A rain-swelled Rio Grande claimed the lives of nine migrants on Thursday, David Montgomery and Miriam Jordan of the New York Times report. Thirty-seven others were rescued. 

Eagle Pass, Texas, fire chief Manuel Mello said drownings are now a daily occurrence on the adjacent section of the border. And we’re just over two months removed from the deaths of 53 migrants among the nearly 100 found June 27 in the back of a semitrailer in San Antonio. 

I’ll say again what I said then: In the name of human lives and human dignity, Congress should act quickly on solutions that bring compassion, security and order to our border. Expand capacity at land ports of entry. Invest in technology and training so CBP can better help migrants in distress. Expand permanent and temporary ways for people to apply to enter the U.S. legally. 

As our new polling makes clear, Americans want immigration reforms this year to help address the border and other pressing challenges. More than 70% of respondents support Democrats and Republicans working together this year on legal immigration options that could help reduce pressures at the border as well as counter labor shortages. Even more — nearly 80% — want the two parties to work together this year on immigration reforms that could reduce food prices by helping America’s farmers and ranchers. (See more on labor shortages and farmers below.) 

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]. 

VENEZUELA — Many of the migrants arriving at the southern border are people fleeing Venezuela. Bryan Pietsch and Hari Raj of The Washington Post report that an estimated 6.8 million people have left Venezuela since 2015, trying to escape "political chaos and economic collapse." That’s nearly the number of Ukrainian refugees, but attention on Venezuela has been lacking, they report — as has funding for those who are displaced. "Currently, only 20 percent of UNHCR’s annual funding requirements for the Americas has been met, and Colombia — which, with some 2.48 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants, is the top host country for displaced Venezuelan nationals — is also among the UNHCR’s most underfunded country operations in the world," UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler said. 

‘NEW REALITY’ — Labor shortages are looking less like a temporary, COVID-related blip "and more like a new reality," Megan Cassella reports in Barron’s. That’s a threat to productivity and economic growth, not to mention American leadership in the world. The drop in immigration in recent years has exacerbated other problems — and, as we’ve noted, immigration could help solve them. Immigrants are "just not there, at the time when we probably need them more than ever," said Ron Hetrick, a senior labor economist with Lightcast and leader of a 2021 economic report called "The Demographic Drought." For more on this theme, don’t miss Rice University economist Jose Ivan Rodriguez-Sanchez's piece on The Conversation. 

ON THE FARM … — Indiana farmers are encouraging the state’s U.S. senators to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act and help them meet their labor needs, Bob Segall reports for WTHR. "Getting people has been difficult over the last few years," said Jill Houin of Homestead Dairy, two hours north of Indianapolis. "If you don’t have workers, you don’t have milk." On Earth First Farms north of South Bend, apples are rotting on the ground after not enough migrant workers arrived. "We all know about rising food costs, and labor is an important part of that," said Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana Department of Agriculture. "I hear about it almost every day. Our farmers need help to access more labor." Farm leaders in South Dakota conveyed the same needs at a roundtable Friday, reports Erik Kaufman of the Mitchell Republic. 

… AND ON THE BIG RIGS — The labor shortage is hitting home for the trucking industry, which up against a retiring workforce and a lack of new drivers, per Andy J. Semotiuk of Forbes. An estimated 80,000 more drivers are needed to make up a shortage this year and that number could reach 160,000 by 2030, per the American Trucking Association. One way to help, Semotiuk suggests, is to model Canada’s Express Entry program, permitting truckers from other countries to apply. "Now would be a great time for America to undertake such a task to help the trucking industry," he concludes. 

ENDURING WELCOME — The Biden administration is transitioning from "Operation Allies Welcome" to "Enduring Welcome," as it pivots to a long-term strategy to resettle Afghan evacuees across communities in the U.S., reports Priscilla Alvarez of CNN. "This commitment does not have an end date — the commitment to resettle our Afghan allies," including Afghans and their family members who remain abroad, senior administration official told reporters. The ongoing effort will integrate family reunification efforts, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and the U.S. refugee admissions program. In the Deseret News, Kyle Dunphey speaks with Afghans in Utah about their experiences and the challenges for allies still in Afghanistan. "It’s like a lottery, but it shouldn’t be," said Abdul, whose wife recently joined him in the U.S. after she hid in Kabul for a year. Separately, Catholic Legal Immigration Network and Catholic Charities USA are adding their voices to the call for an Afghan Adjustment Act, Catholic News Service reports. 

Thanks for reading,