The Forum Daily | Wednesday, July 23, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

THE FORUM DAILY  

On Monday, a federal court of appeals ruled that the administration can revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans and Cameroonians living in the U.S. while litigation challenging the termination of the program continues, reports Rebecca Beitsch of The Hill [link removed]. 

“These are our allies, neighbors, coworkers—people who believed in the promises this country made,” said Shawn VanDiver, President of #AfghanEvac. 

Many Afghans now fear being deported to their homeland, where they may face retaliation from the Taliban, report Joshua Yang and Hannah Natanson of The Washington Post [link removed].  

Separately, Andrew Kreighbaum of Bloomberg [link removed] reports that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency responsible for processing green cards and work permits, is shifting its focus toward enforcement. 

USCIS has facilitated hundreds of arrests of people attending interviews for their immigration cases and it has issued over 26,000 documents that place immigrants into removal proceedings, Kreighbaum reports. As the agency focuses on enforcement, immigrants who are eligible for visas or other lawful statuses may be discouraged from applying. 

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 Marcela Aguirre, Jillian Clark, Callie Jacobson, and Broc Murphy. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].     

**JOBS LOSS** — In an interview with Clayton Henckel of North Carolina Newsline [link removed], Ben Zipperer of the Economic Policy Institute [link removed] outlines the results of his newest research, which indicates that the current deportation efforts will eliminate millions of jobs held by immigrant and U.S.-born workers. The economist also notes that if the administration follows through on its goal of deporting one million people in per year, the U.S. economy will face a loss of nearly six million jobs over the next years.  

**WOMEN’S SAFETY** — Women may no longer cite gender-based violence as grounds for seeking asylum in the U.S., reports Jeff Brumley of Baptist News Global [link removed]. The Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals ruled on July 18 that gender and nationality combined do not constitute a “social group,” that must be protected, Brumley reports.  

**POWERLESS** — Javier Diaz Santana, a deaf DACA recipient, was detained outside his workplace in California and quickly transported to Texas, reports Brittny Mejia of the Los Angeles Times [link removed]. Diaz was released 25 days after his arrest on a $1,500 bond. Now, he is recounting his emotional time in detention. Federal immigration officers took away his only form of communication by handcuffing him. “I can’t sign with my hands cuffed. They took my power,” Diaz said. 

More stories on policy impact: 

* A husband and father who died during an immigration raid in California, is celebrated at a memorial held to honor his legacy. (Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times [link removed]) 

* A batting practice at Riverside Park in New York City was interrupted by immigration officers as they questioned the young players. (Zach Helfand, The New Yorker [link removed]) 

* Young students are absent from school, as families fear more immigration raids. (Daniel Mollenkamp, EdSurge [link removed]) 

**SUPPORT AND PRAYERS** — In a show of support for immigrant communities, Christians are now showing up to immigration courts across the country to sit with people as their fate is decided, reports Emily Belz of Christianity Today [link removed]. “To bear witness now matters… I noticed people reacted to our presence there. The folks in court see it; the folks who work at court see it,” said Ashley Hiestand, a minister from Mount Hollywood United Church of Christ. Meanwhile, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami prays for those in Florida’s newest detention center, report Lauren Costantino of the Miami Herald [link removed]. 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara 

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