Many Christians are among the many Americans urging action. Rafael Munoz, pastor of mobilization and ministries at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Dallas, was among nearly 200 moderates and conservative advocates from around the country who joined us last month to push for compassionate, bipartisan reforms, reports Christian McPhate of The Dallas Observer.  

Munoz met with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R) office to discuss the urgent need to pass a legislative solution for Dreamers. Munoz and the group also advocated for the Farm Workforce Modernization Act and refugees. 

To advance these reforms, Munoz said, "We need to get good information out in front of people. The media at times can build this sentiment of fear … We want humane and secure solutions, and sometimes those conversations are derailed by peer tactics and being misinformed." 

Although he has yet to hear further from Cruz’s office, "We believe the conversation could lead to one of inclusivity," Munoz said. "One of the things that stood out to me was to be part of the solution, you have to be part of the conversation." 

And this week the Evangelical Immigration Table launched 12 Days of Prayer & Action for a Christmas Miracle for Immigrants. Aubrey Sampson and Brian From feature the effort on WYLL’s "The Common Good" podcast. 

In the polling world, more than two-thirds of Texas voters support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., per a Third Way poll released Tuesday. With these findings, Third Way hopes to garner some support from Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) for a potential bill that would address Dreamers as well as the border, reports Todd J. Gillman of The Dallas Morning News.  

Seventy-eight percent of Texans support citizenship for Dreamers if they attend college, serve in the military, or pay taxes, per the survey. And at least 75% of Texas voters want more investments in the immigration court and asylum systems. 

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Dynahlee Padilla-Vasquez, Clara Villatoro and Katie Lutz. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

MISSING LABOR FORCE — A significant decrease in immigrant labor "is worsening widespread labor shortages and hobbling the U.S. economy at a time when more than 10 million jobs remain unfilled," report Abha Bhattarai and Lauren Kaori Gurley of The Washington Post. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell recently estimated this deficit to be about 3.5 million workers, and close to half of that deficit is because of reduced immigration, economists say. "There is no question: We need more immigration," said Adam Ozimek, chief economist at Economic Innovation Group. "Immigrants aren’t just workers, they are particularly flexible, mobile workers, who help address acute labor shortages wherever they emerge. And that’s particularly important in this constrained economy we’re facing right now." Powell again emphasized the labor imbalance in a press conference yesterday: "[T]he labor market continues to be out of balance, with demand substantially exceeding the supply of available workers." 

WORKING CLASS — Immigration reforms would not negatively affect working-class families, D’Markus Thomas-Brown writes in an op-ed for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. (Thomas-Brown also joined us last month.) "Dreamers in Missouri are not taking jobs from the working class, many of them are working class people who will leave a gaping hole in the economy if they are not given the opportunity to become citizens," Thomas-Brown notes, responding to negative comments from Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R). "The best way to support working class people is through bipartisan immigration reform that strengthens border security while also making it easier for people to come to this country legally. Currently … our factories, farms and small businesses continue to struggle to find workers." 

‘MONUMENT TO MISGUIDED THINKING’ — In an op-ed for CNN, Raul A. Reyes analyzes the effects of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) shipping containers at the border. "Ducey’s wall amounts to a large-scale publicity stunt," he writes. "It causes problems, instead of solving them — and represents a monument to misguided thinking." The project’s estimated cost is $95 million, and environmental groups have highlighted the wall’s threat to wildlife, Reyes notes. In contrast, Reyes highlights the bipartisan proposal from Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) as an alternative. "Though it may be imperfect, it is a serious proposal and worthy of consideration," Reyes writes. 

VISA APPROVALS — For fiscal year 2022, the U.S. issued 493,000 permanent visas to immigrants abroad, rebounding from a drop in visa approvals at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News. The number of visas approved represents a 73% jump from fiscal year 2021, per unpublished government data. "The rebound, an enormous part of it, is the easing of pandemic restrictions and the reopening of consulates and [U.S. immigration officials] getting back to regular levels of processing," said Julia Gellat of the Migration Policy Institute. "But I also think the Biden administration is really concentrating on this." Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the Philippines were among the top 10 countries in the number of immigrant visas awarded.  

LOOKING AHEAD — "Could 2023 be different?" asks Henry Gass of The Christian Science Monitor, assessing the Biden administration’s management of the U.S.-Mexico border this year. "As border issues grow more complex, the U.S. immigration system remains outdated and under-resourced," he explains. Gass cites experts who have highlighted sponsorship programs for Ukrainians and Venezuelan migrants but say that "[m]ore fundamental changes are possible — and needed." Gass notes potential solutions such as a better legal immigration system and hemispheric partnerships with countries such as Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica, which have accepted more asylum-seekers in recent years. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan