Without immigration, the U.S. population is projected to decrease by 2031, reports Emily Peck of Axios.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, as a result of the administration’s crackdown on immigration, the U.S. population first will grow more slowly, and shrink sooner, than previously anticipated. This could cause a workforce shortage, higher prices and a crisis in eldercare, experts warn.
According to economic writer Derek Thompson, the situation risks economic stagnation, with fewer working-age individuals contributing in key areas such as Social Security, food production, constructing homes, and health care services, among others.
Although the CBO notes that its projections are uncertain, there’s no doubt that some immigrants are leaving behind the American dream for friendlier countries and opportunities, Tim Henderson of Stateline reports.
A 22-year-old woman who has lived in the U.S. since she was a young child says she will move back to Mexico this month. “It’s tough. I’m leaving behind an entire life here, everyone I know, everything I’ve ever known. I speak Spanish, but not the best,” she said. “My thoughts are in English. I have to readapt to everything. More than anything, I’m tired of being called a criminal here.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. citizen children of immigrants are experiencing difficult effects of increased immigration enforcement, report Norma Martinez and Marian Navarro of Texas Public Radio’s Fronteras.
Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Marcela Aguirre, Masooma Amin, Jillian Clark and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to [email protected].
TEACHERS — Two unions representing millions of educators are suing the Trump administration, saying that children are not coming to school amid stepped-up immigration enforcement, reports Moriah Balingit of the Associated Press. The suits by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers hold that the administration’s decision to allow immigration arrests in schools is illegal. Despite the specter of enforcement, schools are trying their best to make their students feel comfortable, reports Nadia Tamez-Robledo of EdSurge.
KIDS’ DEPORTATIONS BLOCKED — Yesterday, a federal judge in Arizona blocked the federal government from deporting dozens of Guatemalan and Honduran children, report Jacques Billeaud and Morgan Lee of the Associated Press. The judge expressed concerns that the government had not arranged for any of the children’s legal guardians to take custody once they left the U.S.
CHILD CARE WORKERS — Alarm bells are ringing for child care in Washington, D.C., where immigrant workers in the sector are missing work or taking extra precautions amid increased immigration enforcement, reports Chabeli Carrazana of The 19th. Nearly 40% of such workers in D.C. are immigrants, about twice the percentage nationwide. “They are hunting us,” one worker said. “We are working, we are cooperating, paying taxes, we are there all day so other families can benefit from the child care.”
BISHOPS APPEAL — In a recent meeting in Coahuila, Mexico, Catholic bishops from along the U.S.-Mexico border condemned the inhumane conditions Mexican migrants are facing along the border, reports Vatican News. The bishops described the route for migrants coming through Mexico as “the most dangerous in the world,” issuing an appeal to both governments and individuals to protect the vulnerable.
