The Forum Daily | Monday, July 7, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

THE FORUM DAILY

Our hearts go out to those impacted by the floods in Texas. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families affected.  

In immigration news, on Friday, President Trump signed into law a multibillion-dollar reconciliation bill that narrowly passed a final vote in the House on Thursday, report Kaia Hubbard and Caitlin Yilek of CBS News [link removed].  

The bill is expected to greatly impact the administration's ability to fulfill its policy plans for immigration, investing a historic amount into immigration enforcement, reports Juliana Kim of NPR [link removed].  

"It will absolutely supercharge immigration enforcement over time, but it's not gonna happen overnight,"said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. "So how quickly the Trump administration is able to use this money to fuel its mass deportations campaign is a real question." 

In a statement [link removed] released Thursday, Jennie underlined the need for more than just funding for enforcement: “We need Congress to work on responsible immigration reforms that address [the] broader challenges within our system—expanding opportunities for lawful work and establishing legal pathways to strengthen our economy.” 

Separately, in celebration of Independence Day, more than 100 immigrants from 95 different countries were sworn in as U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony held at George Washington’s historic home outside of Washington, D.C., reports Sophia Solano of The Washington Post [link removed]. 

“This is my country now,” said Randa Alakkad, who came to the U.S. from Syria 12 years ago to study. “It’s a happy moment. I’m very proud.” 

Welcome to Monday’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]. 

**Faith Communities and Immigration** 

* Exclusive: Trump’s immigrant deportations are ‘morally repugnant,’ senior US Catholic leader says - CNN [link removed] (Christopher Lamb, CNN) 

* As judge blocks Trump’s attempt to deport migrants, US Haitians celebrate 'a little bit of relief' [link removed] (Helen Teixeira and Fiona André, Religious News Service) 

* New ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ for migrants called a ‘sinful initiative’ - OSV News [link removed] (Tom Tracy, OSV News) 

**Immigrants in American Communities **

* Immigrants helped build Indianapolis, leaving their unique marks on the fabric of the city - IndyStar [link removed] (Alexandria Burris, Indianapolis Star) 

* Oakridge driving program breaks barriers for immigrants and refugees - KCCI [link removed] (Pepper Purpura, KCCI) 

* Tearful Moment Father Reunites With Family After Months in ICE Detention [link removed] (Billal Rahman, Newsweek) 

* Two pregnant asylum-seekers in neighboring states face different birthright citizenship challenges - NBC [link removed] (Daniella Silva and Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News) 

**Immigration Enforcement **

* Immigrants with no criminal convictions represent sharpest growth in ICE detention population [link removed] (Jasmine Garsd, NPR) 

* ICE officers don’t enforce traffic law. So why (and how) are they pulling people over? - The Salt Lake Tribune [link removed] (Brock Marchant, The Salt Lake Tribune) 

* ICE Raids Derail Los Angeles Economy as Workers Go Into Hiding [link removed] (John Gittelsohn, Bloomberg) 

* ICE increasingly targets undocumented migrants with no criminal record [link removed] (Emmanuel Martinez, Marianne LeVine and Álvaro Valiño, The Washington Post) 

* In Kansas City, most immigrants facing deportation receive no legal counsel – The Kansas City Beacon [link removed] (Mary Sanchez, The Kansas City Beacon) 

**Op-Eds on Immigration **

* I am grateful for my parents' sacrifices that allowed me to become a US citizen | Opinion – The Palm Beach Post [link removed] (Valentina Palm, The Palm Beach Post) 

* What to the Immigrant is the 4th of July? [link removed] (Jose Antonio Vargas, The Atlantic) 

* I'm an evangelical Christian. I feel compelled to speak up for immigrants. [link removed] (Matt Reynolds, Courier Journal)

Thanks for reading, 

Clara 

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