"Senator [Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)] and I are continuing to work toward introducing a Senate companion to the House-passed Farm Workforce Modernization Act," said Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) in a statement. "With the high prices Americans are seeing at the grocery store, we should pass this bill as soon as possible."  

Today at 11 a.m. EDT, the Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus will be holding a press conference underscoring how immigration reforms can be the solution to addressing food security, workforce shortages, and inflation in the U.S. Among the speakers will be farmers and agriculture leaders from across the country: Maine, Florida, Indiana, South Dakota, and Idaho.  

Council on National Security and Immigration leader Doug Baker, Former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security, will also be speaking on the need for immigration reforms. Baker and Chuck Conner, president of the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives, penned a Fox News op-ed on the subject last month. 

For media interested in attending, please contact Bay Sheehan for the registration link. 

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

‘NOW IS THEIR CHANCE’ — Immigrant advocates are questioning why the Biden administration has stalled on officially ending Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy, when the Supreme Court ruled last month that the administration could do so, reports Sabrina Rodriguez of POLITICO. "The bottom line is they’ve been saying they want to restore a meaningful asylum system. Well, now is their chance to show that they mean it," said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. "Their hands are no longer tied and as long as they’re no longer tied — they should make good on that promise." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has yet to unveil plans on how it would terminate the policy, notes Rodriguez. Over 110 immigrant and refugee rights groups sent a letter last week urging the administration to take concrete steps to end MPP. 

BAKER COUNTY DETENTION — Sixteen civil rights groups have filed a 102-page complaint against DHS and ICE over allegations of "abhorrent conditions, violent abuse, medical neglect and racial discrimination" at the Baker County Detention Center in Macclenny, Florida, reports Dan Scanlan of The Florida Times-Union. "The continued disregard of the rights and welfare of people detained at Baker proves that ICE and Baker County Sheriff’s Office are unable and unwilling to address these abuses that have been ongoing for years," said Andrea Jacoski, a director with Americans for Immigrant Justice. "The only way to protect people from further harm is for ICE to immediately release all detained there." The complaint, filed on behalf of 15 currently or formerly detained people, also calls for the facility to permanently shut down. 

CHILD SEPARATION POLICY — On Monday, four migrant parents who were separated from their minor children after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border have filed a lawsuit alleging that Trump’s child separation policy traumatized them, reports a team at NBC News. "Each of the four plaintiff families were separated with no notice, no information, and no plan for reunification," per the attorneys’ filing for the plaintiffs. "For weeks, the parents and children were detained separately, sometimes thousands of miles apart. For weeks, the parents and children begged to be reunited. And for weeks, the government — due to a combination of ineptitude and cruelty — refused to provide information on their loved ones’ whereabouts, well-being or whether they would ever see each other again." Said one plaintiff and mother, who goes by the pseudonym M.S.E.: "I thought I was never going to see my son ever again." 

AFGHAN RESERVES — U.S. and Afghan officials are working to reach a deal to "release billions of dollars from Afghan central bank reserves held abroad into a trust fund," report Charlotte Greenfield and Jonathan Landay for Reuters. While there are some challenges, experts say the cash would provide relief for the country that has had a significant decrease in foreign aid, endured a devastating earthquake, an ongoing drought, and recent food shortages. "We have made it clear that a future recapitalization of the (Afghanistan) central bank and the Afghan financial system is possible provided that reasonable and serious steps are taken to professionalize the central bank, to enhance its AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing) architecture and its independence," said Thomas West, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan. 

IMMIGRANT FOUNDERS — According to a new report from the National Foundation for American Policy, over half of startups valued at $1 billion or more were founded by immigrants to the U.S., per Chase DiFeliciantonio of the San Francisco Chronicle. Out of a total of the 582 "unicorn" startups valued at $1 billion or more in the U.S., 319 of them, or 55%, had at least one immigrant founder, per the report. "The findings in the study are noteworthy given there is generally no reliable way under U.S. immigration law for foreign nationals to start a business and remain in the country after founding the company," the report said. Permitting startup visas to foreign nationals who found companies would not only create jobs but "would be a critical addition to the U.S. immigration system" said NFAP Executive Director Stuart Anderson. 

Thanks for reading, 

Becka