Farmers’ use of H-2A visas to meet workforce needs has risen significantly in the past decade, and Florida ranks No. 1 in H-2A workers. The story of Salvador Garcia Espitia, a young farmworker who came to the U.S. to work through legal channels, demonstrates gaps in the program when it comes to protecting workers.  

In Georgia, immigrant farm workers are scrambling for a path forward after Hurricane Helene caused damage and destruction to their only livelihood, reports Nada Hassanein of Stateline. 

Georgia depends on H-2A workers for around 60% of the state’s agriculture jobs. Now, many immigrant workers lack assistance after the storm. "Right now, all we can do is wait for work," farmworker Alicia Macario said. 

Jodie Guest, a professor at Emory University, analyzes the conditions for workers such as Macario: "We’re talking about people who are living on the fringe to start with, when you’re not making a lot of money to begin with, or you have a very high rate of food insecurity, it takes almost nothing to push you into a place that’s untenable."  

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP. 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]. 

TARGETING LEGAL IMMIGRATION — As former president Donald Trump continues to speak against undocumented immigrants, several of his advisors are considering plans behind the scenes that would block legal immigration pathways, reports Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal. Drawing on public plans and dozens of interviews with former Trump officials, Hackman delves into the possibilities, including "executive orders, regulations and memos for a future homeland security secretary to sign that would narrow legal ways to migrate." 

ECONOMIC EFFECTS — As immigration remains a topline issue for many Americans, the Council on Foreign Relations looks at how it affects our economy in a brief by Diana Roy. Immigrants contribute to economic growth, with outsized contributions in hospitality, construction and other fields. In Foreign Affairs, Julia Preston picks apart the likely effects the two presidential candidates’ immigration approaches, including economic consequences. 

RESOURCES — Five days out from the election, we thought we’d put some of our top resources together in one place:  

SOCAL — In new research, Ana Martín Gil of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy looks at San Diego and Tijuana’s migration challenges and shines a light on "the importance of local government involvement in migrant reception and adequate coordination with organizations on the ground." Meanwhile, Elyse Fitzpatrick writes in The San Diego Union-Tribune about how her evangelical faith informs her perspective on immigration: "I want to see a secure and orderly national border. And I want to see an immigration policy that protects the unity of the immediate family. I want to see policies that respect the God-given dignity of every person." 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan