The Forum Daily | Friday, November 14, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

**THE FORUM DAILY**

Despite the dramatic nature of their arrests, many Venezuelans taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during a September raid may never be charged with a crime, reports a team with ProPublica [link removed]. 

At least 300 ICE agents entered a 130-unit apartment Sept. 30 in Chicago and arrested 37 people, mostly Venezuelans, in front of cameras, claiming the building was "filled with [Tren de Aragua] terrorists." 

"I’m very worried. I don’t know why they are saying that," said 24-year-old Ludwing Jeanpier Parra Pérez. "I came here to find a better future for me and my family." 

Despite ICE's claims, federal prosecutors have not filed charges against anyone they arrested, nor shown evidence of anyone’s Tren de Aragua membership. Some arrestees have been deported nevertheless. 

"Agents also zip-tied and, for several hours, detained many U.S. citizens," the ProPublica team reports. 

Elsewhere, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced yesterday that her government filed 30 complaints to the United Nations regarding the United States’ treatment of migrants, reports Nina Kravinsky of KJZZ [link removed]. 

While Sheinbaum said at a press conference that Mexico will always seek a good relationship with the U.S., she underlined the need for better treatment of immigrants. "We don’t agree with discrimination and treatment that violates human rights," Sheinbaum said. 

Welcome to Friday’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]. 

**SPEAKING OUT **— The people of Orrville, Ohio, are standing up for a father of four who faces deportation after 40 years in the United States, reports Daniella Silva of NBC News [link removed]. Boudylam "Lam" Simmavanh came to the U.S. from Laos as a refugee. Now community members are writing letters about his character and his importance in the community. "Allow productive people, like Lam, the avenue to stay with his family. This can’t be fixed by tearing families apart that have lived here most of their lives," former Orrville Mayor David Handwerk wrote. 

**CONTRAST** — The Wall Street Journal [link removed] editorial board dissects the different messages from President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance regarding legal immigration. Where the president says we need skilled foreign workers, "Vance is signaling that he wants far fewer immigrants even if they arrive legally," the board writes. "For all of his campaigning against illegal immigration, Mr. Trump understands that America needs the world’s strivers to continue to prosper," it concludes. 

**PARENTS AND CHILDREN** — Operations launched earlier this year — and expanded this week — to target parents, guardians and other caretakers of migrant children have resulted in nearly 3,000 arrests, report Priscilla Alvarez and Adam Cancryn of CNN [link removed]. "It is putting so much pressure on the children, knowing their families are at risk in this way," said Mickey Donovan-Kaloust, director of legal services at Immigrant Defenders Law Center. " ... They’ll sacrifice themselves and stay in detention because they’re too scared for their parent." 

**‘NOT ALONE’** — In California, home to the highest percentage of Afghan nationals in the U.S., many rely on their community for the support they need as they face legal uncertainty, reports Hyeyoon Cho of the San Francisco Chronicle [link removed]. In the Bay Area’s "Little Kabul," resettlement organizations struggle to continue their work as federal funds have decreased in recent months.  "When you first arrive, you have no credit, no income, nothing," said Rhamat, a resettled Afghan. "Even small help means you are not alone." 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

**P.S.** Bumping up a resource in light of an interview that aired last night: our explainer on immigrants and housing [link removed].

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