For migrants waiting for CBP One appointments in Nogales, Mexico, watching the American elections play out is nerve-racking as they worry over what the future will hold for them depending on the results, report Camilo Montoya-Galvez and Suvro Banerji of CBS News.
"There's a lot of concern about what's going to happen, they're very scared," said Alba Jaramillo, the co-director of the Immigration Law and Justice Network. "They think that the asylum system is going to close."
Migrants keep facing risks in their journey to the United States, while many of them aren’t aware of the election but are generally worried about the U.S.’s immigration policies, reports Patrick J. McDonnell of the Los Angeles Times.
"Whoever wins, wins. But I know this: Whoever the victor, things won’t be easy for us as immigrants," said Venezuelan Santiago Marulanda, who’s traveling with his wife and children.
For Diocelina Querales, a Venezuelan mother who arrived in the United States last year, dwelling on the election and negative rhetoric isn’t an option as she works for the betterment of her family, reports Catherine E. Shoichet of CNN and photographs by Rachel Woolf.
If the worst happens and her family is forced to leave, departing with nothing would be the worst outcome. To cope with the stress that comes with that thought, she keeps herself busy: "You have to keep trying to do other things, to keep searching for other things to do."
Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s strategic communications assistant VP, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Dan Gordon, Soledad Gassó Parker, Camilla Luong, and Ally Villarreal. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
CHANGES — In Logansport, Indiana, immigrants are helping the community stay economically and demographically active, writes Michael J. Hicks for his op-ed in the Indy Star. The increase of immigrant students in Logansport brought $7.1 million in state funding to the schools and helped to avoid closing at least one school, Hicks points out. In Alabama, foreign-born students brought growth along with a series of positive changes despite the politization of immigration, reports Rebecca Griesbach of AL.com.
INDUSTRY — Many arrestees during the Trump administration’s controversial immigration raids remain in the U.S. and continue to support the Mississippi economy, reports Isabelle Taft of The New York Times with photographs and video by Juan Arredondo. Though many were deported, some remained through applications for legal status and asylum. Today, these immigrants serve a vital role within poultry industries and are recognized and respected by red-voting residents. Patrick Kelly, a grocery store owner, understand legal actions that affect immigrants, but he hopes regardless of the election result, undocumented immigrants will not be "uprooted and sent back."
HUMANITY — Advocates in Arizona are making efforts to show migrants some humanity before they are sent back to their countries, reports Ryan Fish of KGUN. Volunteers bring blankets, toys and other supplies to help as migrants turn back. "It’s easy to just see [migrants] as statistics, they left for a reason and they put their children’s lives, left their family, left their pueblo. They did that for a reason," said immigration advocate Helen Porter. Separately, Samuel Benson of Deseret News questions certain politicians' dedication to "protect Christians" if that protection might not extend to
refugees.
A LITTLE HOPE — Amid the tension in the air on this election day, James Pindell for The Boston Globe and Charles Lane for The Washington Post share the hope and optimism that they recently witnessed at naturalization ceremonies. Francine Mukungilwa, a newly minted American who came to the country from the Congo ten years ago, expressed her emotions on that special day: "I love America. America welcomed me with grace and opportunities I couldn’t find anywhere else."
