Thursday, September 15
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

 

THE FORUM DAILY

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) sent two private planes with about 48
migrants from Venezuela and Columbia to Martha's Vineyard Airport on
Wednesday afternoon as part of the state's relocation program to
transport undocumented immigrants "to sanctuary destinations," reports
Brooke Kushwaha of The Vineyard Gazette
. 

"... [T]his endeavor is a cruel ruse that is manipulating families who
are seeking a better life," Massachusetts Sen. Julian Cyr (D). "No one
should be capitalizing on the difficult circumstances that these
families are in and contorting that for the purposes of a 'gotcha'
moment."  

According to Sen. Cyr, the planes originated in San Antonio, Texas, "and
appeared to be part of a larger campaign to divert migrants from border
states," notes Kushwaha.  

To help with relief efforts, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
provided migrants with water and snacks, with two people coordinating
interpreters. Meanwhile, Edgartown Fire Chief Alex Shaeffer stepped in
to coordinate with St. Andrews Episcopal Church to give migrants a space
to sleep overnight.  

"[The migrants] came with folders with a pamphlet with our information,"
said Beth Folcarelli, chief executive officer of Martha's Vineyard
Community Services. "We don't have refugee services; I had no idea
about any of this. I only found out because one of them gave me their
folder. Imagine being dropped in here knowing no one. Absolutely no one.
It's heartbreaking." 

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has since activated state emergency
management resources, per Sen. Cyr.  

For more on the politics of the situation, see Lisa Kashinsky's piece
in the Massachusetts Playbook
. 

Meanwhile, in D.C., two buses of migrants originating in Texas arrived
outside of Vice President Kamala Harris' residence, in what Martin
Austermuhle of WAMU noted on Twitter

as potentially a "staged event." 

It's worth noting that these are human beings seeking protection. They
are people fleeing danger and persecution - including children and
families - exercising their human and legal rights to seek safety in
the United States. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity,
not as pawns in a political stunt. 

Welcome to Thursday'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] . 

**HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH** - Today marks the start of National
Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasts through Oct. 15. "It celebrates a
vast community of Americans who have made invaluable contributions to
the United States for over 300 years," Margie Huerta, executive director
of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque told USA
TODAY's Marc Ramirez. "Hispanic and Latinx people are making important
contributions to American arts, culture and humanities, and all aspects
of society, every single day." 

**U.S.-MEXICO BORDER** - The Biden administration is quietly urging
Mexico to accept more migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela using
Title 42, despite publicly trying to end the policy, reports a team at
Reuters
.
"The U.S. effort to pressure Mexico on these three particular
nationalities illustrates the depth of concern within the Biden's
Democratic administration about their border crossings," they write. In
other border news, The Arizona Republic

tells the story of 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, a boy who
was shot and killed in Nogales, Mexico, via a border fence - by a U.S.
Border Patrol agent almost a decade ago. It's a four-part podcast
series called "Rediscovering: Killed Through the Border Fence." For more
from the Forum on the border, be sure to check out our recent explainer

on migrant deaths at the border from Danilo Zak, and a reflection from
Dynahlee Padilla-Vasquez, our senior communications associate, on what
it means to have a just border
, after her
visit to "The Wall/El Muro: What is a Border Wall?" exhibit at the
National Building Museum in D.C. 

**IMMIGRANT DETAINEES** - A network of civil-rights groups, including
the ACLU of Florida, have filed a 22-page complaint

alleging abuses against immigrants detained at the Baker County
Detention Center in North Florida, reports Michael Moline of The Florida
Phoenix
.
The complaint urges the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and
Customs Enforcement and related government offices to cancel the
agreement through the Baker County Sheriff Office and describes the
department as "an unfit partner by every metric." Another coalition of
immigrant rights groups have sounded similar complaints of alleged
mistreatment at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, including a
case of sexual assault, per Emily Wu Pearson of WABE
. 

**PENDING DACA RULING** - With the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling
on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) approaching, Dreamers
remain in limbo about their futures, reports Kayla Young of WFAE
.
"Imagine you have everything stripped away. You get your driver's
license taken away. You get your ability to legally work taken away,
your Social Security number," said Yahel Flores, who is one of about
23,000 DACA recipients living in North Carolina. "Imagine all that gets
taken away. How do you provide for your family? ... [These Dreamers]
could be doctors; they could be lawyers; they could be electricians ...
And we're taking away their possibilities."  Meanwhile, executive
director of the National Foundation for American Policy Stuart Anderson
interviewed attorney Andrew Pincus for Forbes
,
explaining what's at stake "for the more than 600,000 people whose
lives depend on DACA." 

**COMMUNITY GARDENS** - Debora Merveille Elonga grew up watering and
harvesting vegetables in her family's garden back home in The
Democratic Republic of the Congo. This summer, Elonga's family was one
of three immigrant or refugee families in Linn County, Iowa, that
received a cultural community garden, thanks to a local environmental
justice initiative, reports Brittney J. Miller of The Gazette
.
"For me, it's very special," Elonga said. "I can have the garden at my
house for the first time. ... I'm so happy to see my (vegetables) grow
up." An estimated 30 gardens will be constructed for vulnerable
community members over the next three years - "gardens that can
bolster both food security and cultural ties," notes Miller. Next door
in Missouri, the Columbia Daily Tribune
's
Charles Dunlap has more on community garden initiatives and
entrepreneurship among refugees. 

Thanks for reading, 

Becka 

 

DONATE

 

**Follow Us**

 

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

National Immigration Forum

10 G Street NE, Suite 500

Washington, DC 20002

www.immigrationforum.org

 

Unsubscribe from The Forum Daily

or opt-out from all Forum emails.

 

 
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

National Immigration Forum, 10 G St NE, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20002, United States