With just days left until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, immigrant communities across the country — and state leaders, in different ways — continue to prepare for changing immigration policies. 

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called for a special legislative session focused on immigration, reports Ana Goñi-Lessan of the USA Today Network in Florida. Meanwhile, in the Tampa Bay area — home to more than 80,000 undocumented immigrants — people are waiting to see what comes next, Nancy Guan of WUSF reports.  

In Wisconsin, where immigrants make up 70% of dairy industry labor, the work continues amid anxiety for the future, reports Ruth Conniff of the Wisconsin Examiner. Buffalo County Deputy Sheriff Aarik Lackershire says residents’ deportation fears can reduce trust, which makes law enforcement’s work harder.  

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mayor Christopher Taylor says that a city ordinance protects undocumented immigrants without criminal records from detention, as reported by Ana Longoria of 89.1 WEMU. The city does not prevent federal immigration enforcement efforts. 

And Laura Lunn, director of advocacy and litigation at Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, outlines what Coloradoans can do to help immigration attorneys and their clients in her op-ed for The Colorado Sun. said.  

Meanwhile, Jennie and others speak out against the idea of a reporting hotline incoming border czar Tom Homan floated, Sarah D. Wire of USA Today reports. "We don't have all the resources in the world, of course, when it comes to law enforcement, and we really need to make sure that authorities can focus on those that are violent," Jennie said. 

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, Broc Murphy, 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]. 

NUANCES — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s new PBS documentary, "Journey to America with Newt and Callista Gingrich," follows numerous immigrant success stories, reports Martin Pengelly of The Guardian. Regarding Dreamers, Gingrich (R) said in an interview, "it’s nonsense to say somebody who came here when they were two, only speaks English, graduated as a high school valedictorian and is currently a nurse or a doctor should be deported." Meanwhile, the George W. Bush Institute’s 2025 policy recommendations include immigration reforms "to ensure our future prosperity, vitality, and security" and ways to address migration’s root causes.    

UNCERTAINTY — In Missouri, recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) continue to fear for their future under the Trump administration, reports Mike Fitzgerald of St. Louis Public Radio. "You definitely block it out, but it’s always there," said Areli Reyes, who was able to complete graduate school thanks to DACA protections. "You just try to live your everyday life and see what happens. That’s what we’ve been doing" since before DACA took effect. 

‘EVERYONE NEEDS OPPORTUNITY’ — The U.S. resettled 12,517 refugees in December, according to the most recent government data, a significant increase from November. Refugee resettlement advances religious freedom, Knox Thames, a special envoy focused on religious minorities under the Obama and Trump administrations, writes in the Deseret News. And Jean Pierre Gatera, a Rwandan pastor who recently resettled in the United States, shares his story with UNHCR. "Everyone needs protection, everyone needs a community, everyone needs opportunities," Gatera, now at Northwood Church in Minneapolis, reflects.  

CONNECTOR — Amsalu Kassaw immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia. Now he's an employee at GEO Group, the private contractor with an ICE detention center in Aurora, Colorado, and a new Aurora City Council member, John Aguilar of The Denver Post reports. "My background can help bring people together," Kassaw (R) says. "I can work hard to be the bridge between the community and elected officials. I’m very open — and open to discussing anything."

Thanks for reading,  

Dan