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THE FORUM DAILY
Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of the plane crash that occurred last night at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
In immigration news, President Trump is ordering the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to build a facility at Guantánamo Bay, the U.S. Navy Base in Cuba, to house as many as 30,000 migrants, report Tarini Parti, Michelle Hackman and Nancy A. Youssef of The Wall Street Journal.
The measure would nearly double the capacity of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain migrants before their deportations, the team notes.
In Aurora, Colorado, the military already is allowing ICE to carry out deportation efforts at Buckley space force base, reports Chase Woodruff of Colorado Newsline.
"Pulling our military into politicized and contentious domestic immigration enforcement dishonors the service of our troops and distracts them from the important work of defending our nation," said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colorado).
Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s assistant vice president of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Soledad Gassó Parker, Dan Gordon, Broc Murphy and Becka Wall. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
ASSISTANCE IN QUESTION — After the Trump administration’s order to suspend federal funding, future housing, food and medical-care assistance for refugees already in the United States is uncertain, report Tiffany Stanley and Peter Smith of the Associated Press. "[A funding shortage] will actually be harmful to communities that have received these individuals, because they won’t have the support to integrate as quickly as they should," said Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy for World Relief.
HIGHER EDUCATION — A Florida bill would eliminate access to in-state tuition for residents who lack permanent status, reports Nancy Guan of WUSF. "In-state tuition has really been the path for higher education for Dreamers in Florida, and closing it is just abdicating that path," said Holly Bullard from the Florida Policy Institute. Separately, although Trump’s last administration allowed international students to study through F-1 visas, many worry for the future of the program, reports Prinz Magtulis of Reuters.
FEAR — A routine traffic stop in Lubbock, Texas, concluded with Jose Alvaro, a husband and father of three, being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reports Alejandro Serrano of The Texas Tribune. Enforcement actions nationwide have immigrant communities on edge, reports Bernd Debusmann Jr of BBC News. "People are scared to go to work, or to send their kids to schools," said Michael Lukens, the executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. "That's exactly what the White House wants — to instill fear in people and make them leave."
HUMANITY — The United States must honor the humanity of all who come seeking refuge, Pastor John-Mark Hart writes in his op-ed for The Oklahoman. "As American public discourse about this human migration crisis continues to grow more heated, it is important to remind ourselves of our best values," he writes. Meanwhile, Jalil Dawood, pastor of the Arabic Church of Dallas and a Trump supporter, sees the administration’s guidance around refugees to be a missed opportunity, reports Ken Camp of the Baptist Standard. Refugees can "be blessed and be a blessing," Dawood said.
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