The United States labor market is feeling the effects of increased immigration enforcement, where the share of adults in the workforce last month was at its lowest point in almost three years, reports Paul Davidson of USA Today.
A shrinking pool of job candidates, in addition to the loss of foreign-workers, uncertainty and other economic factors such as tariffs, is slowing the payroll growth. Economic experts predict this shortage will worsen, as immigrants contributed to 88 percent of the labor growth between 2019 and 2024, Davidson notes.
Michael Sainato of The Guardian highlights the direct impact the immigration crackdown is having on American factories after millions of immigrants had their legal status revoked.
“This has a real impact on immigrant workers, obviously, but it also has a real impact on non immigrant workers. It’s really important that we stick together, because we all want the same things,” said Jess Reese, a replacement operator at a plant in Louisville, Kentucky.
The recent policy shift is causing local economies to slow as immigrant communities –including entrepreneurs– are being more cautious for fear of immigration raids, report Julián Castro and Carolina Martinez of Fortune.
Since 2018, small businesses founded and owned by immigrants (or their children) have generated an annual revenue of $650 billion— growth that is now at risk of being derailed. Castro and Martinez emphasize that “the economic data is clear – we are stronger with an economy that makes room for all entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.”
Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. During August, we will take a break on Fridays — we’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s assistant VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Marcela Aguirre, Jillian Clark, Callie Jacobson, and Broc Murphy. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
COURTS — A class action lawsuit was filed against the administration’s new policy requiring immigrants to remain in detention without bail while they challenge their deportation in court, reports Tovia Smith of NPR. Matt Adams, the legal director for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, argues the policy not only misinterprets the law but will cause “catastrophic harm” to individuals as removal hearings may take years. Separately, Nate Raymond of Reuters details the latest update on litigation concerning hundreds of thousands of migrants whose humanitarian legal status was revoked by the administration.
EXPANSION — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is set to allocate $608 million in grants to help states expand immigration detention facilities nationwide, funds that in the past were used to support newly arrived migrants across the country, reports Jeff Abbott of El Paso Times. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security launched a major new recruitment campaign earlier this week, primarily aimed at hiring ICE agents and continuing deportation efforts, reports Mina Allen of The National News Desk.
FLEEING HOME — Christians fleeing persecution are continually being impacted by the administration’s overhaul of the asylum and refugee programs, report Ximena Bustillo and Juliana Kim of NPR. By the end of 2024, there were more than 10 million Christian immigrants in the U.S. vulnerable to deportation, NPR notes. “Everyone wants to stay home when they can, but often it reaches a point where people feel that they have no choice but to leave home. And that is a tragedy, but it's even more tragic when then they have nowhere to go,” said Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy for World Relief.
REFUGEE INITIATIVE — In Seattle, Washington, the Refugee Artisan Initiative (RAI) helps refugee women gain financial independence through classes in sewing and jewelry making, reports Anikka Stanley of Fulcrum. The organization was started by Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman, an immigrant herself. “Despite all the fears and trepidation, I realize that investing in a woman's future is the best way to combat fear and trepidation,” said Tung-Edelman. Speaking about refugee women, Eden Tesfazghi now production assistant at Iowa PBS talks about her story with her colleagues Colleen Krantz and Paul Yeager.
