The Forum Daily | Thursday, September 3, 2026https://www.forumtogether.org

New: A federal judge has blocked the president's most recent attempt to limit birthright citizenship [link removed], Tierney Sneed of CNN [link removed] reports. 

Meanwhile, the homebuilding industry is in the midst of a crisis exacerbated by immigration enforcement and restrictions, Tyler Williams of HousingWire and The Builder's Daily [link removed] reports. 

If you know a few hundred thousand would-be workers in the industry, reach out to the Home Builders Institute, which estimates that the sector needs to recruit 723,000 workers a year to meet demand and catch up on labor shortages. 

"In some markets, homebuilders say the impact [of immigration enforcement] has been significant; in others, it has been an existential threat to their ability to continue operating as businesses, complete homes, and repay construction loans," Williams reports. 

The overall labor force also is shrinking, Stuart Anderson writes in a Washington Post [link removed] op-ed. "Unless [restrictive immigration] policies change, a shrinking workforce will cause slower economic growth and lead to more expensive public debt," as well as higher prices, he writes. 

In The New York Times [link removed], entrepreneur Benjamin Fernandes writes about how he has to run his company from abroad because people from countries including his native Tanzania have been barred from entry. Don't miss the closing. 

Evangelical theologian Wayne Grudem offers ideas for middle-ground solutions in an immigration backgrounder in The Christian Post [link removed]. "The teachings of the Bible require us to combine both justice and compassion in any policy positions that we support," he writes. 

A note to D.C. reporters: Our friends at World Relief are hosting an event this morning to update their report on the resettlement of persecuted Christian refugees. It's at 11:30 at the Capitol Visitors Center. Contact [email protected] mailto:[email protected] for more details and to RSVP. 

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. 

**TOLLS ON HEALTH** — Immigrants' medical care has worsened further since October 2025, St. John Barned-Smith and Ko Lyn Cheang of the San Francisco Chronicle [link removed] report. Outside health care specialists have not been paid for services since last Oct. 3, they report. The recent death of a Chinese migrant hours after his detention has prompted questions from the Chinese government, reports Ryan J. Foley of the Associated Press [link removed]. Meanwhile, fear of immigration enforcement is causing families to delay children's health care, reports Nada Hassanein of News from the States [link removed]. 

**AGHAN ALLIES** — Some Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the war in their native country are being detained by ICE after being promised certain protections, reports Jay O'Brien of ABC News [link removed]. "I'm just scared, worried at what's going to happen next," said Naseer Paktiawal, an Afghan national who enlisted to serve alongside the U.S. military and whose brother died in ICE custody in March.

**RECORD ARRESTS** — Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) arrests remain at record levels, reaching 50,000 again in August, report Julia Ainsley and Laura Strickler of NBC News [link removed]. July’s similar total marked the highest monthly number on record. A summer enforcement operation in New York City resulted in the arrests of more than 2,100 people, reports Joe Torres of ABC 7 [link removed]. 

**PARTNERSHIPS FACE SCRUTINY** — The wrongful deportation of a U.S. citizen to Mexico is leading to closer scrutiny of partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), report Alejandro Serrano and Uriel J. García of The Texas Tribune [link removed]. Brian José Morales García has been allowed to return to the United States for now but asks, "Am I supposed to just accept that if I get pulled over again, it’ll be the same thing?"

Thanks for reading,
Dan 

**P.S.** Days after immigration enforcement actions in Danbury, Connecticut, the City Council approved the hiring of lawful permanent residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients as police officers, Brian Gioiele of the Danbury News-Times [link removed] reports.

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