"Does it actually make the entire situation of comprehensive immigration reform, economic connections between Mexico and the United States, and the migration issue — does it make it better?" said Aileen Teague, an assistant professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University. "I think that the answer is a resounding no."  

Still, on Wednesday morning, Gov. Abbott followed through with his promise, as migrants voluntarily bussed from Texas arrived near the U.S. Capitol, per Joseph Morton and Emily Caldwell of The Dallas Morning News.  

Following in Abbott’s footsteps is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who says funds will be reallocated this summer to bus undocumented immigrants out of the state, per Jon Brown of Fox News. 

Related: The Houston Chronicle’s Jeremy Wallace reports that Gov. Abbott will also begin to "ease the additional safety inspections of trucks at the busiest border entry point near Laredo in exchange for promises of more border security by Mexican officials along one 8-mile stretch of the border," reducing hours-long delays on the Columbia-Solidarity Bridge.  

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Joanna Taylor, Senior Communications Manager at the Forum, filling in for Ali today. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].  

‘RENEWED HOPE’ — Sister Norma Pimentel, the Director of the Rio Grande Valley’s Catholic Charities, has been collecting pieces of paper annotated with names, numbers, and messages from migrants temporarily housed at a growing migrant shelter, telling a common story: they were all expelled and denied asylum under Title 42. But with the Biden administration’s plans to lift the policy, "there is renewed hope among those at the shelter — for an end to their agonizing wait and, at last, a shot at the American dream," as Rosa Flores and Rosalina Nieves report for CNN. "I’m hopeful that someone can listen to their story and hear the fact that they are hurting, and they need protection," Pimentel said. "That’s all they are asking for." 

IMMIGRATION REFORMS — With Sens. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) gathering a bipartisan group of senators to re-up conversations on immigration reform, immigration expert Nolan Rappaport offers policy recommendations to get started in an op-ed for The Hill. Among his suggestions: revising the registry date to grant lawful permanent resident status to certain undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients; advancing fair labor laws for undocumented immigrant workers; and expanding the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program. Meanwhile, Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) are renewing conversations around immigrant farmworkers, per Bloomberg Government’s Ellen M. Gilmer. The Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus (ANIC) is building support for Congress and the administration to follow through on many of these legislative solutions and broader immigration reforms. 

AFGHANISTAN TO TEXAS — Ferozuddin Faqeeri and his family are among the more than 68,000 Afghan evacuees who have resettled in communities across the U.S., reports Zack Briggs of KENS 5. "Now we’re blessed because we are safe," said Faqeeri, who formerly worked for the U.S. Department of Defense with his cousin, Homa Amiri, for almost two decades. With the help of Catalina Gasper, a retired Navy veteran whom they had connected with in the military, Faqueeri, Amiri, and their families were able to relocate to Texas. "It’s so amazing having them here, really is part of our extended family for life," Gasper said. 

Locally:  

• With help from about a dozen church volunteers, Christ the King Lutheran Church and local businesses recently donated repurposed bikes for Afghan refugees in need in Wisconsin. (Griselda Perez, Spectrum News 1) 
• A group of sponsors from the International Institute for Los Angeles helped Afghan college student Zahra Azizi and her family resettle into their new East Long Beach home. (Harry Saltzgaver, Press-Telegram/Grunion Gazette) 

UKRAINIAN REFUGEES — For NPR News, Adrian Florido tells the stories of Ukrainian refugees who have asked for temporary refuge at the U.S.-Mexico border and the volunteers jumping in to support them. "It’s an operation that has been managed well by a band of grassroots volunteers," said Olya Krasnykh, a volunteer from Silicon Valley coordinating Ukrainians’ arrival to a temporary shelter in Tijuana. But now, she says, "[w]e’re at a breaking point where we need more help." Meanwhile, in an op-ed for The Detroit News, Michigan state Sen. Adam Hollier and Director of Global Detroit Steve Tobocman make the case that welcoming Ukrainians and other refugees is an "opportunity to reclaim our position in the world as a place of refuge." In doing so, "our communities will be stronger and more prosperous." 

Thanks for reading, 

Joanna