Immigration 101
Immigration in the United States is complex and ever-evolving. Start here to understand the fundamental aspects of immigration policy, its history, and its impact on both individuals and the country at large. Learn commonly used terms about immigration law and how the U.S. immigration system is designed. Explore layered topics like how and whether immigrants can become citizens, as well as what individual protections look like under the law.
NC Candidate for Governor Trashes Immigrant Voting Bloc
Last week, North Carolina's candidate for governor, Pat McCrory, potentially isolated upwards of 83,000 New American voters in his state when his emails viciously attacking immigrants were leaked online. According to the Daily Kos, McCrory--citing the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)--a fiercely anti-immigrant hate group that is known for its direct ties to John Tanton, a pioneer of the anti-immigrant movement and avid supporter of eugenics--wrote, How would you like to be one of these kids who doesn't get pregnant, works hard in school, doesn't join a gang, goes to church on Sunday, but when they go down to the fast food restaurant, they are told we can't hire you because we need bi-lingual employees. Read More
Wash Post Reports: Latinas are Swaying the Vote
Immigration reform, along with education, taxes, health care, and "values" make up the list of priorities identified by one of the nation's new and powerful political blocs: Latinas. The Washington Post reports: Latina McCain supporters give the Republican candidate enduring credit for being a champion of immigration reform, even if lately he has somewhat backed away from his former position. Meanwhile, Latina Obama supporters question McCain's continued commitment to immigration reform and see Obama as representing the sort of change that would spearhead the comprehensive immigration reform that the country needs. Latinas were also said to view immigration as a moral issue: "Yes, we're not for abortion, but immigration is a deal-breaker," Roxana Cazares Olivas of Latinas por Obama tells the Washington Post. Read More
Immigration Stunts in Face of Faltering Economy
Several reports including the Pew Hispanic Research Center's new study have come out over the past few months showing that the undocumented population is shrinking. However, while some restrictionists continue to hold on to the notion that the decrease in immigration is primarily due to remarkably harsh stepped-up enforcement measures, Jeffrey Passel of Pew told the New York Times that "the trend was the result of a combination of factors, led primarily by a weakening economy and rising rates of unemployment in the construction and service industries, which rely heavily on immigrant labor." Most researchers agree: "The drop reflects the weakness of the economy, particularly the sectors that employ undocumented workers like construction," said Harley Shaiken, a professor at UC Berkeley specializing in labor issues. Shaiken also said that there are a number of powerful forces reducing the numbers of undocumented immigrants. "People are less likely to risk everything to get here if they can't get a job." "They don't migrate if they are not assured a job when they get to the United States," said Wayne Cornelius, Director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California at San Diego. "For unattached males with no economic base in the U.S. and no prospects for stable employment, it may make sense to go home and try their luck again when the U.S. economy improves," he added. USA Today reported: "William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, a centrist think tank in Washington, warns against giving too much credit to enforcement. He believes fewer illegal immigrants are coming because jobs are disappearing in fields such as construction." Read More
Restrictionists Use Immigrants as Scapegoat for Economic Crisis
As the U.S. rumbles through a recession, some restrictionists are exploiting the current economic crisis to mislead Americans into thinking that immigrants -- not the utter lack of financial market government oversight or the irresponsible behavior of brokerage firms -- are to blame for the current state of our economy. The Center for American Progress recently published a report highlighting comments made by ultra-Conservative journalist Michele Malkin claiming that "The Mother of All Bailouts has many fathers...But there's one giant paternal elephant in the room that has slipped notice: how illegal immigration, crime-enabling banks, and open-borders Bush policies fueled the mortgage crisis." Yet Malkin's arguemnent is based on a loose and virtually non-existent connection. First she makes the claim that half of all mortgage loans to Latinos are subprime loans and then proceeds to draw her conclusion by tying in an unrelated and incorrect statistic that 25% of subprime loans are in default (the figure is actually about 19%). Read More
One in Ten Latinos Asked for Papers for LWL: Living While Latino
The current climate of undeterred public immigrant-bashing along with an immigration policy of "attrition through enforcement" has cultivated unfettered hatred and bigotry against an entire ethnic population. A recent survey by the Pew Hispanic Center shows its toll: half of all Latinos, immigrant and non-immigrant, say that their situation in this country is deteriorating and is worse now than it was a year ago. One in seven Latinos are reporting ethnic discrimination in finding or keeping a job and 10% said the same thing about housing. But the most stunning finding is that nearly one-in-ten Hispanic adults--native-born US citizens and immigrants alike--report that, in the past year, the police or other authorities have stopped them and asked them about their immigration status. One in ten Latinos were stopped and asked for "papers." What can that statistic represent other than a gross abuse of power by federal and local authorities? Vicious public denunciations of undocumented, brown-skinned immigrants -- once limited to hard-core white supremacists and a handful of border-state extremists -- are increasingly common among supposedly mainstream anti-immigration activists, media pundits, and politicians and are surely fueling the problems that Latinos are facing. While their dehumanizing rhetoric typically stops short of openly sanctioning bloodshed, much of it implicitly encourages or even endorses violence by characterizing immigrants from Mexico and Central America as 'invaders,' 'criminal aliens,' and 'cockroaches.' In Virginia, a Prince William County and ardently anti-immigrant community task force appointee has suggested spending tax dollars to look into whether "illegal aliens have a preferred breeding season." He has also referred to undocumented immigrants as "scourge that's plaguing neighborhoods" and an "invasion of this country." Read More
America’s Voice Addresses CIS’ Ludicrous Claims
Last month, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) published a ludicrous report blaming immigrations for extreme weather, rising sea levels, changing ecosystems, melting glaciers, and dying polar bears. In other words, CIS was claiming that immigrants are responsible for climate change. America's Voice--an immigrant advocacy organization--to address CIS' claims and "tell it like it is...a bunch of… well… watch the video." CIS isn’t the only group to blame immigrants for environmental problems–they join the ranks of hate and restrictionist groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the American Immigration Control Foundation, and the Social Contract Press. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that CIS’ primary concern isn’t the environment. Read More
Voodoo Science Raises Specter of Immigration-Fueled “Overpopulation”
In a September 2 Washington Post op-ed, “How Many Americans?,” Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies presents a nightmare scenario in which immigrant-fueled population growth in the U.S. degrades the environment and strains infrastructure and the economy over the next half century. The arguments upon which Camarota builds his case are commonplace among immigration restrictionists, but they rely upon flawed logic and a highly selective reading of available evidence that does not withstand close scrutiny. At first glance, the restrictionist argument is attractive in its simplicity: stringent immigration controls, less immigration, fewer people, more resources, a better environment. However, as with so many simple arguments about complex topics, it misses the point. Over-population is not the primary cause of U.S. environmental woes. Read More
CIS At It Again With Noncitizen Voting Claim
This week the Center for Immigration Studies released a report entitled “Allowing Noncitizens to Vote in the United States? Why not” and hosted a panel to discuss it at the National Press Club. The thin attendance at the event can only mean that CIS is beginning to lose its credibility among mainstream media and the reasons why were evident. After the author of the report went through his findings, he and the rest of the panelists basically said noncitizen voting is an isolated occurrence and even failed to become public policy in “a liberal enclave” like San Francisco. The only example they held up and used repeatedly was a 20-year old example of the small town of Takoma Park, Maryland (pop. 17,000) where non-citizens are allowed to vote in local elections. Read More
Congress Event Perpetuates Myth that Immigrants are Criminals
This morning, Republican members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration perpetuated the persistent myth of immigrant criminality with their event on “The Toll of Illegal Alien Criminals on American Families.” The event was spearheaded by Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Steve King (R-Iowa) and Howard Coble (R-NC). Tensions ran high as witnesses ranging from bereaved family members to the President of the Houston, Texas, Police Officers’ Union, to the Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors made the case that the loss of innocent citizens is a direct result of not cracking down on “illegals” in the US. The witnesses demanded policies that would make life so miserable for immigrants, that they would be driven to self-deport. One witness even received enthusiastic applause after suggesting birth-right citizenship be repealed. Read More
What is the Federation for American Immigration Reform?
America's Voice--a pro-immigrant organization waging a communications campaign for immigration reform--has launched a new video as part of a series of moves to shed light on the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and expose it for what it is: a bona fide hate group. Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
