Immigration reforms that address so-called "documented Dreamers," the agricultural workforce, and border security are part of the renewed bipartisan immigration conversation in Congress, Caroline Simon reports for Roll Call.

About 250,000 "documented Dreamers" are here legally as dependents on their parents’ visas but then age out of that dependent status. The America’s CHILDREN Act — introduced as a bipartisan measure in both the House and Senate — would be a solution.

"For these young people, turning 21 means facing an impossible choice," said Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California). "Either to leave your family and self-deport to a country that you barely remember, or to stay in the United States living, undocumented, in the shadows."

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Illinois) said documented Dreamers legislation could move forward as part of a package that also addresses border security.

"Think about how many times we’ve been told we don’t have the workforce we need," Durbin said. "These are young people, educated in the United States, who grew up in this country believing it was their home and are really looking forward to a future in this country."

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].

BORDER EXPULSIONS — After threats from drug cartels, Emilsa from Guatemala and her two American-citizen daughters went to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum, reports Uriel J. García for The Texas Tribune. For a year, they have been living at the Esperanza Para Todos migrant shelter in Juárez, waiting for Title 42 to be lifted so they can enter the U.S. altogether. "I just want someone to help me get out of here so my daughters can attend school and make something of themselves," Emilsa said. Immigration officials have used Title 42 to expel migrants like Emilsa some 1.8 million times — effectively blocking them from requesting asylum. A reminder that we’ve recently laid out 42 Border Solutions That Are Not Title 42.

BEYOND TITLE 42 — With Title 42 in the balance, many faith-based nonprofits are looking beyond the policy and advocating for broader reforms, Sarah Einselen reports for Sojourners Magazine. Bethany Christian Services and World Relief are among the members of the Evangelical Immigration Table and the Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus, which are seeking "permanent legal protections for migrant workers, recipients of Temporary Protected Status, and those protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program," as well as border security and infrastructure improvements. "[W]e try to have a dual focus, both on urgent humanitarian issues like Title 42, but also trying to have a bigger picture goal in mind," said Lindsey Warburton, The Episcopal Church’s policy advisor. "Why are these things happening and how can we address them?"

REPLACEMENT THEORY — In The Washington Post, Michael Gerson draws a parallel between crimes past and present driven by white supremacy — and points out that the Buffalo shooter endorsed the Great Replacement Theory. "There is no moral world in which those who libel outsiders, justify rage, incite bigotry and allege that enemies have broken down the outer gate are innocent of the likely influence of their words," he writes. Meanwhile, for The New York Times, columnist Thomas B. Edsall dives deep into the origins of the theory, which were particularly amplified during the Trump era. At Al Jazeera, Jillian Kestler-D’Amours explores the theory’s influence in the U.S. and beyond. The Times also has a moderated forum where students can post about the Buffalo tragedy.

ALTERNATIVES — Tae Johnson, acting director of ICE, defended the Biden administration’s request for more Alternatives to Detention programs before a House committee Tuesday, per Suzanne Monyak of Roll Call. In the recent funding request, the administration asked Congress for 25,000 detention beds, compared with 34,000 currently — and to instead devote funding to alternatives. Johnson said the proposed funding levels reflect "the administration’s position that alternatives to detention is the more appropriate and humane way of dealing with segments of the population that don’t pose a public safety or national security threat."

REFUGE — New York City’s Dar al Taqwa Islamic Center and Mosque has become a place of refuge for the remaining 14 unaccompanied migrant children who fled Afghanistan without their parents, reports Jazzmin Jiwa of Time Magazine. "Being here and being away from their families, when they came into a mosque where they speak the same language, they were extremely happy," says Yusuf Nasim, their volunteer escort who brings them to the Queens Mosque every Friday. Elsewhere, meet Daria Bietschasna. The Ukrainian refugee and high school economics teacher has kept her promise to continue teaching, despite her students being spread out all over the world, per a team at NPR.