Reform
New Study Shows How Native-Born Workers Benefit from Immigration
One of the fears recurrently raised by those who oppose immigration is that inflows of immigrants negatively affect the native-born labor force in general, and less-educated working class individuals in particular. The idea upon which this assertion relies is that when less-educated workers immigrate into the host country, they systematically bring down the wages of similarly educated native-born workers. This notion is oftentimes overstated and is to a large extent fueled by prejudice rather than being backed by hard evidence. Read More
Immigration Reform Will Help Address Critical Lack of Medical Doctors
The U.S. faces a severe shortage of physicians, particularly in primary care and in rural areas, and as baby boomers retire, the U.S. workforce will need many more health professionals to fill their spots in the health care field. But many hurdles prevent foreign doctors, who are just as qualified as their U.S. counterparts, from working in the United States and filling this urgent need. These obstacles include redundant licensing requirements, which require another residency in the U.S. even if one was already completed abroad, and an exceptionally expensive and complex immigration process. “It took me double the time I thought, since I was still having to work while I was studying to pay for the visa, which was very expensive,” said Alisson Sombredero, an H.I.V. specialist who came to the U.S. from Colombia in 2005, in The New York Times. Read More
Positive Gains for DACA Recipients Seen at One-Year Anniversary
Today marks the first year anniversary of the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) initiative and there are overwhelmingly positive outcomes to celebrate as well as important lessons to learn. According to the most recent statistics, USCIS has received 573,704 applications since the program was implemented a year ago. Of those, 430,236 have been approved. Submission and approval rates aside, the one year anniversary of the program also offers an opportunity to look back at DACA’s impact on the lives of the young people who received it. Read More
Turning up the Heat on Congress Over Summer Recess
August recess is in full swing, and the plans to show Congress how badly Americans want immigration reform “back home” are well under way. While August is always a time to remind Members of Congress about crucial issues, this year’s immigration events, meetings, and rallies are occurring at a time when Members of Congress, particularly House Republicans, are seriously re-examining their positions on immigration. This may be the most critical month for capturing the hearts and minds of House Members. Read More
Counting the Votes on Immigration Reform in the House
For most people who follow the immigration debate, it is an issue which at its core is about values like fairness, faith, and family. Those who support immigrants’ rights and want to see our immigration system reformed follow the ins and outs of the debate via nightly news, daily media clips, or blogs like this one. Read More
Forging Consensus on Visa Program Critical to Crafting Effective Policy
A proposal being considered in the House revives the debate around the number of visas that would be allocated to less skilled workers, also known as “W” visas. In particular, Representatives Ted Poe of Texas and Raul Labrador of Idaho are working on an immigration bill that could double the number of visas of less skilled workers that the Senate settled on. Although the increased number could help address the labor shortage in some industries, this proposal would potentially cause a fracture in the consensus achieved between business and labor leaders who negotiated the levels that were included in S. 744. Ultimately, what is critical to success of a program depends on having the right players at the table ensuring both private and public interests are protected. Read More
How to Have Productive Conversations on Immigration
In preparation for the August recess, the Immigration Policy Center released a new guide to answering the tough questions on immigration. This is perhaps a misnomer, as the issues we cover—the intersection of crime, the economy, integration, and immigration—aren’t so much tough as they are complicated. There is plenty of evidence available on the significant contributions immigrants make to the country, so providing that is easy. What’s tough is discussing the personal myths and misconceptions individuals carry with them on the topic. Aren’t immigrants to blame for…? Read More
Pressure Mounts on House To Tackle Immigration Reform
As July comes to a close and August recess begins, prospects for immigration reform in the House of Representatives are looking up. While some saw the pronouncements from House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) that the House would not take up the Senate bill as a death knell, it looked more like a bargaining position by the end of the month. “We’re doing it differently in the House,” Goodlatte told Fox Business. Members are still divided about what immigration measure they should consider. Options range from several piecemeal bills—possibly including a limited version of the DREAM Act that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is crafting with Goodlatte—or a comprehensive measure on which seven members are still working. So while the House is not going to meet Boehner’s original goal of passing some form of immigration reform by the end of July, the issue is far from dead. Read More
Letter from Business Urges Congress to Create a 21st Century Immigration System
As an increasing number of organizations voice their support for comprehensive immigration reform, the business community added theirs this week through a letter to Congress. Business now joins a broad swath of the American public that wants Congress to pass immigration reform. The letter sent to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives represents a nationwide coalition of 420 companies and includes business and industry associations and state and local chambers of commerce. It encourages Members of Congress to enact legislation that would repair and modernize our immigration system and comes on the heels of other similar efforts by higher education administrators, faith groups, faculty and scholars, non-profits, and other coalitions. Read More
Why Citizenship Matters in Immigration Reform
As the August recess approaches, the debate surrounding immigration reform and citizenship will shift away from Washington and into town hall meetings and events in local communities. In anticipation of this, today the AFL-CIO hosted an event on citizenship featuring among others, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA). Both men emphasized the importance of recess town halls as opportunities for lawmakers to discuss immigration reform with their constituents. Sen. McCain said he plans to tour Arizona over the recess and take the pulse of his constituents. Both McCain and Becerra were optimistic however. McCain emphasized the broad public support for the pathway to citizenship, sharing polls that show that well over 70% of the American people think immigration is good for our Country and Rep. Becerra reiterated the need for full citizenship by saying “I don’t think this country is ready to go back to the 20th or 19th century where we have a second class of citizens.” Read More
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