"We are going to be pushing both Congress and the (Biden) administration to sit down and start working with one another because without it we are going to see these problems persist," said one of the speakers, Jon Baselice, vice president of immigration policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

LEITF member Andy Harvey, chief of police in Pharr, Texas, added: "The possibility of Title 42 ending gives it more [of a] sense of urgency, but it’s been like that. It’s nothing new. We have been screaming at the top of our lungs for something to be done." 

Until the administration decides how to roll the policy back, some migrants will continue their yearslong wait in Nogales along the U.S.-Mexico border, reports Brenda Muñoz Murguia of Cronkite News. 

"Title 42 is not stopping migrants from getting into the U.S.," said Rosario, who fled cartels in Mexico. "There are still people dying in the desert. We just want President Biden to listen to us and for people to walk in our shoes for a day." 

Against the backdrop of Title 42 conversations are the 21 states who are now suing the administration on the decision to end the policy, per Ronn Blitzer of Fox News. 

Bottom Line: The repeal of Title 42 is yet another reminder of the urgent need for members of Congress to listen to Americans and work together to find legislative solutions on immigration, including border security.  

Welcome to Friday’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].  

OPTICS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) initiative for National Guard Troopers to inspect commercial trucks is coming to a halt, reports Uriel J. García of The Texas Tribune. Abbott originally proposed the order to track down undocumented immigrants, cartels, and drugs — but the data tell a different story, Elvia Díaz writes in a column for the Arizona Republic. So far, troopers have removed 646 trucks from service out of 2,685 inspected — for reasons such as "burned-out headlights or taillights, defective brakes or flawed tires," per media reports. "That only proves that some of Abbott’s crackdowns are just for show, like his idea to transport migrants to Washington, D.C.," Díaz writes. And instead of working in a bipartisan manner to find broader border solutions, Abbott "is willing to hurt nearly $400 billion in trade with Mexico to stay in power."  

UKRAINIANS — Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees entering the U.S. via humanitarian parole are now struggling to find work, per Spencer Pauley of The Center Square. Parole application fees are costly: $410, in addition to $85 for fingerprints. And processing for work authorizations can also take a minimum of six months, notes Oleg Pynda of the Ukrainian Community Center of Washington (UCCWA). To help, the Washington state’s Office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) recently held a webinar for Ukrainian refugees to review their avenues for legal immigration. And on the ground, Arkansas native Lewis Price "spent 10 days in Poland last month acting as a chauffeur to Ukrainian refugees," reports Worth Sparkman of Axios. Meanwhile, Poland has begun to build "a border wall, even as it welcomes Ukrainian refugees," Chico Harlan and Piotr Zakowiecki report for The Washington Post. 

MORE IMMIGRATION — Increasing immigration to the U.S. could help lower inflation related to labor shortages, writes Linda Chavez, a senior fellow at the Forum, in an op-ed for The xxxxxx. In the wake of a combination of Trump-era and pandemic-related immigration restrictions, Congress needs to pass immigration reform "allowing more workers to enter the country and granting legal status to the millions of undocumented workers already here." Our policy associate Arturo Castellanos-Canales explains the immigration approach to labor shortages even further. Meanwhile, tech giants like Microsoft and Google are concerned that their employees "will miss out on thousands of potential green cards this year as the U.S. continues to struggle with an immigration backlog," per Axios’ Margaret Harding McGill.  

GRATEFUL — With help from the Sponsor Circle program, Afghan ally "Ahmad," his wife, and two young twin daughters were able to relocate to Routt County, Colorado, Suzie Romig reports for Steamboat Pilot & Today. "We feel much support here, kindness. They have reshaped my life," Ahmad said of his sponsors, county residents Warren Luce and Valerie Davia. "I’ll never take anything for granted in my life," said Davia of the experience.  

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