**B Stands for Background**

Good afternoon,

As the humanitarian crisis

at the Southern border continues to make headlines - with more
migrants expected to arrive in the coming months - it has become
increasingly clear that this tragic situation will continue to repeat
itself until we acknowledge and address the underlying factors that
drive vulnerable migrants to make the dangerous journey to the United
States. It has also become clear that border communities and local
organizations are spearheading the response to date, and they need our
support.  

First, let's acknowledge the facts: an increase in migration at this
time of year is common
.
Data from Customs and Border Protection

shows a pattern where seasonal increases in border encounters typically
start in February and slow down around June. Given COVID-19 and the
onset of Title 42 health regulations disallowing most crossings, border
apprehensions plummeted at the onset of the pandemic, but have slowly
increased since April 2020. Thus, on top of seasonal patterns, the
pandemic and Title 42 have yielded a pent-up demand at the border.

Additional push factors have contributed to the challenging situation at
the border. Central America experienced two devastating hurricanes

only two weeks apart last fall. USAID

estimates that Hurricanes Eta and Iota impacted 5.2 million people in
the region, causing severe damage to houses, infrastructure, and
livelihoods. These natural disasters, combined with other complex
factors

like government corruption, poverty, violence, gang activity, and the
pandemic economy have pushed many people to make the dangerous journey
to the United States. In particular, the Northern Triangle

countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have high rates of
domestic violence and gang recruitment of minors, leading many parents
to make the desperate choice to send their children to the U.S.
unaccompanied to protect them from these harsh realities.

In response to these circumstances, border communities have stepped up
their efforts to assist vulnerable migrants in need. Zorros del Desierto

(Desert Foxes), helps stranded and injured migrants in Juarez who have
been abandoned by smugglers in high-crime areas. Mission: Border Hope
,
in Eagle Pass, TX, provides showers, food, and safe housing to about 50
people a day. In Yuma
,
AZ, the Regional Center for Border Health has received help from local
communities and churches to provide COVID tests to migrants.
Organizations like Bethany Christian Services

provide shelters and support foster families caring for unaccompanied
minors. Many more faith-based organizations (like Abara Frontiers
in El Paso and the Kino Border
Initiative in Nogales, AZ) and
others along the border are caring for migrants in beautiful ways.

These communities and organizations need financial support, but they
also need solutions that ameliorate root causes of migration in Central
America, address the backlog of asylum claims, safeguard the wellbeing
of both Americans and migrants in the borderlands, and provide an
orderly and fair immigration system. It is up to members of Congress and
the Biden administration to find a path forward and pass bipartisan
reforms to remedy our outdated immigration system.

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Adam

P.S. In case you missed it, last week the Council on National Security
and Immigration  and the Forum convened a
roundtable of experts to discuss solutions to the situation at the
southern border. Check out that video here
.

P.P.S. Our friends at Women of Welcome and Bethany Christian Services
hosted a very informative video yesterday on what's happening at the
border and how people of faith can get involved. Highly recommended
viewing!

**Adam Estle**
Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:**

****

**THE ATLANTIC:****America's Immigration Amnesia**

**ASSOCIATED PRESS:****No ruling in case deciding fate of DACA
immigration program**

**BLOOMBERG:****Biden to Let Trump's H1-B Visa Ban Expire in Win for
Tech**

**NBC NEWS:****Still reeling from Trump-era policies, groups demand
Biden address deportation, refugees**

**POLITICO:****'Who do they trust? It's their union.' Organized
labor steps in to convince immigrant workers to get vaccines**

** **

 

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