As part of a cross-border digital ad campaign, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is running advertisements in Guatemala and Honduras asking migrants not to enter the U.S. unauthorized, reports Anna Giaritelli of the Washington Examiner. 

"The ads deliver a clear message: Smugglers are lying to you. The fact is that entering the United States illegally is a crime. The ads highlight smugglers, known as ‘coyotes,’ who take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants," per CBP’s press release. 

"Smugglers use lies to lure the vulnerable into a dangerous journey that often ends in removal or death," said CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, former LEITF member. "This digital ad campaign is an important component of U.S. government efforts to prevent tragedies and curtail irregular migration."   

In anticipation of the pending Title 42 lift, the ads — in Spanish, with English text at the bottom — will run through mid-July. The ads also provide a link to the U.S. government website with details "urging migrants not to pay cartels to smuggle them into the U.S.," notes Giaritelli. 

Cartels prey on migrants often, make money, and always win. Glad the administration is calling that out. But until we have more legal and accessible pathways for vulnerable migrants to seek asylum in the U.S., more migrants will keep coming through irregular migration channels in search of safety and opportunity.  

What we really need are long-term border solutions that balance national security and compassion. (Not the "flagship" border security bill highlighted in this letter from 16 groups and a dozen former senior Trump officials urging Congress to pass it for next year, per Adam Shaw of Fox News). 

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. 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. 

POLICY CHALLENGES — The Innovation Law Lab recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a family from El Salvador to end Title 42, per Salvador Rivera of Border Report. This comes as a federal district court judge recently issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Biden administration’s order to lift Title 42 on May 23. (The judge just extended the order yesterday. 21 GOP states, including Arizona and Texas, have motioned against rescinding the policy). "We cannot allow state governments to dictate national immigration policy and eviscerate asylum by judicial fiat," said Innovation Law Lab’s Tess Hellgren. For more on why Title 42 isn’t helpful, see the Council on National Security and Immigration’s latest press statement. Separately, the Biden administration and lawyers for Texas and Missouri agree that the Supreme Court has the authority to decide the fate of the Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, per Roll Call’s Suzanne Monyak. 

LOOMING DEADLINE — Originally from Mexico, Octaviano Ortiz has fought his deportation case for more than a decade, reports Elvia Malagón of the Chicago Sun-Times. Ortiz has been in the U.S. for about 23 years, lives in Chicago with his family of six, and works at a
meatpacking company — but was recently denied an appeal on his deportation order and must leave the country by May 23. He is now debating whether to leave the country alone or bring his family. Immigration advocates who organized a rally on Tuesday plan to submit a request for prosecutorial discretion with ICE, in hopes of letting Ortiz stay in the U.S. Concerned especially for his 2-year-old son, who was born prematurely, Ortiz said: "If I take him to Mexico, he would lose the help. But if I go and leave my wife, she would have to work and the boy wouldn’t be able to get his therapy." 

REFUGEE WELCOME — While the "Uniting for Ukraine" program is a good first step to support Ukrainian refugees, more must be done, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service President Krish O’Mara Vignarajah told Jeff Brumley of Baptist News Global. "Many families are arriving with nothing but the clothes on their backs and need help with everything from food and housing to navigating complicated social service systems and getting their children enrolled in school. So, this work is just beginning," said O’Mara Vignarajah during a recent LIRS webinar focused on Ukraine. The plight of Ukrainians and other refugees around the world is yet another push to fix the broken immigration system, she notes: "We must meet this moment. Not only do we have the opportunity to help Ukrainians but to rebuild our refugee and immigration system." 

More on local welcome: 

• Two local organic farms in Wisconsin are partnering with New Beginnings for Refugees to support 10 Afghan families for about 5 months with "access to fresh, locally grown organic produce." (Brittany Dobbins, WSAW) 
• With the help of several donors, volunteers, and a grant from the Schultz Family Foundation, Montana volunteer organization Butte Heart has housing available for up to 18 refugees for 90 days, along with job opportunities from St. James Hospital. (DJ Bauer, ABC FOX Montana) 
• "As an engaged university, we act to build the world that we want to live in," said Jonathan Koppell, the president of Montclair State University in New Jersey, which recently welcomed displaced Afghan scholar Roya Saqib. "I’m one of the lucky ones to have these opportunities, but many are back in Afghanistan, they’re still suffering," said Saqib. "That’s why I want to work for those who are left behind." (Marilyn Joyce Lehren, Montclair State University)  

THE AMERICAN DREAM — Despite the notion that the ‘American Dream’ is dead, "every year people come here from around the world in pursuit of that dream," writes Erica Pandey for Axios. In 2019, Gallup polling found that 70% of U.S. adults — across race, gender, political party, and income — believe the American Dream is achievable. New American Economy data show that 44% of Fortune 500 companies have at least one founder who is an immigrant or the child of immigrants. And Princeton researchers found that children of immigrants who fall in the poorest quarter of the U.S. still end up in the middle class, achieving upward mobility. "The bottom line: The U.S. remains the leading destination for immigrants with big dreams."  

Thanks for reading, 

Ali