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We need more workers and lower food prices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday that the number of job openings increased by nearly 200,000 in July, to 11.2 million, per Eleanor Mueller of POLITICO Pro. The number of workers hired was only 6.4 million. That’s a huge gap that immigration could help fill — and Americans want immigration reforms that could help make it happen. In our new poll in partnership with Americans for Prosperity and The Bullfinch Group, a large majority of respondents said they support immigration reforms this year that address labor shortages, as well as food prices and the border. According to the survey this month of 1,200 adults, including 1,000 registered voters, more than 70% want Republicans and Democrats to work together on legal immigration options that could address labor shortages and reduce pressures at the border. And close to 80% support reforms that could help lower food prices by ensuring a legal, reliable workforce for America’s farmers and ranchers. Regarding food prices, food banks are feeling the pinch, as Marty Schladen reports in The Ohio Capital Journal. That’s also true for ministries trying to feed the hungry, as Christianity Today and the Catholic News Agency have reported recently. Immigration reforms could help. Americans want them now. It’s up to Congress to act. Welcome to Wednesday’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]. AFTERMATH — Some veterans of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan are still grappling with the tragedies they encountered and struggling with their mental health, reports Haley Britzky for Task and Purpose. Britzky interviewed 15 soldiers, airmen and Marines directly involved with the evacuation and heard some common themes: The military "wanted to move on as quickly and quietly as possible from the withdrawal," and many said their commands have downplayed their continuing trauma. Meanwhile, veterans continue to face a slow and frustrating process in trying to help Afghan allies left behind reach the U.S., Carson Frame reports for Texas Public Radio as part of The American Homefront Project. Local:
DEPORTED VETERAN, NOW CITIZEN — U.S. Army Veteran Luis was deported to Nicaragua following a drug-related crime 23 years ago that he attributes to depression and PTSD. In March, he became a citizen thanks to a Biden administration initiative to bring some deported veterans back to American soil, reports Justo Robles of NBC News. "I’ve cried over sadness before and problems I had in my life, but crying over happiness? That was the first time," said Luis, identified by his first name to protect his family, recounting when he was sworn in as a citizen. In June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) guidance instructed agents to affirmatively ask immigrants about any military service and to consider it before potentially deporting them, "a policy shift that could have changed the course of Luis’ life" earlier on, notes Robles. ‘THIS IS CRUELTY’ — Last week, U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued an infant and a toddler who were abandoned by human traffickers in western Arizona’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, reports Steve Warren for CBN News. "[S]mugglers left two young children … in the Sonoran Desert to die," said Tucson Sector Border Patrol Chief John Modlin. "This is not just another example of smugglers exploiting migrants for money. This is cruelty. And it is gut-wrenching. I commend our agents for their quick response to this dreadful incident and to every incident in which migrant lives are at stake." Both children received medical attention and were released back to Border Patrol custody. CUBAN EXODUS — Cubans are fleeing their homeland in the largest numbers in over four decades, "choosing to stake their lives and futures on a dangerous journey to the United States by air, land and sea to escape economic and political woes," reports Gisela Salomon for the Associated Press. Border authorities stopped Cuban migrants from entering the U.S. almost 155,000 times between January and July alone. "I never thought it would take so much work to arrive," said Rolando José Cisneros Borroto, a Cuban migrant who sold his house, furniture and television for his 36-day journey to the U.S. "What one goes through along the way I do not advise anyone, but Cubans prefer to die on the way before staying in Cuba." WORKERS’ RIGHTS — The Mexican consulate in Atlanta unveiled a free weeklong initiative that kicked off Monday to raise awareness about worker rights among its Mexican and Spanish-speaking immigrant populations, reports Lautaro Grinspan for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "[Mexican workers] assume that because they’re immigrant workers, their rights aren’t real. But that’s not the case," said consul general Javier Díaz de León. "Regardless of whether you speak English or not, or whether you have legal status or not, you have rights, and you can’t be subject to abuse." The initiative, dubbed the Worker Rights Week, is in-person and online, with the goal of "cement[ing] partnerships between Mexican consular authorities in Georgia and local offices of U.S. government agencies" engaged in worksite enforcement. Thanks for reading, Dan |
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