"It’s like a graveyard," said Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber. "I’ve been working on the border for almost four decades and never saw tragedies of this magnitude."   

U.S. authorities recovered more than 890 bodies in fiscal year 2022. Among the leading causes of death were drowning in the fast-moving Rio Grande, falls from cliffs, and dehydration. Hundreds more people were reported missing, Pérez and Caldwell note. 

Click through for photos and graphics, which add depth to the story.  

Separately, Alex Riggins and David Hernandez of  The San Diego Union-Tribune report on what happens when migrants perish. Official verification of the identity of a migrant who has died can take days or even weeks. In the meantime, family members often receive anonymous phone calls or turn to Facebook for news. 

Welcome to Monday’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]. 

‘A HOPEFUL VISION’ — As Pope Francis met this weekend with refugee families, he spoke of the need to expand ways for "people escaping gravely dangerous situations in their countries to arrive safely, legally, and with dignity in their host countries," reports Sophie Peeters of the Vatican News. The pope met with families who had arrived in Europe through the "Humanitarian Corridors" initiative, which includes faith-based organizations and governments and has helped more than 7,000 people since its 2016 launch. 

CALLS FOR TPS — The Biden administration said there are "no imminent plans" to hasten employment access for tens of thousands of asylum seekers, report Melissa Russo and Hilary Weissman of NBC New York. Democrats have been pushing Biden to widen the use of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which would exempt asylum seekers from a waiting period for employment authorization. Meanwhile, the recent release of 222 prisoners from Nicaragua is also reigniting calls from advocates to redesignate Nicaragua for TPS, per Armando Garcia of ABC News.  

OTHER COUNTRIES BENEFIT — The data is convincing: Our immigration restrictions are causing employers to move jobs abroad, contributor Brad Polumbo writes in the Washington Examiner, and "other countries without such restrictive immigration systems are reaping the benefits of our foolish policies." 

MEDICAL CARE ACCESS — A new bill spearheaded by Maine House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D) would remove immigration status as a barrier to accessing MaineCare for all income-eligible residents, reports Ari Snider of Maine Public Radio. If it passes, "it will bring joy and relief that I can finally do the surgeries for my eyes, also [it] will help me financially," said Hussein Yasari, a retired imam from Iraq whose asylum case is pending. 

Thanks for reading,  

Dan