Wednesday, January 11
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THE FORUM DAILY

A group of evangelical faith leaders sent a letter
<[link removed]>
to President Biden and Congress Tuesday to push for better border
solutions, Mark Wingfield of Baptist News Global
<[link removed]>
reports. 

"We are writing to affirm some of the administration's proposals but
also to voice our serious concerns with others, and to underscore our
longtime call for bipartisan congressional action to address the crisis
at the border," the group wrote
<[link removed]>. 

The leaders urge Congress "to set aside partisan differences and forge
consensus to address the crisis at our border," both to prevent unlawful
immigration "and ensure that those who profess a credible fear of
persecution are treated humanely and receive due process ..." 

Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical
Coalition, put a finer point on it: "As Christians who believe that each
human life is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image and thus
worthy of protection and preservation, we insist that our government
respect due process for those fleeing persecution." 

In the Baptist Standard
<[link removed]>,
Ken Camp reports on the response of other leaders, including faith
leaders.  

Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News
<[link removed]>
editorial board addresses the tone of the letter Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
(R) gave President Biden upon Biden's arrival in El Paso. "What Texas
needs is a serious meeting about border security at the highest levels
without making it a political and press event," the board writes. "Maybe
then will our leaders stop playing for the cameras and start working for
us." 

Welcome to Wednesday'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]
<mailto:[email protected]>. 

SUMMIT AGREEMENTS - During the North American Leaders' Summit
<[link removed]>
on Tuesday, the Biden administration announced additional measures
related to migration, Priscilla Alvarez of CNN
<[link removed]> reports.
Leaders "reaffirmed their commitment to work together to achieve safe,
orderly, and humane migration in the region," according to a White
House fact sheet
<[link removed]>.
Alvarez reports that a new virtual platform is meant to help migrants
connect with legal pathways for which they might qualify, though
advocates are concerned the platform's efficacy is unknown. A new
resource center in southern Mexico also is in the works. As Jennie and
our board member Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the El Paso Diocese said
yesterday
<[link removed]>,
we need humane solutions and legal pathways that address labor needs
throughout North America. 

BIPARTISAN SENATORS - A bipartisan group of senators who visited the
border in Texas and Arizona on Monday sees prospective House legislation
on the border as an opportunity to advance broader immigration measures,
including protections for Dreamers, reports Ellen M. Gilmer of Bloomberg
Law
<[link removed]>.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) said the group was negotiating an update to
immigration laws "that can pass both chambers" and pushing the Biden
administration to improve its approach to border management. Sen. John
Cornyn (R-Texas) expressed commitment to the bipartisan effort, per
Allison Pecorin of ABC News
<[link removed]>.
"We need an immigration system that is safe, orderly, humane and legal,"
Cornyn said at a press conference in El Paso. "We keep hearing from
President Biden and others that we need Congress to step up and provide
some answers, and I'm happy that we are." Priscilla Totiyapungprasert
of El Paso Matters
<[link removed]>
has the local angle, including solutions local leaders suggested in a
roundtable with the senators. 

LEGAL BATTLE - Arguments in a legal battle between the state of
Florida and the Biden administration over immigration started on Monday,
reports Ana Ceballos of the Tampa Bay Times
<[link removed]>.
The lawsuit was filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody against
the Biden administration in 2021, seeking to block the enforcement of a
policy called "Parole and Alternative to Detention," which allows
immigration authorities to release certain undocumented immigrants at or
near the border on parole. The state authorities argue that many of
these undocumented immigrants end up in Florida. The Department of
Justice plans to make the case that the administration has discretion
when it comes to immigration detention - like all of its
predecessors. 

SECRETARY MAYORKAS - Texas Rep. Pat Fallon (R) has filed a resolution
to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Suzanne
Monyak of Roll Call
<[link removed]>
reports. The resolution calls out recent increases in migration to the
border and attempts to end Trump-era immigration policies. If
impeachment proceedings were to move forward, "two-thirds of the Senate
would need to vote to convict Mayorkas for him to be removed from office
- which is unlikely, because Democrats control the chamber," Monyak
notes. 

'WELCOMING AND SUPPORTIVE' - More resources to help refugees
resettle, succeed and contribute is always good news. In this case, $5
million in federal funding will go to service organizations in Iowa,
reports Mary Stroka for The Center Square
<[link removed]>.
To be eligible, organizations would have to propose projects that align
with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement's goals, including
increasing racial equity and supporting underserved communities. "While
there were challenges with the speed and volume of the arrival of Afghan
refugees, the work we're doing to ensure Iowa continues its
long-standing track record of being a welcoming and supportive state for
refugees is exciting," Iowa Chief of Strategic Operations Matt Highland
said in a press release from the state's Department of Health and
Human Services. 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan

 

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