More than 160 faith groups sent a letter on Monday calling on the Biden administration to reconsider its latest asylum limits for certain migrants who pass through another country before entering the U.S., reports Suzanne Monyak of CQ Roll Call.  

The limits are part of a proposed rule that would limit asylum eligibility for individuals crossing the southwest border "without first requesting protection in another country on their way to the United States," Monyak writes. 

"President Trump’s asylum transit ban led to asylum denials and prolonged detention for many with bona fide claims," the faith groups write. "[F]ollowing in these flawed footsteps leads the U.S. further down a dangerous path that wrongfully places the emphasis on punitive measures, deterrence, detention, and deportation rather than meaningful access to protection." 

The policy is part of new border initiatives President Biden announced earlier this month. Other elements include permitting 30,000 qualifying nationals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua to enter with temporary parole. Migrants who are not eligible will be expelled to Mexico via Title 42. As we’ve noted, there’s some good and some challenges among these initiatives. 

Welcome to Tuesday’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 Thea Holcomb. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

HOME HEALTH SERVICES — Community health groups across the U.S. are stepping up to help undocumented immigrant elders get medical care and social services they need, reports Nora Macaluso of Next Avenue. The growing population of older immigrants, language and cultural barriers, lack of insurance, and limiting immigration policies for home care services are among the challenges immigrants face in accessing care, Macaluso notes.   

MIGRATION TO FLORIDA — Chris Kenning of USA TODAY takes an in-depth look at the fear driving people to flee Cuba and Haiti by boat — and the peril they face as they try to reach the U.S. Officials hope that President Biden’s new humanitarian parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans will help deter migration by sea and provide new legal pathways to enter to the U.S. 

‘THIS IS ALL HUMANITY’— Texas State University anthropology students and volunteers are helping exhume and identify the remains of migrants who died while crossing the border, reports Uriel J. García of The Texas Tribune. Just in August and September 2022, 26 unidentified migrants, including a baby, were buried at the Maverick County Cemetery in Eagle Pass due to a lack of space at both the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office and a local funeral home. "This isn’t about politics; this is all humanity. It’s for the families," said Don White, a volunteer at the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office. 

IMMIGRANT DETENTION — Bridget Cambria is a well-known immigration attorney who has fought for immigrant families and children detained at the Berks County detention center in Pennsylvania. Previously, as a Berks County guard, she witnessed things she wanted to change in the immigration system, reports Jeff Gammage of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The center is slated to close Jan. 31, "ending a long and controversial chapter in immigrant detention" in the state, Gammage notes.

ENGLISH AT WORK — Tyson Foods, a member of our Corporate Roundtable for the New American Workforce, is helping the Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center (EMBARC) in Iowa with an $85,000 grant, The Perry News reports. EMBARC will use the funding to support citizenship and contextualized English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for students. And don’t miss our own Ana Negoescu’s interview with the Behind Every Employer podcast, in which she highlights how we support immigrant workers and U.S. businesses through English training programs in the workplace. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan