The Forum Daily | Friday, June 27, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

THE FORUM DAILY

The United States population is aging at a rate where many states now have more older adults than children. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that immigration plays a crucial role in sustaining American population growth and balancing the nation’s shifting demographics, report Marie-Rose Sheinerman and Nick Mourtoupalas of The Washington Post [link removed].  

Separately, Maria S. Salinas, the president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, discussed  how the raids and other immigration enforcement actions are affecting businesses with Md Fazlur Rahman of the Los Angeles Times [link removed]. 

“When fear like that strikes in an immigrant community like in Los Angeles, it disrupts our economy. This is because people don’t show up to work and don’t show up to school, and even to their health appointments,” said Salinas. 

Businesses in Tampa, Florida, agree as Juan Carlos Chavez of the Tampa Bay Times [link removed] reports.  

In his column for CalMatters [link removed], Jim Newton writes on the domino effect of immigration and economy. “Whether here legally or illegally, these are working men and women. When they get paid, they spend that money on clothes and places to live, toys for their children, food and the stuff of life,” Newton writes. “That spending goes into the broader economy, supporting businesses that are owned and operated by legal residents.”   

Beyond the economic impact, there is a mental toll on immigrants and the disruption in many communities impacted by the raids. Andrea Castillo and Queenie Wong of the Los Angeles Times [link removed] dive deeper into this topic.  

Welcome to Friday’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 Marcela Aguirre. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. 

**CHILD DETENTION** — The first lawsuit challenging the arrests of children at immigration court was filed Tuesday. A mother and her two children argue that their arrests violate their constitutional rights to due process, reports Dan Katz of Texas Public Radio [link removed]. Attorneys are currently requesting the release of the six-year-old son in this case, who needs medical treatment for leukemia and has already missed an appointment, according to court documents. Meanwhile, some immigrant parents are seeking ways to grant guardianship of their children to friends or family in the case of their own deportation, reports Simón Rios of WBUR [link removed].  

**MASS LAWSUIT** — Earlier this week, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against all federal judges in Maryland for constraining its deportation efforts without due process, reports Avery Lotz of Axios [link removed]. The lawsuit is ringing alarms among legal experts who said this marks a troubling escalation in the administration's effort to weaken judicial independence, Lotz notes. Separately, immigration advocates are suing police in Nassau County, New York, after they made a 287(g) agreement this past February, reports The Washington Post [link removed].  

**FORMER TRANSLATOR** — In San Diego, an Afghan national who helped translate for U.S. troops was detained during his asylum hearing, reports Summer Lin of the Los Angeles Times [link removed]. Sayed Naser has no criminal record and entered the United States legally.  “I came here to make a better life,” Naser said in a video clip of his detention. “I worked with the U.S. military. I worked in a very dangerous part of Afghanistan with the U.S. military.” In his op-ed for The Sacramento Bee, [link removed] David Mastio writes on how the United States has failed its promise to Afghan allies by stripping their legal protections.  

For more on Afghan refugees and welcome: 

* Advocates ask veterans to attend the court hearings of Afghan refugees who helped U.S. troops to affirm their support. (Leo Shane III, Military Times [link removed]) 

* An Afghan family once separated during the chaotic escape from their homeland is reunited in Washington state. (Victor Corral Martinez, Inlander [link removed]) 

* In Vermont, a World Refugee Day celebration celebrates allies and those who welcome them. (Auditi Guha, Vermont Digger [link removed]) 

**CELEBRATION AND STRUGGLE** — As June is National Immigrant Heritage Month, community members in Houston are sharing their immigration stories and concerns for the future, reports Ugochi Iloka of KHOU [link removed]. "The migrants bring to this country their culture and their warmth. We're loving people. We're hardworking people,"said Andrea Arana, the owner of a café in Houston. Separately, Andy Olsen of Christianity Today [link removed] reports on the effects migrants have had on the Christian community in Chicago and how they are now handling increased immigration enforcement. 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara 

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