|
The border is top of mind for press, policymakers and the general public. So, in this issue of The Forum, we cover the who, what, why of the situation at the border along with policy proposals. Read below for more.
And if you’re looking for a way to take action, join advocates from across the U.S. urging their governors to provide shelter for the unaccompanied children arriving at our border.
|
|
|
 |
|
Let’s start with some quick facts about the border... |
 |
|
Next, watch this short video clip from the Forum’s Ali Noorani to take a look at the numbers of migrants crossing our Southwest border. Then, dive deeper with our in‑depth explainer to get a breakdown of what these numbers all mean and where we go from here.
|
|
Now that we’ve taken a look at the numbers, let’s look at the stories of these migrants... |
|
In a special episode of the Only in America podcast, we start big picture with Danilo Zak, our Senior Policy & Advocacy Associate, to lay out the issues, then hear from Linda Chavez, former Reagan White House official and current senior fellow at the Forum, about her experience visiting the border (which she wrote about in The xxxxxx). We close with Joanna Williams, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative, who provides an on-the-ground perspective on their important work.
|
 |
|
What are some of the push-pull factors contributing to the increase of migrants? |
|
It’s not just the immigrant-friendly promises of President Biden’s campaign, it’s due to the violence, poverty, and corruption in their home countries and "to make life better for someone that they love – parents or children or siblings,"
says Jo Ann Van Engen, co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society-Honduras who has called Honduras home for the past 30 years.
Van Engen breaks down why people make the difficult decision to go to the U.S. in a conversation with Sarah Quezada from our partner Women of Welcome, a community of over 100,000 Christian women dedicated to a compassionate welcome of immigrants.
|
 |
|
What are some solutions to our border crisis? For starters, the solution isn’t more border enforcement... |
|
It’s smarter and more compassionate U.S. immigration policies, like those discussed by a roundtable of experts convened by the Forum’s brand-new project, the Council on National Security and Immigration.
And as Ali and Kurt Ver Beek, cofounder and president of the Association for a More Just Society-Honduras said in an op-ed for The Boston Globe, Congress and the Biden administration must help rebuild confidence in both the U.S. and in Honduras.
"That means managing the border with order as well as compassion. It means making a commitment to address the poverty, corruption, and violence that lead so many to flee Central America.
And it means updating the US immigration system so that it works for Americans, not smugglers."
|
|
With your support, we can continue to advocate for real solutions and a new way forward, not just on the border, but for our entire immigration system.
|
|
|
Thank you for reading The Forum. If you like what you see here, send us an email at [email protected]. Or, feel free to forward it to your friends and family!
|
|---|
|
|
|
