Thursday, September 22
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THE FORUM DAILY

For months, the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) have been releasing immigrants and asylum seekers, mainly from
Venezuela, with documents intentionally "incorrectly listing their
future residences as addresses to nonprofits or churches," reports
Adolfo Flores of BuzzFeed News
.
(And, credit where it's due: Gaby Del Valle covered this issue in
Curbed

last week.) 

Recent reports show that eight immigrant men who landed in Sacramento,
California, were told that this said shelter would house them for 30
days, Flores reports.  

"It's troubling," said Autumn Gonzalez, a volunteer with immigrant
advocacy NorCal. "They walked for miles to get to the shelter, and once
they arrived they were told it's not a shelter but an office
building." 

Nonprofits and shelters often pay for migrants to get to their next
destination as stated on federal forms; migrants are told they must be
present "for an ICE check-in near the listed location within 30 days or
be in violation of the terms of their release," Flores notes. 

"We sympathize with [shelters]," Gonzalez said. "Our beef is not with
them, but with CBP giving this wrong address." 

The American Immigration Lawyers Association and a network of immigrant
rights organizations sent a letter

on Sept.15 to federal officials urging them to fix the issue. 

* A couple of quick hits elsewhere: In case you missed it, read up on

(or just watch
)
our press conference yesterday about the bipartisan passage of the
Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act. 

* On my playlist today: In honor of the International Day of Peace
yesterday, a global coalition of musicians wrote and released 100 songs
written in their native languages

to promote world peace. 

Welcome to Thursday'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] . 

MIGRANT TRANSPORT - On Monday, a group of Venezuelan asylum seekers
waiting at a hotel in San Antonio was promised a flight to Delaware the
next day. But then the flight was canceled without explanation,
stranding them, report Sarah Blaskey and Nicholas Nehamas of The Miami
Herald
.
"When you have this kind of malicious interference, it can be
destructive to people's lives that are seeking asylum," said Gavin
Rogers, a pastor at Travis Park Church and Corazón Ministries in San
Antonio. "It's making it harder for nonprofits to do their jobs ...We
have to treat these individuals with dignity to get them to the places
they actually need to go." As transports of migrants continue, border
communities and advocates are asking Congress for immigration solutions,
per Addie Offereins of WORLD Magazine
. 

'OUR LAWS ... ARE

**THE PROBLEM'** - "America needs more immigrants, but we seem
determined to shoot ourselves in the foot," Mona Charen begins her
column in The xxxxxx
.
She goes on to explain how asylum seekers from countries such as
Venezuela "are simply following the law we enacted ... In truth, the
vast majority of would-be immigrants have done absolutely nothing wrong.
It is our own laws that are the problem." I'd say more, but there's
too much I could quote. Just give this one a read. Then, if you didn't
have time yesterday, read Linda Chavez's latest
,
also in The xxxxxx.  

**CHRISTIAN RESPONSE** - Many Christians are offering a biblical,
welcoming message in response to the recent increase in migration,
reports Ashley Moss of KFOR
.
Evangelical Christians gathered in Oklahoma on Tuesday to find common
ground. "People who are immigrants are not liabilities or pawns for the
political system but are really gifts in and of themselves. [They're]
people and they're created in God's image," said Steven Eng of the
National Association of Evangelicals. Added Brenda Kirk, our south
central regional mobilizer, "The scriptures are very clear that we are
responsible for caring for the vulnerable." Eric Black conveys a similar
message in his Baptist Standard

editorial: "We don't have to wait for our government to sort out
immigration policy to care for immigrants. Instead, we can care for
people who come to us, regardless why they came or how they got here.
God expects nothing less." 

VETERANS, AFGHAN ALLIES ADVOCATE - Anees Khalil, a green card holder
and founder of Human First Coalition, is among a group of Afghans and
veterans pushing for the Afghan Adjustment Act

via a "fire watch" protest on Capitol Hill - described as camping out
for days until said vote is passed, reports Rebecca Kheel for
Military.com
.
The bill would offer permanence to most resettled Afghans who currently
have only temporary status. "We are here, and we will keep fighting,"
Khalil said. Added Matt Zeller, a senior adviser at Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America, "Thirteen Marines put their lives on the line,
literally put themselves in between a suicide bomber at the Abbey Gate
and these [Afghans] ... They gave the ultimate sacrifice believing these
[allies] were coming here forever." 

FULFILLING DREAMS - The Frida Kahlo Theater in Los Angeles has become
a space where many Latino immigrants with day jobs are achieving their
dreams in the arts, writes Selene Rivera of The Los Angeles Times
. The
theater offers affordable classes and requires a strong commitment from
the students even if they are not pursuing a formal career in the arts.
Students include dishwashers, factory workers and business owners. "The
theater is my therapy, where I am going to spend beautiful times with
friends," said Emma Valdez, a current student. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

 

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