Thursday, June 30
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THE FORUM DAILY

The Supreme Court is down to its last day of issuing rulings this term,
and still on its list is a decision on whether President Biden can end
the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), or "Remain in Mexico"
policy. 

The policy has forced thousands of migrants to wait for the duration of
their immigration proceedings in dangerous parts of Mexico, per Julian
Resendiz of Border Report
.
The Biden administration and Mexico agreed to restart

MPP in December in the wake of a lower court's ruling. 

"I ask U.S. authorities to not change laws to make things more difficult
for us. We are here with our families because of the problems we
experienced at home," said Jose Mario Licona, a merchant who fled from
gang violence in Honduras with his family. "They tell me Juarez [in
Mexico] is violent, you fear being kidnapped. You don't go out, you
don't know where else to go."  

Advocates have remained concerned about the dangers migrants waiting in
Mexico face .
For more on MPP, see our explainer
. 

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] . 

RESPONSES TO TRAGEDY - In light of the deaths of more than 50 migrants
in a semitrailer in Texas, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)
said he is again talking about immigration reforms with Sen. Thom Tillis
(R-North Carolina), per Andrew Desiderio of Politico
.
"I think what happened at the border with finding 51 dead migrants in
that tractor trailer is what I would call a 'Uvalde moment,'" Durbin
said. "I hope it sparks an interest in finding a bipartisan approach to
dealing with immigration." The archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo
García-Siller, continues to call for reforms after visiting
hospitalized migrant survivors, Victoria De Leon reports for KENS 5
.
Meanwhile, a team at the Associated Press

tells the stories of the victims, who were seeking better lives here.
And Julie Watson and Fabiola Sánchez home in on two cousins' journey
toward Ohio
.
One is hospitalized in Texas; the other is missing.  

**CHECKPOINTS** - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that the
state will increase its checkpoints for trucks crossing from Mexico to
combat cartels and smugglers, reports Patrick Svitek of The Texas
Tribune
.
Timing and the exact locations of checkpoints are unclear. "[Smugglers]
are using cloned trucks and vehicles that appear to be legitimate, that
look like they're legitimate, that's easy to pass through the
particular checkpoint, but I can assure you our troopers will be able to
identify whether they're legitimate or not and take action at that
point in time," said Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve
McCraw. (In case you missed it, read the responses

of the Forum and some of our faith, national security and law
enforcement colleagues.)  

BORDER BUDGET - The House Appropriations Committee has voted to
increase funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration
and Customs Enforcement by almost $3 billion for the next fiscal year,
reports Sandra Sanchez of Border Report
.
The combined budgets reportedly would increase to $85.6 billion, a 3%
increase. Should Congress approve the funding, it could cover the hiring
of close to 2,000 people at the two agencies, according to Rep. Henry
Cuellar (D-Texas). The committee also voted to reduce funding for
immigration detention in the fiscal year 2023. 

'

**FAILED IN**AFGHANISTAN' - An estimated 45 Afghan refugees who
assisted the U.S. military are trapped in prison-like conditions in a
military base in Kosovo while awaiting additional processing, reports
Haley Ott for CBS News
.
"We have absolutely no freedom to leave the area. We only have access to
one field, the bathrooms, the dining hall, and our tent," said Muhammad
Arif Sarwari, who worked with the CIA during the U.S. invasion of
Afghanistan. Sarwari, along with many other refugees, feel betrayed:
"People here have worked with the U.S. against terrorism and have risked
their lives for this cause and are innocent ... yet some were titled as
ineligible. Washington has clearly failed, just like how they failed in
Afghanistan."  

Stateside, local welcome continues:  

* Thanks to support from IRC-Atlanta, the Mohammeds are settling into
their new four-bedroom apartment in Stone Mountain, Georgia, after
spending months in an extended-stay hotel. (Sophia Qureshi, Atlanta
Magazine
) 

* Afghan refugee children in Fresno, California, are attending free
gymnastics, Taekwondo, dance, and English classes as a part of a
three-week summer program hosted by nonprofit Break the Barriers. Cross
City Christian Church and Bethany Christian Services helped fund the
program. (Kassandra Gutierrez, ABC30 Action News
) 

* Amid the growth of the refugee and immigrant population in Roanoke,
Virginia, more than 20 students gathered at Belmont Library to learn
"methods for communicating across language and cultural barriers and
forming communities." (Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times
) 

HEALTH CARE - California is the first state to allow all undocumented
immigrants to access health care benefits, reports Mathew Miranda of The
Sacramento Bee
.
The new Medi-Cal expansion, slated to take effect no later than Jan. 1,
2024, "is expected to provide full coverage for approximately 700,000
undocumented residents ages 26-49 and lead to the largest drop in the
rate of uninsured Californians in a decade," Miranda notes.

Thanks for reading, 

Dan

 

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