"After 10 years of living with uncertainty about the future of the program, the undocumented community deserves more," writes José González Camarena, a former DACA recipient and senior managing director of the DACA Initiative at Teach For America, in an op-ed for NBC News THINK. "DACA recipients cannot continue living from court case to court case." 

Faith leaders like Dan Boone, president of Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, agree: Congress must act on DACA. "Ending it would mean canceling [recipients’] work authorizations and threatening the future for millions more Dreamers," he writes in an op-ed for The Tennessean.  

"I join evangelical leaders from throughout the country in praying Congress will act quickly this year. Dreamers matter to me, not because of a political preference, but because God tapped me on the shoulder and showed me the plight of my neighbor." 

And for the Georgia Recorder, Jim Hollandsworth, co-founder and executive director of the Path Project and the former executive pastor at Graystone Church in Loganville, Georgia, writes: "While the American Dream may look different today, the idea still resonates. DACA has given many people the chance to experience that dream for themselves. We have a responsibility to make it possible for them to continue their lives and earn a pathway to citizenship." 

The need for a permanent solution from Congress has been clear — but stalled — for many years, as noted in our press statement ahead of the DACA hearing. Without congressional action, such as the Dream Act, DACA recipients and other Dreamers will remain in limbo.  

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Marcela Aguirre, the Forum’s Assistant VP of digital communications. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

AWARD — Speaking of making dreams come true, as part of this year’s Leading the Way convening in D.C., we will honor leaders and organizations making their community and our country a better place for immigrants and refugees via the Forum’s Keepers of the American Dream Award. Do you know anyone like this? If so, we’d love to get your nominations. Please reply to this email with honoree ideas or submit them in this form by Friday. 

STEM PATHWAY— On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers proposed a measure to streamline green cards for immigrants who have doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) from the U.S. or comparable institutions abroad, per Ellen M. Gilmer of Bloomberg Government. The group proposed the measure as an amendment to the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (slated to be considered next week), which is narrower than STEM provision included in a House-passed version of the competition bill, notes Gilmer. The newly proposed amendment would apply to eligible immigrants specialized in "advanced computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced missile propulsion technologies, semiconductors, and other areas of study." 

DOCTOR LICENSES — Foreign doctors are often not allowed to practice clinically in the U.S., despite training in their home countries and strong qualifications, writes Jina Krause-Vilmer, CEO of Upwardly Global and Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the American Immigration Council, in an op-ed at the Chicago Tribune. But thanks to an initiative by a coalition of health care institutions and immigrant and refugee groups, an emergency government proclamation during the peak of COVID-19 authorized over 360 internationally trained doctors to temporarily work under the supervision of licensed doctors in Illinois.  

LABOR SOLUTIONS — Immigration can continue to help solve labor shortages across various industries in the U.S., per Ahtra Elnashar for Sinclair Broadcast Group. Expanding the H-2A visa program, in addition to recapturing unused green cards, removing bureaucratic and administrative restrictions, and attracting and retaining STEM immigrant workers, are among some of the solutions the Forum has pointed to. As our policy expert Arturo Castellanos-Canales told Elnashar: "America is uniquely positioned to demonstrate, once again, that immigrants are the solution, not the problem."  

AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT — The Azizpour family fled Afghanistan late last year, temporarily resettling in  Hazel Dell, Washington, via humanitarian parole, reports Scott Hewitt for The Columbian. Under parole, they continue to face uncertainty about "their immigration status, their future in America, and any hope of [the children’s father] joining them," from Germany. "The best way to manage the crush of Afghan refugees would be congressional action," said attorney Alma Jean, director of the immigration counseling and advocacy program for Lutheran Community Services Northwest. An Afghan Adjustment Act would "allow Afghan evacuees to apply for permanent status here after one year of parole," "protect them from deportation," and "provide avenues for processing and accepting Afghans stuck in other countries," added Jean. 

Today’s local stories: 

• Over 70 Afghans have resettled in Madison, Wisconsin, with support from Dane County’s only refugee resettlement agency, Jewish Social Services, which hired new staff, volunteers, and several other local organizations to help. (Erin Sullivan, WMTV) 
• In Modesto, California, 17 Afghan women were the first to complete a training program offered by the International Rescue Committee Turlock and Modesto Junior College to help them obtain home childcare licenses. (Kevin Valine, The Modesto Bee) 

Thanks for reading, 

Marcela