**B Stands for Better**

Good afternoon,

The fight for a compassionate and just immigration system can often feel
like an uphill climb. This week, we wanted to take an opportunity to
highlight recent, promising development on a few different fronts.

We have heard encouraging reports on the status and treatment of
unaccompanied children (UACs) at the southern border. This week, Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) released data on April

border apprehensions, and although there was a slight increase in the
total monthly apprehensions, there was a 12% decrease in UAC crossings.

There has also been a decrease in the amount of time children are
spending in CBP custody before being transferred into the care of Health
and Human Services. While the legal limit is 72 hours, in March, the
average child spent 115 hours

in CBP facilities. According to April data
,
children are now spending only 28 hours in CBP custody before being
transferred.

In other border-related news, four immigrant families have been reunited

by the Family Reunification Task Force, formed by President Biden in
February. These parents and children had been separated since 2017 under
the previous administration's "zero tolerance policy" at the border.
Now, the parents have been granted humanitarian parole and are allowed
to remain in the U.S. with their children. We hope to see this work
continue until all of the separated families are reunified.

At the state level, voters in Arizona will decide in 2022 if Dreamers
are eligible for in-state college tuition. Thanks to the tireless
efforts of local Dreamer-led organizations like Aliento
, the Arizona legislature
approved (in a bipartisan effort
)
the inclusion of the ballot measure
,
which would expand in-state tuition eligibility to anyone who attended
at least two years of school and graduated from a high school in the
state. Arizona

is one of six states currently where undocumented immigrants are
excluded from in-state tuition benefits. The Migration Policy Institute

estimates that roughly 2,000 undocumented students graduate from high
school each year in Arizona. It is beneficial to all Arizonans to allow
them the same post-secondary opportunities as their peers.

As we celebrate these small steps forward, it's also inspiring to
remember that we're not alone in pushing for change. During last
week's event (co-sponsored by the Forum), Immigrants and the American
Future
,
President George W. Bush stressed that immigrants benefit our country
and should be welcomed instead of feared, saying:

"We should not fear the erosion of our culture. Immigrants enhance our
culture of freedom, freedom of religion, freedom to speak and enthusiasm
toward what America represents."

By pushing for better policies for immigrants, we are ensuring that
America continues to welcome everyone who strengthens our economy and
society while enriching all of our lives.  

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Adam

P.S. If you aren't already a listener of our podcast "Only in America"
, now is a great
time to start. This week's powerful episode
features
the work of our friends at We Welcome Refugees
and their role in successfully
encouraging President Biden to lift the refugee cap. We're so grateful
for the work of Tess Clarke and the WWR team in highlighting the voices
of grassroots Christian women who support refugees and immigrants. You
won't regret listening (and subscribing)
!

[link removed]

Adam Estle
Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:**

****

**ARIZONA REPUBLIC:**Arizona voters to decide in-state tuition
eligibility for Dreamers

**U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT:**'Get Back on Offense': Immigration
Advocates Look to Biden's Next 100 Days

**VOX:**The census shows the US needs to increase immigration - by a
lot

**NPR:**Why Support For Refugees Is Higher Than You Might Think In Parts
Of 'Trump Country'

**THE HILL:**Harris says Mexico, US can work together to improve quality
of life in Northern Triangle

**ASSOCIATED PRESS:**US drops Trump plan for more biometric data on
immigrants

 

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The

**Only in America** podcast brings you to the people behind our
nation's immigration debate.

 

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,
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and **more.**

 

 

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