibility that, as we wrote in our Q&A on the initial policy, "Those with potentially valid claims for asylum or other forms of humanitarian relief could find themselves forced to wait in Mexico, sent back to dangerous situations, or facing other negative consequences." A truly secure, humane approach will require Congress to act on pragmatic border, asylum and legal-immigration solutions.
Also yesterday, the Biden administration announced a refugee "ceiling" of 125,000 for fiscal year 2025, as Jarrett Renshaw of Reuters reports. The figure matches that of the fiscal year that ended yesterday.
We'll be watching for the official total from 2024, which could approach 100,000 as restrengthening of the resettlement process has continued. For more on the program, read and share our fact sheet.
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, 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].
TONIGHT — Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz should talk about paths forward on immigration as opposed to "sensationalized soundbites" during tonight’s debate, George W. Bush administration alum and Council on National Security and Immigration leader C. Stewart Verdery Jr. writes in The Hill. "[M]oderators should steer toward, and the candidates should engage in, conversations about real solutions rather than the kind of inflammatory language that has dominated headlines," he writes. Ahead of the debate, we’ve posted a comparison of the two VP candidates on immigration.
MASS DEPORTATION’S REALITIES — Also new: our policy team’s explainer on what a mass deportation would entail, and what it would cost. In short, "The social and economic consequences would be severe" and would burden American families and communities, the economy and local law enforcement. In Baptist News Global, Mark Wingfield questions the wisdom of such a policy from the "party of business."
BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES — More than 200 evangelical leaders, including "influential conservatives," have signed the letter we mentioned yesterday that urges the presidential campaigns to listen to what the Bible has to say about immigration, Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service reports. Meanwhile, evangelical women’s group We Welcome is launching a month of prayer today.
DREAMING — At age 3, Javier R. Quiroz Castro and his family arrived in the United States with limited resources and a constant fear of deportation. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has given Javier the opportunity to work as a nurse, but his uncertainty continues. "No matter what administration is in power, I think Dreamers are used as political pawns," he tells Charissa Cheong of Business Insider. " ... [M]uch more needs to be done."
P.S. Bring your appetite: A Bosnian resettled refugee brings the flavors of her home country to St. Louis, as Jacob Wiegand of St. Louis Public Radio reports.
|
