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‘HAIR ON FIRE’ — Frustration is growing across the political spectrum as time runs out to evacuate Afghan allies ahead of the U.S. withdrawal deadline, reports Leo Shane III of the Military Times. In a Tuesday news conference, Senate Armed Services Committee Member Angus King (I-Maine) called for military officials to lend personnel to the State Department in order to speed up the processing of Afghan visa applications, and suggested NATO officials should make the issue a top priority. "I want the White House’s hair on fire," said King. "I want them to do everything within their power to solve this problem." While the official withdrawal deadline is in September, it could be completed as early as July. For solutions on quickly evacuating our allies from Afghanistan, check out the Forum’s newly published fact sheet. INFRASTRUCTURE — Democrats "are weighing tucking immigration reform into a large infrastructure package using reconciliation this summer" to help finance the package, Joseph Zeballos-Roig reports for Business Insider. "Anytime there's been a [Congressional Budget Office] examination on immigration reform, it produces a significant increase in the GDP without really costing much money," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia). "[I]f we feel like there's something we could do within a reconciliation vehicle that could produce significant economic growth ... that could be a very legitimate way to look at trying to find a balanced package." However, experts say some of these immigration provisions could run into trouble via this process "because not all would be directly related to the federal budget — a key rule of the process," Zeballos-Roig writes. In the meantime, Democrats are continuing to negotiate with Republicans on a smaller package. Stay tuned. MINISTRY CENTER — Scotsdale Baptist Church in El Paso is launching a migrant ministry center to serve newly arrived migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, reports Ken Camp of the Baptist Standard. The Church "voted overwhelmingly in favor" of repurposing some of their underutilized facilities to house the El Paso Migrant Ministry Center, which officially opens July 7. The center is preparing to serve up to 200 guests a day, and will help connect migrants with sponsors, food and other care. (There’s a portal for online donations and an Amazon Wish List for the center’s needs.) "It’s an interesting day in the life of a border city," said Larry Floyd, executive director of El Paso Baptist Association. "We are just trusting in the Lord and having faith he will bring the people we need for this ministry."
REFUGEE LESSON — A middle school in Auburn, New York this week gave its students a chance to speak (virtually) face-to-face with refugees and learn more about their experiences, Kelly Rocheleau reports for The Auburn Citizen. Students met refugees from the NaTakallam program via Zoom to learn their stories and ask questions about their experiences. "... to be exposed to the culture and to the language and someone who seems like they're so different but find out that they're really a lot alike, that, I think, is priceless," said English teacher Deb Rielly. Added eighth grader Lilith Panek, who spoke with Sudanese refugee Faisal: "It shows that all the stereotypes for all the refugees that everybody talks about (are) not true." BEHIND THE DATA PART II — We continue celebrating the history, heritage and influence of immigration in the U.S. with our second Immigrant Heritage Month episode of Only in America. We revisit some of last week’s guests — and talk to some new ones — to hear more about their heritage and how it informs their sense of being American. Joined by guests Jessica Astudillo, Eric Kwak, Farah Larrieux, and Edilsa Lopez, we learn more about how immigration is not just part of our nation’s history — it's central to the American identity. Thanks for reading, Ali |
