Tuesday, August 2
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THE FORUM DAILY

Thousands of migrants are stranded in Tapachula, Mexico, near the border
with Guatemala, and UNICEF says that about a third are younger than 18,
reports Athena Ankrah of Cronkite Borderlands Project
. 

The city is a focal point for migrants awaiting documentation to stay
and work in Mexico, or journey north. Shelters such as the nonprofit
Hospitalidad y Solidaridad have given some families and unaccompanied
minors - but not all - a sense of refuge in the meantime. 

"My case has been difficult, it was sudden, but with God's help I've
kept going," said 16-year-old Carlos, who fled Honduras due to gang
threats.  

But for Nati, 28 and originally from Haiti, the process has been much
more challenging. In December, Nati and her family were denied
humanitarian visas and had to restart the process. 

"We have passed through ten countries and had the most difficulty here
in Mexico. They (children) don't understand that to get here we have
come far, we have been in the jungle, in the rain, risked our lives -
they don't understand this," she said. 

Separately on Monday, more than 450 faith leaders and organizations sent
a letter

to congressional leaders urging Congress to do more to support families
who were separated during Trump's "zero tolerance" policy. Church
World Service

and Interfaith Immigration Coalition

have more details. 

Welcome to Tuesday'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] . 

'THEY WANT TO STAY HERE' - An amendment to the National Defense
Authorization Act
 would
help prevent "Documented Dreamers" from aging out of their ability to
stay legally in the U.S., thanks to their parents' visas, reports
Michael Perchick of ABC11
in
North Carolina. "We've invested in these kids for decades. We've
paid for their education in the public schools. Their parents pay taxes.
They want to stay here," said Rep. Deborah Ross (D-North Carolina), who
is spearheading the bill. "And we have a shortage of skilled workers
right now. So why would we want to make them deport to a country that
they don't know to compete with the United States?" A reminder that
the Council on National Security and Immigration supports this amendment
. 

TESTING LIMITS - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) initiative to bus
migrants back to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of Operation Lone Star
is in a legal gray area, report James Barragán and Uriel J. García of
The Texas Tribune
. At
issue is whether Abbott is "intruding on a federal responsibility and
stretching the legal limits of the state's efforts on the border."
(We've wondered that ourselves.
)
"There are ongoing questions about what authority they have to bus
people from one location to another," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick,
policy director at the American Immigration Council. "Legally speaking,
is that immigration enforcement? I still don't know." Elsewhere in
border news, the Supreme Court certified its ruling that permits the
Biden administration to officially end the "Remain in Mexico" policy,
with advocates on the lookout for what comes next, per Alisa Reznick of
KJZZ's Fronteras Desk
. 

CHILD LABOR - This story should be getting more attention: A metal
stamping plant near Montgomery, Alabama, that is a subsidiary of Hyundai
Motor Company, allegedly used child labor including immigrants, reports
a team for Reuters
.
The plant allegedly employed workers as young as 12, including a
Guatemalan teen girl and her two brothers. "Consumers should be
outraged," said David Michaels, the former U.S. assistant secretary of
labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "They
should know that these cars are being built, at least in part, by
workers who are children and need to be in school rather than risking
life and limb because their families are desperate for income." 

**AFGHANISTAN A YEAR LATER** - As we approach the Aug. 15 anniversary
of the fall of Kabul, conditions in Afghanistan have worsened,
especially for women. The Taliban's ban on girls attending high
school, now in place for almost a year, would leave women unable to
attend universities, Emma Graham-Harrison reports in The Guardian
.
Some women have turned to online classes or secret underground schools
to continue studying, but financial and technological barriers severely
limit access. In The Conversation
,
Ferdouse Asefi also assesses Afghanistan under a year of Taliban rule,
citing an ongoing war and human rights violations, particularly
surrounding women. 

Meanwhile, on stateside welcome: 

* Five West Virginia families are providing community for five former
students of the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh who feel
grateful to have made it to the U.S. "At this time in Afghanistan, all
opportunities for women are closed," said one of the students, Madina
Amanzai. "... Coming to the United States is the best way to improve our
chances for our future." (WVU Medicine
) 

* The St. Joseph County Library and United Religious Community of South
Bend, Indiana, recently held an event to raise cultural awareness about
Afghanistan, where participants could learn about Afghan books, art, and
music. (WNDU
)
 

* Santa Fe, New Mexico, schools are welcoming new immigrant students
through the Newcomer Language Academy and helping them prepare for the
upcoming year with English classes and other social activities. This
summer, the academy supported about 70 students from all over the world,
including 19 from Afghanistan. (Jessica Pollard, Santa Fe New Mexican
) 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

 

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