The Forum Daily | Thursday, March 20, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

**THE FORUM DAILY

** **

** ****The federal government is dropping its legal challenge against Texas’ Senate Bill 4, which allows local law enforcement to arrest those they suspect of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization, reports Uriel J. García of The Texas Tribune [link removed]. 

The law was challenged by the Biden administration when it passed the Texas legislature in 2023, which resulted in several court rulings and appeals. The U.S. Department of Justice said in a filing late Tuesday that it is dropping the case voluntarily.  

The law will continue to be challenged by El Paso County and two immigrant rights groups, García notes.  

Separately, a bill that would make it a crime to hide or harbor undocumented immigrants is making its way through the state legislature in Tennessee, reports Anita Wadhwani of the Tennessee Lookout [link removed].  

Immigration advocates warn that this could endanger mixed-status families as well as churches and non-profits that traditionally help people no matter their status, points out Wadhwani.  

Additionally, the Trump administration is discussing plans for the U.S. military to take control of a large stretch of land along the U.S.-Mexico border and allow American troops to temporarily hold migrants who crossed illegally, reports Dan Lamothe of The Washington Post [link removed].  

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily.  I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s assistant VP 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]  mailto:[email protected].     

**NEIGHBORS NOT CRIMINALS** – The arrest of Jeanette Vizguerra, a celebrated immigration activist in Colorado, is setting off alarms among advocates as it indicates the ongoing turn towards targeting nonviolent immigrants, report Alayna Alvarez, Brittany Gibson, Astrid Galván of Axios [link removed]. "Not only is she a community member, but she’s a mother to four kids… And I just wanted to say that I need my mom back. I need her to come home," Jeanette’s daughter told a team at CNN [link removed]. Separately, Victoria Albert and Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal [link removed] highlight recent detentions of green card and visa holders. 

**STRAINED BUSINESSES** – Latino-owned businesses in Utah have felt the impact of fear among their employees and community with some businesses experiencing major sales drops, report Jose Davila IV and Shannon Sollitt of the Salt Lake Tribune [link removed]. "People are afraid. They are afraid to go out. They are afraid to buy," said Ingrid Santaella, a restaurant owner who has seen a sales decrease in the past two months. Marielle Mohs of CBS News [link removed] reports the same trend in Minnesota. 

**MISINFORMATION** — A recent memo from agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins invokes misleading information about services available to immigrant families, reports Victoria Namkung of The Guardian [link removed]. In a memo to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff, Rollins wrote "It is essential to use all available legal authority to end any incentives in FNS benefit programs that encourage illegal immigration." Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Namkung notes. Experts warn directives with misinformation could affect families from accessing food assistance, even if in practice eligibility hasn't changed.  

**FREEZE AFTERMATH** – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the funding for refugee services in Texas after a six-week freeze bringing some relief, but still leaving refugee organizations uncertain, reports Emiliano Tahui Gómez of the Austin American-Stateman [link removed]. Organizations are welcoming the funds as they are allowed to continue their work, but it’s unclear to what extent, Gómez notes. "This is a first, everybody's confused about it," said Anjum Malik, executive director of Austin-based refugee service provider Global Impact Initiative. Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service [link removed] reports on faith groups’ litigation against the administration. 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara 

[link removed]

[link removed]    [link removed]    [link removed]    [link removed]

[link removed]

Unsubscribe from this email list [link removed] or opt out from all Forum emails [link removed]

National Immigration Forum<br>10 G St NE<br>Suite 500<br>Washington, D.C. 20002<br>United States
www.immigrationforum.org [link removed]