The increase of raids in the past weeks is raising concerns among Christian congregations. In Arizona, faith leaders are expressing their fear that immigration officials could start targeting places of worship, reports Collin Hodge of KJZZ.
“It’s a sacred place where you should feel safe. But this administration is taking all that away. So all I can do is try to keep that space sacred for them to feel safe,” said Rev. Veronica Alvarez of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Phoenix.
The immigration crackdown is already affecting faith communities even if the raids aren’t happening at church. Geoff Bennett of PBS NewsHour discussed with two pastors how they’ve seen their role shift. Beyond spiritual direction, they now help families navigate fear brought on by the constant changes in immigration policy.
Separately, industry leaders in business and agriculture are dealing with policy whiplash after the Trump administration reversed an order to pause workplace raids in sectors heavily dependent on immigrant workers, report Lauren Kaori Gurley and Mariana Alfaro of The Washington Post.
In a conversation with Maya Rodriguez and Jennifer Glenfield of Scripps News, Jennie notes that in addition to the reversal on raids, “if you start to add on the other constrictions with the travel ban, the international student restriction and also tariffs, you start see a really bleak outlook for the American economy and American businesses."
A team from The Wall Street Journal also reports on how the increasing deportation efforts clash with keeping a stable economy.
Quick note — tomorrow the Forum will be closed in honor of the federal holiday. We’ll be back in your inbox on Friday!
Welcome to Wednesday’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, Callie Jacobson, Broc Murphy, and Becka Wall. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
ECONOMIC REALITY — Small businesses in Los Angeles are struggling as fear of ICE’s workplace raids spreads, keeping many customers at home, reports Tim Reid and Kristina Cooke of Reuters. “It's almost COVID-like. People are scared. We can only last so long like this - a couple of months maybe,” said Juan Ibarra, a small business owner in the area.
DREAMERS — The Fifth U.S. Circuit of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a lower court decision to deny new applications to DACA, reports Travis E. Poling of the San Antonio Current. The court decision keeps protections in place for those currently enrolled. “DACA recipients —and Dreamers in general— have become essential contributors to the economy and workforce, paying taxes and filling critical roles in key industries,” said Jennie in a recent statement. Separately, a group of Dreamer students filed a suit over the Texas Dream Act reversal, reports Cameron Abrams of The Texan.
CONTEMPT — In Florida, a federal judge is holding the state’s attorney general in contempt after he defied an order halting a new state law allowing for the arrests of some immigrants entering the state, reports Alex Pickett of Courthouse News Service. The judge argues that Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) disregarded her preliminary injunction by sending out a memo telling state police that he could not prevent them from arresting people based on the new law.
MILITARY FAMILIES — For thousands of military family members without legal status the risk of deportation persists, reports Sonner Kehrt of The War Horse. Army Sgt. Ayssac Correa has served the country since 2018, but renewing his enlistment is now uncertain after his undocumented wife was deported to Honduras, “I kept thinking, ‘Oh, she’s gonna get out tomorrow. She’s gonna get out tomorrow.’ And then that turned into almost three months,” Correa said.
For more on the personal impact of immigration policy:
