McCarthy’s first border trip as House speaker follows growing calls from a group of Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as Republicans continue to critique the Biden administration on immigration and security.  

"House Republicans can see first-hand how unlawful border crossings have sharply declined thanks to President Biden’s new border plan," said White House Assistant Press Secretary Abdullah Hasan in a statement. 

"They can also see the additional progress that could be made if Republicans in Congress stop making this issue a political stunt and actually join the President in advancing real solutions – like comprehensive immigration reform." 

In other important news, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), spoke on the Senate floor yesterday about giving Dreamers the stability they deserve by passing the newly introduced Dream Act of 2023. 

The Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus (ANIC), a coalition of 35 organizations, released a statement praising Congress’s move to explore a permanent solution for Dreamers. 

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

STILL SEPARATED — About a thousand migrant children remain separated from their families, "with hundreds not even in the process of reunification," according to DHS data published earlier this month, writes Philip Bump for The Washington Post. More than 3,900 children were separated under Trump’s zero tolerance policy, with its effects still lingering, Bump notes. His visual breakdown of the data, underscoring the reunifications, is helpful. 

BORDER SAFETY, SECURITY — Immigration and border security "are real problems affecting real people that deserve real solutions," writes policy expert Nolan Rappaport in an op-ed for The Hill. His recommendations revolve around making the "Border Safety and Security Act of 2023 bill more viable through bipartisan work. This border bill is still being discussed among Republicans, per Emily Brooks and Rafael Bernal of The Hill.  

POTENTIAL EXPLOITATION — Asylum-seeking migrants who are looking for sponsors to financially support them in the U.S. are faced with questionable, costly offers online, reports Anita Snow of the Associated Press. "Several immigration attorneys said they could find no specific law prohibiting people from charging money to sponsor beneficiaries," writes Snow.  

FACT-CHECK — Fact: Most of the fentanyl being smuggled into the U.S. comes through ports of entry across by Mexican cartels — not by immigrants, according to experts, report Jeff Cercone and Maria Ramirez Uribe of PolitiFact. Fentanyl "is not carried on the backs of migrants. Drug traffickers deal with professionals, not amateurs, and they prefer U.S. citizens," said Sanho Tree, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. 

FOR DAY LABORERS — A new Spanish-language station known as Radio Jornalera, providing educational resources for immigrant workers in Houston, just launched on Saturday, reports Jhair Romero of the Houston Chronicle. "(Radio Jornalera Crecen) is such a blessing," said Adony Zavala, a Honduran day laborer who immigrated to the city last year. "[T]o have a station specifically dedicated to the jornalero community is like a cherry on top."  

Thanks for reading, 

Clara  

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re in east Charlotte, North Carolina, check out Panaderia Odalys, a new Mexican family-owned bakery which just opened today, per Faith Alford of WBTV.