"The deal is potentially significant because the Mexican government has more latitude to carry out deportation flights to Cuba and Nicaragua, nations whose frosty relations with Washington severely limit the United States’ ability to return their citizens." 

Per CBP data, between Oct. 1, 2021, and March 31, only 737 of the 78,903 Cubans taken into custody along the southern border were expelled under Title 42. 2,200 of the 79,066 Nicaraguans who arrived during that same time were also rapidly expelled.  

The data is a stark contrast to Title 42 expulsions of Central Americans from Guatemala and Honduras, of whom 65% were expelled during that time. 

While this negotiation signifies the U.S. and Mexico’s continued bilateral relationship, using Title 42 for deportation isn’t the answer. Finding border solutions and fixing our asylum system is.  

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. Hope you have a great Cinco de Mayo. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. And if you know others who’d like to receive this newsletter, please spread the word. They can subscribe here. 

REFORMS — More than 200 faith leaders, U.S. senators, and staff gathered Tuesday and Wednesday urging Congress to pass meaningful immigration reforms, Ryan Foley reports for The Christian Post. "[E]very single human being is worthy of dignity, honor, respect and love," said Derwin Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church South Carolina. Gray also called on Congress to push for immigration laws that reflect "how great our country actually is, with reasonable policies so that lives can be transformed." Conversations on reforms for Dreamers, farmworkers, and Afghan refugees were front and center. For more on the meetings, see the Evangelical Immigration Table’s latest press statement.  

HOMELESS MIGRANTS — While the Biden administration has reunited 200 migrant families separated by the Trump administration, three-quarters of them now face housing insecurity and homelessness, report Kristina Cooke, Mica Rosenberg, and Ted Hesson of Reuters. Maria Hernandez and her two daughters, who fled Honduras in 2017, are one of those families. They’re now at a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, but their stay is limited to just 90 days. Hernandez’s concerns grow every day as she tries to look for permanent housing: "It stresses me out … My head hurts." Reuters has been chronicling the family’s story since 2020; in-depth reporting includes coverage from June 2o21 and January 2022. 

PUBLIC PERCEPTION — New research from the Migration Policy Institute "examines the different narratives that tend to emerge in communities welcoming forced migrants" and the challenges of shifting those narratives, per the Associate Director of MPI’s International Program, Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan. To address some of these negative perceptions, "[g]overnments and advocates may need to move away from the narrow goal of changing narratives and focus instead on restoring confidence in migration and integration systems," according to the report. "And to do so, they may need to calibrate a wide range of policies — including housing, employment, and infrastructure investments — to address the underlying sources of tension in receiving communities." 

‘SHAME ON US’ — After Texas National Guard Spc. Bishop Evans died last month trying to rescue someone crossing the Rio Grande, the Texas Military Department instituted a policy discouraging soldiers from saving drowning migrants. The policy is now drawing intense scrutiny from critics, report James Barragán for The Texas Tribune and Davis Winkie of Military Times. The troops still lack flotation devices and rescue training for these types of emergencies, and it is unclear whether the department will implement more training on water survival or rescues soon. "We haven’t trained them to do what’s instinctive," said State Rep. Ray Lopez, (D-San Antonio). "Shame on us for not training them to do it." Separately, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is considering challenging a 1982 SCOTUS case "requiring states to offer free public education to all children, including those of undocumented immigrants," Niki Griswold reports for Austin American-Statesman. 

TENT — The Tent Partnership for Refugees, founded by Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya, is a model for employers aiming to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion with an immigrant workforce, reports Caroline Colvin for HR Dive. Making refugees feel supported through English courses, mentorship programs, and more is key. Tent has also been instrumental in assisting Afghan evacuees and hopes to support Ukrainians in similar ways. Meanwhile, President Biden has asked Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, per a budget request centering around Ukraine aid which was sent to lawmakers last week, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Paul LeBlanc report. ICYMI: Tune in to this great episode of the Behind Every Employer podcast on Ukraine policy and refugees with Forum experts Samantha Howland Zelaya and Helena Coric.  

Today’s local stories: 

• Iowa City organization Afghan Allies, one of Iowa’s sponsor circles, is going above and beyond to help Afghan refugees in need by "[assisting] incoming Afghan refugees with finding housing, employment, and preliminary income support." (Simone Garza, The Daily Iowan) 
• Thanks to financial assistance from community nonprofit Broomfield FISH, 18 of the 37 Afghan refugees will now live in Broomfield, Colorado’s "first affordable low-income family apartment development in more than 22 years." (Sydney McDonald, The Daily Camera) 

MIDWEST — For the National Geographic, Miami University associate professor Daisy Hernández does an incredible job describing how the U.S. Midwest — with its family ties, meals, and surrounding multi-generational immigrant communities — is "somehow Latin American." Give it a read to see what I mean.