Castillo lays out the key elements of the bill and how it will give a major boost to President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, including more money for detention centers and immigration fees.  

The massive spending bill would also strip millions of U.S. citizen children of their eligibility for the Child Tax Credit because of their parents’ immigration status, reports Dan Katz of Texas Public Radio. 

The proposed changes would require both of a child’s parents to hold a Social Security number to be eligible for the benefit. Advocates warn of the impact this would have on working families. “The child tax credit is one of the most effective tools we have to lift families out of poverty,” said Ashley R. Harris of United Way of Texas. 

Ahead of the reconciliation bill’s passage yesterday, a coalition of religious leaders, including 20 Catholic bishops, sent a letter urging Senators to reject the increase in funding for immigration detention and deportation, reports Tyler Arnold of Catholic News Agency. 

“The moral test of a nation is how it treats those most in need of support,” they wrote in the letter. “[The bill's] passage would be a moral failure for American society as a whole.” 

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

ADVOCATES – In California, a group of Republican state legislators sent a letter to the White House, asking the administration to focus on criminals in their immigration efforts rather than workplace raids, reports Clara Harter of the Los Angeles Times. Separately, in an op-ed also for the Los Angeles Times, pediatricians Marsha Griffin, Alan Shapiro and Julie M. Linton write on the trauma on children as recent immigration operations have torn apart families and forced minors into harmful conditions.  

CONTRIBUTIONS — In her commentary for the Ohio Capital Journal, local journalist Marilou Johanek reflects on the importance of the “unconditional” constitutional right that allowed her grandmother and many other immigrants to find a home in Ohio. Johanek condemns Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s endorsement of the executive order to end birthright citizenship and highlights the role of immigrants in the state. Meanwhile, New Jersey Business Magazine highlights immigrant entrepreneurs honored for their contributions to New Jersey’s economic growth. 

JUDICIAL BLOCK — Yesterday, a federal judge blocked the administration’s attempts to end deportation protections for Haitian nationals, reports Chris Cameron of The New York Times. The judge wrote that the Secretary of Homeland Security “does not have statutory or inherent authority” to end the Temporary Protected Status program for Haitians, which the administration terminated last week.  

MILITARY FAMILIES — The increase in immigration enforcement is now affecting United States military families, report Emily Kennard and Casey Murray of NOTUS. Family members of U.S. military service members and veterans have historically been given extra consideration when it comes to immigration enforcement. NOTUS highlights that now more families are seeing their non-citizen relatives carried off. Some groups are worried it will take a toll on servicemembers and the U.S. military’s recruitment efforts. 

For more on the impact of immigration enforcement: 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara