The Forum Daily | Wednesday, October 8, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

**THE FORUM DAILY**

As most Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) operations continue, the staff at the Office of Detention Oversight, which makes sure detention centers meet federal standards, has been furloughed, reports Douglas MacMillan of The Washington Post [link removed].  

Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former ICE assistant director, commented that this could jeopardize the health and safety of immigrant detainees: "Everybody was already stretched, and now you’re reducing the number of people who are looking at conditions in facilities." 

ICE detention numbers hit a record 61,000 in August, sparking concern among advocates over worsening conditions, overcrowding, and lack of basic care in expanding facilities, notes MacMillan. 

Additionally, the Justice Department announced the appointment of retired Marine Corps Col. Daren K. Margolin as the new head of the United States’ immigration court system, reports Chris Cameron of The New York Times [link removed].  

Margolin served as a military lawyer in several different roles and worked in the first Trump administration after his retirement. At the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Margolin will oversee the whole of the immigration court system, which the current administration has purged of top-level officials over the past year.  

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Marcela Aguirre, Masooma Amin, Jillian Clark and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. 

**FEWER PEOPLE** — Population growth has been essential in cities such as Houston, and harsh immigration policies are putting that growth at risk, reports Elizabeth Trovall of Marketplace [link removed]. The Houston housing market already is experiencing impacts, she reports, with apartments going empty as fewer people arrive and potential home buyers hesitant. 

**IT'S BACK** — The controversial detention hub in the Florida Everglades, which was on the brink of closure, has been revived, reports Richard Luscombe of The Guardian [link removed]. After an appeals court halted a judge’s order to close the facility, advocates say the camp is again filling rapidly. 

**VATICAN INSTRUCTS** — Pope Leo instructed U.S. bishops visiting the Vatican to address the treatment of immigrants under the Trump administration, reports Joshua McElwee of Reuters [link removed]. Visitors gave the pope letters from immigrants expressing their fear in the face of the enforcement crackdown. "It means a lot to all of us to know of his personal desire that we continue to speak out," said El Paso Bishop (and Forum board member) Mark Seitz. 

**PREGNANCY PERIL** — Anxieties around immigration enforcement are steering many pregnant immigrants away from medical attention they may need, report Mel Leonor Barclay and Shefali Luthra of The 19th [link removed]. Guatemalan-born Jacqueline’s son was born after an anxiety-filled pregnancy following her husband’s deportation. "Fear of ICE is pushing my patients and their families away from the very systems meant to protect their health and their pregnancies," said Josie Urbina, an OB-GYN in San Francisco.  

For more on the personal impacts of immigration enforcement: 

* In Waco, Texas, the career of beloved local chef Sergio Garcia has come to an end with his deportation from his home of 36 years. (Sam Shaw, The Waco Bridge [link removed]) 

* Another death at an immigration detention center in California raises questions on the care of detainees. (Kori Suzuki, KPBS [link removed]) 

* A small nonprofit in East Harlem, New York, works to prepare community members for immigration enforcement crackdowns. (Edward Desciak, America [link removed]) 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan 

**P.S.** Immigrant-owned businesses in Richfield, Minnesota, add to the flavor and culture of the town, reports Sarah Thamer of MPR News [link removed]. 

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