Economics
High-Tech Immigrant Entrepreneurs are Crucial to Local Economies
Recently, a growing number of cities and states have begun pursuing strategies that attract and welcome immigrants and immigrant entrepreneurs in order to grow their economies. Encouraging immigrant high-tech entrepreneurship, and addressing the factors that cultivate an environment in which entrepreneurs may be more successful, is yet… Read More
How the Broken Immigration System Hurts Farmworkers Who Pick Our Crops
By Adrienne DerVartanian, Director of Immigration and Labor Rights of Farmworker Justice. Like many Americans and aspiring Americans, Juan (a pseudonym to protect his identity) has high hopes for immigration reform. Juan came to the United States from Mexico in 1995. Over the past 18 years, he has… Read More
House Immigration Reform Bill Gets Fiscal Seal of Approval from CBO
Ahead of the introduction of a discharge petition demanding a vote on HR 15, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Tuesday issued its fiscal verdict on the immigration reform bill that has been languishing in the House of Representatives since October 2013. According to the CBO,… Read More
Labor Shortages Increase U.S. Reliance on Imported Foods, Harming Local Economies
While U.S. consumers increasingly seek out locally grown produce in grocery stores and farmers markets, imported fruits and vegetables are making up a growing share of the produce consumed in the United States. U.S. agricultural production is out of alignment with the demands of consumers and one problem is… Read More
Increase in Deportations Harms Native-Born Workers and Economy
More immigrants are being “removed” from the United States than ever before by a deportation system that has grown larger and more aggressive coupled with an agency with misplaced priorities in which most immigrants deported pose no threat to anyone. “For nearly two decades, the… Read More
How Immigration Is Good for Science Research in U.S.
Research and knowledge are becoming key to economic growth worldwide, increasing the importance of intellectual work. And for the United States in particular, immigrants play an important role in science and engineering (S&E) research. Indeed, a February report from the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation… Read More
Obama Can’t Escape Immigration at North American Summit
One would be hard pressed to engage in a discussion about U.S.-Mexico relations and not have the topic of immigration raise its head in a matter of minutes. Immigration is a critically important aspect of the relationship between the two countries, intersecting virtually every topic imaginable, from agriculture to… Read More
Fremont’s Anti-Immigrant Ordinance Out of Step with Other Cities in Nebraska
Last week, the residents of Fremont, Nebraska voted to keep a 2010 anti-immigrant housing ordinance on the books. While the small town, with a seven percent foreign born population, has chosen to continue down its current path of exclusion, other places in Nebraska are pursuing inclusive strategies… Read More
Farm Bureau Warns Enforcement-Only Immigration Reform Would Harm America’s Food Supply
The on-the-ground harm of enforcement-only state immigration policies is clear. The “self-deportation” style laws in Arizona, Alabama, and Georgia all dealt severe blows to the states’ economies, particularly the agricultural industries. A federal enforcement-only approach to immigration reform would have a similarly harmful impact, leading… Read More
Mayors Agree, Immigrants Make Their Cities More Economically Competitive
“Mayors are looking for a fix,” said Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa Arizona, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “The status quo is not acceptable. It's as simple as that.” In a January 31 letter to Members of Congress, the United States Conference of Mayors urged expeditious action on immigration reform in 2014. As the letter stated: “Fixing our nation’s broken immigration laws is among the most important issues of interest to America’s mayors currently before the U.S. House of Representatives. We believe strongly that maintaining the status quo will further damage the economic, political and social structure of our cities and our country. As Mayors, we have a ground-level understanding of the pressing economic and moral imperatives that necessitate changing our national immigration system, and we urge the House to expeditiously bring legislation to the floor.” Read More
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