On Friday, President Trump signed a proclamation which will add a $100,000 fee for new applicants of H-1B visas to enter the country, report Adeel Hassan and Aishvarya Kavi of The New York Times.

The H-1B visa is meant for foreign-born workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher and helps employers find workers with the skills they need. Over the weekend, the announcement brought confusion and chaos to employers scrambling to understand the perimeters of the rule and how it will work for them and their employees, report Myah Ward and Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing of Politico.

In a piece for Forbes, Stuart Anderson highlights that the newly proposed fee is likely to encounter legal challenges. An analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy breaks down the claims in the Presidential Proclamation on H-1B Visas, and it contrasts it with available data.

The analysis concludes that extensive research has consistently shown that H-1B visa holders do not undermine the economic prospects of their American peers. On the contrary, H-1B workers make substantial contributions to innovation, productivity, and overall economic growth.

Separately, in response to the recent immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia, Christopher Padilla, one of the leaders at Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI), made a statement calling the Administration and Congress to collaborate on efforts aimed at expanding pathways for employment-based visas.

“Our national security depends on more than military strength. It requires the industrial base, the workforce, and the credibility to deliver on America’s commitments,” said Padilla. “Aligning our immigration system with these priorities is essential to ensuring that the U.S. remains the trusted destination for global investment and innovation.”

In Philadelphia, a report from The Welcoming Center shows that the immigrant population contributes to economic growth and staves off population loss for the city and its surrounding counties, reports Emily Neil of WHYY.

Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Clara Villatoro, the Forum’s assistant VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Masooma Amin, Jillian Clark, Dan Gordon, and Nicci Mattey. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].

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