The Forum Daily | Thursday, August 14, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

**THE FORUM DAILY**Before we get to the news, we’re giving a huge thank-you to our intern Callie, as she wraps up her time with us. We truly appreciate all your help this summer!   

On with the news... Students in Los Angeles are returning to class under a cloud of fear that schools could face immigration enforcement actions, writes Jaimie Ding of the Associated Press [link removed]. 

Amid concern from educators that students will stay home to avoid immigration raids, school district superintendent Alberto Carvalho has called on officials to avoid enforcement actions near schools during key times, emphasizing the need to protect the students' well-being. So far, immigration agents have not made any arrests inside of Los Angeles schools, Ding reports. 

However, agents briefly arrested a 15-year-old boy with disabilities at gunpoint outside an L.A. school when he accompanied his mother to enroll his sister, report Lolita Lopez and Helen Jeong of NBC Los Angeles [link removed]. 

Separately, in Milwaukee, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman says that immigration enforcement is creating a “challenge” for community trust in law enforcement, reports David Clarey of the Milwaulkee Journal Sentinel [link removed]. 

Milwaukee’s police department has clarified that its officers do not ask people about immigration status and has put out videos in English and Spanish stressing that it is safe to call 911 [link removed]. 

In the most recent blog post [link removed] from the Law Enforcement and Immigration Task Force (LEITF), by co-chair Ramon Batista, Chief of Police of Santa Monica, California. Batista describes the importance of community trust for effective law enforcement and emphasizes the responsibility of police to protect all community members, regardless their immigration status. 

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. During August, we will take a break on Fridays — we’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s assistant VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Callie Jacobson and Isabel Rinkenberger. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. 

**SEEKING ASYLUM** — Federal data shows that U.S. immigration courts are on track to receive a record-breaking 1 million asylum applications this year, reports Alisa Reznick of KJZZ [link removed]. “Immigration enforcement is incentivizing people to try to get protection,” says Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. At the same time, asylum denials are surging, with many immigrants underrepresented, while courts face a backlog of over 2.5 million cases, experts note. 

**ENROLLMENT DROPS** — Funding cuts and immigration policies may cause as much as a 40% drop in new international student enrollment nationally this fall, reports Jon Keller of CBS News [link removed]. Keller warns that Massachusetts, in particular, could be seriously impacted, as the loss of thousands of students from the state will likely have far reaching economic consequences. Meanwhile, Ashley Mowreader of Inside Higher Ed [link removed] reports that international enrollment at Arizona State University has dropped significantly from last fall. 

**NO CRIMINAL RECORD** — Many people detained in the Florida detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” have no criminal history, some detainees are also DACA recipients, reports Lilia Luciano of CBS News [link removed]. On a national scale, around 47% of those detained by immigration authorities do not have criminal records, according to federal statistics from June. Separately, a judge in New York City ruled that immigration agents should promptly address the deteriorating conditions in New York City migrant holding cells after accusations of negligence, reports Luis Ferré-Sadurní of The New York Times [link removed]. 

**PROMISES** — Displaced Afghans and advocates are disappointed in the lack of action from the administration after the president said he supported honoring the government’s promises to Afghan allies, reports Andrew Dyer of KPBS [link removed]. “These were people who fought for us — they put their lives on the line,” said Marine Corps veteran Jonathan Liu who served in Afghanistan. “We shouldn't be turning our backs on them.” 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara 

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