The Forum Daily | Wednesday, August 20, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

**THE FORUM DAILY**

A recent memo sent out by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows that the agency will increase focus on “good moral character,” when evaluating individuals applying for citizenship, reports Grace Moon of The Washington Post [link removed].  

The memo explained that this evaluation should be based on “behavior, adherence to societal norms, and positive contributions.”  

Experts have concerns over what this will mean for those reaching the final stages of becoming a U.S. citizen. Jane Lopez, an associate professor of sociology at Brigham Young University who specializes in immigration and citizenship policy said that the policy invites USCIS officers to “impose their subjective interpretations of this fuzzy concept in their evaluations of naturalization applicants.”  

Additionally, the administration also shared that it is looking for “anti-American” views on the social media platforms of those who apply to live in the U.S., reports Anna Betts for The Guardian [link removed].  

These policies changes have also led to the fear and possible departure of some U.S. citizens, especially within the Latino community, reports Andrea Flores of the Los Angeles Times [link removed].  

“Are we even safe as American citizens?” asked Julie Ear, who recently watched her mother go through self-deportation and cited several cases of citizens being detained.  “Even though we were born here, we don’t know if we’re gonna be safe long term.” 

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

**LABOR CONCERNS** — A decrease in the U.S. immigrant population could put the construction industry and other labor-intensive workforces at risk, reports Aliss Higham of Newsweek [link removed]. Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. experienced a reduction of over 2 million in its foreign-born population, according to statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Reduced inflows mean fewer workers in essential roles, and also fewer innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs,"said Erika Dagestan, CEO of the nonprofit VISIONS.  

**CLASSROOMS UNEASE** — As students return to school across the country, concerns over potential immigration enforcement actions are casting a shadow over the back-to-school season, reports Arthur Jones II of ABC News [link removed]. In San Antonio, some schools have already experienced a decrease in enrollment, reports Jose Arredondo of Spectrum News 1 [link removed]-. “A lot of our families are afraid of leaving their homes to access resources,” said Esmeralda Alday, program coordinator for the nonprofit ImmSchools.“[They] are nervous about even going to school to ask for support for the enrollment process.” 

**COMMUNITY EFFORTS** — Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski is teaming up with wealthy Floridians, including Miami billionaire Miguel Fernandez to protect and speak out for the immigrant community, reports Michael Smith of Bloomberg [link removed]. The support included funding to the Catholic Legal Services of Miami. “I happen to be one of those immigrants who arrived in this country penniless,” said Fernandez. “I see myself in those people who are being detained today.” 

**RETURN** — Adriana Loureiro Fernández of ProPublica [link removed] describes her experience while collecting the photographs and stories of five different families whose sons have been detained in El Salvador’s CECOT. “[These men] returned with only the clothes they were wearing, with no equipment to resume their jobs, to a country that is, in many ways, the same one they had to leave. When asked about the future, they didn’t have an answer,” writes Fernández.  

More stories: 

* Lawmakers in New York urge for the release of an immigrant 7-year-old girl and her family who were detained at an immigration court. (Brittany Kriegstein, Gothamist [link removed]) 

* Despite being eligible for asylum in Canada, an Afghan family must wait, as the father and his two children are stuck in an ICE detention facility. (Amanda Coletta, The Washington Post [link removed]) 

* In a Letter to the Editor responding to a recent article, pediatricians make a plea to stop migrant family separations. (Dr. Sural Shah and Dr. Kimberly Mukerjee, The New York Times [link removed]) 

Thanks for reading,  

Clara

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