Thursday, October 20
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THE FORUM DAILY

An ad out today, from Microsoft, Apple, Meta and several other Fortune
500 companies urges Congress to protect Dreamers, a team at NBC News
<[link removed]>
reports. 

"Collectively, we represent the backbone of an American economy facing
tremendous workforce challenges as a result of the pandemic. We face
another crisis if Congress fails to act on an issue that has strong
bipartisan support from the American people," reads the Coalition for
the American Dream's letter to Congress
<[link removed]>,
which is running as an ad in three newspapers today.  

The letter follows the recent appeals court ruling
<[link removed]>
against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Also
among the more than 80 signatories are Target, Starbucks, Microsoft,
Google, MGM Resorts and the Business Roundtable. 

"Dreamers are an essential part of the fabric of our nation. They make
our communities stronger, they make our companies more innovative, and
they deserve a right to live in America with dignity," Apple CEO Tim
Cook said. "I stand with the bipartisan majority of Americans who agree
that granting permanent protections for Dreamers is the right thing to
do. It's time for Congress to act." 

Elsewhere, a group of legal scholars is advocating for students who do
not have DACA, reports Miriam Jordan of The New York Times
<[link removed]>.
They, and the students themselves, are encouraging the 10 schools in
the University of California system to hire undocumented students. They
argue that state entities aren't subject to federal law barring the
hiring of people who lack authorization. 

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] <mailto:[email protected]>.  

**FARMWORKERS** - To help relieve an increase in food prices, labor
shortages and inflation, the Senate must pass the bipartisan Farm
Workforce Modernization Act
<[link removed]>,
writes Republican State Rep. Mike Kohler of Utah, a small-business owner
and farmer, in an op-ed for the Deseret News
<[link removed]>.
"The Senate needs to pass a bipartisan bill before the end of the year,"
he writes. "Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney should engage in these
negotiations and support efforts to pass this legislation. Farmers need
a legal, stable workforce and Utah's families need nutritious meals at
prices they can afford."  

**'VALUE TO OUR COUNTRY'** - In Iowa, congressional candidates
from both parties are highlighting the need for border security and
immigration reforms, including workforce solutions, reports Robin Opsahl
of the Iowa Capital Dispatch
<[link removed]>.
"I do think both parties have tossed this issue around," U.S. Rep.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) said. "But meanwhile we have thousands of
people that are waiting to come to this country legally, who want to
come to this country legally and that I think can help ... with
workforce. It's not the primary reason that we have them here, but
they bring value to our country." Meanwhile, Jay Timmons, president and
CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, says immigration
reforms are a key part of solving labor shortages in manufacturing,
reports Kurt Nagl of Crain's Detroit Buisness
<[link removed]>.
"We can't solve the workforce crisis without also addressing
immigration," Timmons said. 

**'THEY FORGOT ABOUT US'** - The U.S.'s processing backlog has
increased refugees' average wait from two to more than five years for
asylum seekers, report Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Miriam Jordan of The New
York Times
<[link removed]>.
"The African refugees told me, 'They forgot about us. We have been
waiting so many years,'" said Mulugeta Gebresilasie, a case manager at
a resettlement agency in Ohio. The Biden administration has taken some
steps to rebuild the refugee resettlement system, such as improving
digital services and hiring more refugee officers, but more work lies
ahead. Early this month, the State Department confirmed that around
25,000 refugees were resettled in the 2021 fiscal year
<[link removed]>
- more than last year, but well short of the 125,000 cap.  

**WORK CHALLENGES** - Many Venezuelans admitted to the country seeking
asylum are taking under-the-table jobs as they lack an immediate work
permit, which for many has resulted in scams and work disputes, reports
a team at the Miami Herald
<[link removed]>.
Pedro Escalona, who says he was fired arbitrarily, illustrates some of
the challenges refugees are facing: "I feel like I'm nobody ...
treated like an animal ... horrible." Escalona and three others were
recruited in New York City to clean up Florida after Hurricane Ian. But
they were fired after a week, allegedly because of bad behavior. The
company paid them with checks, but not having a proper ID prevented
them from cashing them. For an explainer on why more people are fleeing
Venezuela, read Sarah Kinosian and Vivian Sequera's piece in Reuters
<[link removed]>. 

**ALONG THE BORDER** - 

* Fact: On average, cities along the U.S.-Mexico border have
lower violent crime rates than similar-size U.S. communities, reports
Russell Contreras of Axios
<[link removed]>.
According to 2021 FBI data, Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo, Eagle Pass and
El Paso in Texas, Sunland Park in New Mexico, Yuma in Arizona, and San
Diego "had a violent crime rate of 333.6 per 100,000 residents,
compared to 388.57 for the national average."  

* Fiona Harrigan of Reason
<[link removed]>
reports that recent smuggling of the drug fentanyl
<[link removed]>
at our southern border is primarily done by U.S. citizens - not
undocumented immigrants.  

* The federal government says Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) violated
federal law by placing shipping containers along the Arizona-Mexico
border near Yuma, reports José Ignacio Castañeda Perez of The Arizona
Republic
<[link removed]>. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan  

**P.S.** Starting Monday, early 20th-century movie star Anna May Wong
will become the first Asian American to be featured on U.S. currency,
reports Ashley Ahn of NPR
News
<[link removed]>.
The coins are part of the U.S. Mint's American Women Quarters Program,
which will celebrate five female trailblazers in American history
yearly through 2025. 

 

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