Immigration Reform
The last time Congress updated our legal immigration system was November 1990, one month before the World Wide Web went online. We are long overdue for comprehensive immigration reform.
Through immigration reform, we can provide noncitizens with a system of justice that provides due process of law and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. Because it can be a contentious and wide-ranging issue, we aim to provide advocates with facts and work to move bipartisan solutions forward. Read more about topics like legalization for undocumented immigrants and border security below.
Rep. Lamar Smith’s Fairytale Economics
Writing in Politico on December 3, long-time anti-immigrant activist Rep. Lamar Smith (R-21st/Texas) claims that President Obama, who attended a forum on jobs and economic growth today, could magically create 8 million job openings for unemployed native-born workers if he would just deport the 8 million unauthorized immigrants now working in the United States. But that’s not how the U.S. economy actually works. Immigrant and native-born workers can not simply be exchanged for one another. Read More
Naturalization and Integration: Repairing our Broken Immigration System
Most Americans want immigrants to fully integrate in the U.S., and most immigrants want to be Americans and fully participate in social and civic life. We can expect naturalization and integration programs to be an important part of comprehensive immigration reform. Immigrant integration benefits everyone because it enables immigrants to realize their full potential, contribute more to the U.S. economy, and develop deeper community ties. While the United States encourages legal permanent residents to become citizens, there is no national strategy for facilitating integration and insufficient infrastructure to facilitate a smooth transition from immigrant to citizen. Failure to address this problem in the context of comprehensive immigration reform could lead to endless delays for the millions who currently seek services from USCIS and the millions more who will become part of the applicant pool following legalization. Read More
New Report Shines Light on the Economics of Illegal Immigration
Today the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) held an event aimed at dispelling some of the most common myths about illegal immigrants and the U.S. economy and making the case that enforcement-only policies are not cost effective. MPI also released The Economics and Policy of Illegal Immigration in the United States, written by Gordon Hanson, a professor of economics at UC-San Diego. Read More
Immigrants Pull Their Own Weight
This week, the New York-based, non-partisan Fiscal Policy Institute released its long-awaited report, Immigrants and the Economy: Contribution of Immigrant Workers to the Country's 25 Largest Metropolitan Areas. The report studies the 25 largest metro areas (by population) which produce nearly one half of the total gross domestic product of the country. It shows that in the country’s main metropolises, the share of the immigrant population stacks up neatly against their share of economic output. For example, immigrants are responsible for 20% of economic output and make up 20% of the population in these 25 metropolitan areas. In other words, immigrants pull their own weight. Read More
Immigrant Workers Contribute in Large Metropolitan Areas
The Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) recently released a report highlighting the contributions of immigrant workers in the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. FPI’s report broadens a growing understanding that immigrant workers make important economic contributions to the U.S. and to their local economies. Immigrants are likely to be of prime working age, work in occupations across the economic spectrum, and contribute robustly to economic growth in each of the 25 metropolitan areas studied and in the United States as a whole. Read More
Republican Playbook on Immigration Debate Long on Emotions, Short on Facts
Senate Republicans have “thoughtfully’ provided immigration advocates with their strategy for opposing immigration reform in 2010, courtesy of a letter sent to Secretary Napolitano protesting her recent statements that immigration reform is both necessary for DHS to do its job and good for the economy. The letter, signed by twelve Republicans— including Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Charles Grassley of Iowa, and Jeff Sessions of Alabama—was described by Sen. Hatch’s press statement as “taking Napolitano to task” for her remarks. It’s a playbook for the coming year, showing how to make points that are long on emotion and short on facts. Read More
“They” Are “Us”: The Devastating Effects of Broken Immigration Policy on Children in Immigrant Families
The legacy of our broken immigration system extends far beyond our borders or the job market. The price paid by families caught within the system can be devastating, especially when we fail to pay attention to the importance of integrating newcomers into American life. A New York Times editorial this week follows a study that highlights the importance of integrating new Americans and their children. Read More
New Report Shines Light on Detainee Rights Violations in Minnesota
Over the summer, three graduate students at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute interviewed immigration attorneys and public defenders to document their experiences working with detained immigrants. The result—a heartbreaking account of detainees locked away, without access to counsel or family, in a system where rights and the most minimal detention standards are routinely violated. Read More
Rep. Gutierrez to Hold Tele-Town Hall on Moving Comprehensive Immigration Reform Forward
Tonight, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)—along with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)—will hold a national town hall telephonic briefing to “discuss a progressive outline for immigration reform legislation.” Picking up on the momentum from Department of Homeland… Read More
Supreme Court Hears Case about Immigrants’ Access to Federal Court Review
Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that involves an important safeguard for immigrants facing removal from the United States—access to federal court review. The case, Kucana v. Holder, was brought by an asylum seeker from Albania. Mr. Kucana is seeking court review of a government decision depriving him of the opportunity to present his asylum claim. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (based in Chicago) refused to review the government’s decision. Instead, the Seventh Circuit found that in his case, the government has unfettered discretion over a potentially life and death decision. The Supreme Court now is considering whether the Seventh Circuit was right. Read More
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