The Forum Daily | Wednesday, November 27, 2024https://immigrationforum.org/

**THE FORUM DAILY**

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We’re taking a moment today to pause and reflect on our thanks for so many things we can’t take for granted — including the gratitude of America’s newcomers. 

Don’t miss this first one: In Columbus, Ohio, Nigerian-born Taiwo Akinlami and Venezuelan-born Ixalia Ortiz share how they celebrate Thanksgiving by combining traditions from their own cultures with appreciation for being in the United States, reports Belinda M. Paschal of The Columbus Dispatch [link removed]. 

"America is built for dreamers, explorers, people who can challenge their limitations and decide to dare," Akinlami said.   

In Documented [link removed], Rommel H. Ojeda has more on this theme.  

"We are in a country where we start adapting to the cultures and traditions to better process the journey of migrating and to avoid feeling excluded. This tradition is very joyful," said Diana, 28, who migrated from Venezuela with her husband.   

In communities across the country, welcome and thanks are plentiful: 

* In Houston, resettled Ukrainians prepared a Thanksgiving dinner with food from their homeland to thank the congregation at Memorial Church of Christ, which welcomed them warmly last year. (Bobby Ross Jr., Ministry Watch [link removed]) 

* In St. Louis, the International Institiute held a dinner for immigrant families celebrating their first Thanksgiving. (Kimberly Donahue, First Alert 4 [link removed]) 

* Newcomers in Philadelphia gathered at a similar celebration hosted by HIAS Pennsylvania. (Cory Sharber, WHYY [link removed])  

* Meghan Markle — yeah, that Meghan Markle — hosted a dinner for Afghan women who’ve resettled in California. (Naheed Ifteqar, Vogue [link removed])  

We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with joy and gratitude, too. Our next Daily will come to you on Tuesday. 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, Clara Villatoro and Becka Wall. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. 

**ALABAMA** — Immigration is a huge economic opportunity for Alabama, reports Bill Britt of the Alabama Political Reporter [link removed]. With the state experiencing a significant labor shortage, immigrants contribute in many ways, including in the state’s construction, agriculture and hospitality industries. "The future of Alabama’s prosperity depends on crafting policies that balance enforcement with economic realities. Immigration is not merely a challenge to navigate but an opportunity to seize," Britt concludes.  

**HISTORY, PART 2** — In the second installment of an NPR [link removed] Planet Money piece, Greg Rosalsky reports on the causes and effects of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. Similar to today, an ethnic group was scapegoated for economic troubles, leading to demands of expulsion. But removals hit the economy and businesses hard: "Western businesses suffered, and cities and towns across the West that saw their Chinese populations decline or disappear became less economically vibrant," Rosalsky reports. 

**BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP** — President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for an executive order that would end birthright citizenship is much more complicated than the incoming administration realizes, Jacob Sullum writes in Reason [link removed]. Such a move would not be possible without Congress and would force a constitutional debate that "Trump cannot win," he writes. For a further look at the historical precedent, Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí of KQED [link removed] examines United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the 1898 Supreme Court case that affirmed birthright citizenship. And here again is our Q&A [link removed] from earlier this year. 

**EXTRA HELPING** — In the face of negative public sentiment, Gustavo Arellano gives thanks in his Los Angeles Times [link removed] column for undocumented immigrants’ contributions to the workforce, the billions in taxes they pay every year, and their bravery in the face of adversity. Arellano also thanks his father, writing, "Papi: Gracias for leaving Mexico as an 18-year-old ne’er-do-well with no chance of getting a green card through the proper channels and proving that anyone can succeed in this country if they have the drive." 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan 

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