The Forum Daily | Friday, December 13, 2024https://immigrationforum.org/

**THE FORUM DAILY**The rebuilding of the refugee resettlement system in the past four years is a story worth telling — and just a reminder that people who have gone through the process are extremely well-vetted [link removed].  

Now, resettlement agencies continue to pressure the Biden administration to expand entries into the United States before the Trump administration commences, reports Raheem Hosseini of the San Francisco Chronicle [link removed].  

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is among the groups expecting a repeat of the first Trump term’s dismantling of the resettlement system, as well as other immigration restrictions. "We have a moral obligation to welcome as many people as possible," said Tara Winter, executive director of IRC Northern California. 

Another point of concern is the future of health protections for children detained at the U.S.-Mexico border, reports Emily Baumgaertner of The New York Times [link removed]. Current protections resulting from a 2022 legal settlement are set to end nine days after Trump takes office. 

The court-ordered protections were established after two children died in custody at the southern border. Medical experts and advocates are worried about the conditions children will face with Trump back in office. 

"There have been improvements, but it’s the sustaining of improvements that is the challenge," said Dr. Paul Wise, a pediatrician who served as a juvenile care monitor.   

Welcome to Friday’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, 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].     

**WILLING TO TALK** — Some Democrats in Congress are open to working with Republican colleagues on immigration, reports Daniela Altimari of Roll Call [link removed]. Daniella Diaz and Nicholas Wu report for Politico [link removed] that some are cautiously willing to discussing a deal with the incoming Trump administration, too: "I am open to doing everything possible to protect Dreamers and other immigrants and so if there comes time to make a deal, I hope we are all open to that," said Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas).  

**SPECTER OF CAMPS** — President-elect Trump is underscoring his openness to using immigrant detention camps in the United States, report Ivana Saric and Avery Lotz of Axios [link removed]. Trump mentioned the possibility of new camps in his Time [link removed] magazine interview. Separately, the incoming administration is receiving offers from militia groups to assist in mass deportation — but so far is saying there will be no assistance from outside groups, reports Alan Feuer of The New York Times [link removed]. 

**SEPARATIONS** — The Biden administration has separated several dozen arriving families this year, reports Mica Rosenberg of ProPublica [link removed]. Officials say they differ from the first Trump administration’s in character and scale and are "for reasons according to longstanding immigration practices, including ... concerns about the parents or the safety of the children." About 80 children have been separated from their parents this year, Rosenberg reports, with national-security concerns one main reason.  

**OPPORTUNITIES** — Resettled Afghan pilots such as Sayed Jawad Padsha now have an opportunity to earn their private or commercial U.S. pilot’s licenses through a program offered by Emily Griffith Technical College in Colorado, reports Ernest Gurulé of Colorado Community Media [link removed]. For Padsha, the program opened a door to a community that has welcomed him and where he can achieve his dreams."[It's] like coming to heaven from a manmade hell," he said. 

Recently in local welcome: 

* Afghan refugees are among the more than 1,000 refugees that Spokane, Washington, has welcomed this year. (Daniel Fortin, NonStop Local [link removed]) 

* In the U.K., community groups are volunteering to help Afghans who have been living on a military base for months. (Helen McCarthy, BBC News [link removed]) 

* In Missouri, nonprofit Welcome Neighbor St. Louis is set to resettle 18 refugees this month. (Andrea Y. Henderson, St. Louis Public Radio [link removed]) 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan 

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