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Updated Figures Highlight Shortfalls of Prosecutorial Discretion Program
As reported in today’s New York Times, the Department of Homeland Security has reviewed nearly 300,000 pending deportation cases over the past seven months in search of low-priority immigrants deserving prosecutorial discretion. While immigrant advocates cheered the policy when it was announced, figures released yesterday suggest that the program is not only falling short of […]
Read MoreFilling Quotas or Setting Priorities? ICE Announcement to Increase Deportations Raises Concerns
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that it would pull 150 agents from desk jobs and add them to Fugitive Operations Teams—teams created to locate and detain “fugitive immigrants” who pose a threat to the nation or the community or who have a violent criminal history—in order to find and deport additional “criminal […]
Read MoreImmigrants Behind More U.S. Startups
National Journal June 5, 2012 Foreign-born people are twice as likely as American natives to want to start a business, and in 2011, immigrants followed through on their dreams to launch 25 percent of U.S. startups, a recent report finds. The power of immigrant-driven innovation and creativity is especially felt in the technology and engineering […]
Read MoreDC Passes Act Limiting District’s Response to ICE’s Immigration Detainers
Today, ICE activated the Secure Communities program in Washington, DC, sparking fear in immigrant communities that the program will result in racial profiling and the deportation of non-priority immigrants as it has in other jurisdictions. With Secure Communities active, the fingerprints of all persons booked into DC jails will be sent to the FBI and […]
Read MoreA Comparison of the DREAM Act and Other Proposals for Undocumented Youth
Each year, approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from American high schools. While many hope to pursue higher education, join the military, or enter the workforce, their lack of legal status places those dreams in jeopardy and exposes them to deportation. Over the last decade, there has been growing bipartisan consensus that Congress should provide legal immigration status for young adults who came to the country as children and graduated from American high schools.
Read MoreEditorial: Increase H-1B Visa Numbers for Skilled Workers
The Boston Globe June 3, 2012 On April 2, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services opened applications for the coveted H-1B visas. H-1B status allows companies to sponsor immigrants with specialized skills for a set number of years. The government has received 42,000 requests so far, a number that far outpaces last year and […]
Read MoreU.S. Losing High-Skilled Workers to Australia, Canada, and China, Report Says
By Shelby Pasell. “As our competitors press ahead with strategic policies suited to a global century, how much longer can America afford to drift with an immigration regime built in 1965?” This is the question addressed in recent report by the Partnership for a New American Economy and The Partnership for New York City. According […]
Read MoreBad for Business: How Anti-Immigration Legislation Drains Budgets and Damages States’ Economies
This session, state legislatures are once again considering harsh immigration-control laws. These laws are intended to make everyday life so difficult for unauthorized immigrants that they will choose to “self-deport” and return to their home countries. Proponents of these laws claim that the departure of unauthorized immigrants will save states millions of dollars and create jobs for U.S citizens. However, experience from states that have passed similar anti-immigration measures shows that the opposite can occur: the impact of the laws can hinder prospects for economic growth, and the costs of implementing, defending, and enforcing these laws can force taxpayers to pay millions of dollars.
Read MoreSTARS Act Highlights Potential Pitfalls of Rubio DREAM Proposal
When news broke yesterday that a Florida congressman introduced an alternative version of the DREAM Act, many assumed it was Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been promising for months to introduce such legislation. In fact, the bill in question—dubbed the STARS Act—was introduced by Rep. David Rivera, a member of the House who introduced similar […]
Read MoreReport: Immigration Needed to Spur Economic Recovery in California, Increase Competition
KPCC Southern California Public Radio May 31, 2012 It’s often said that the U.S. is a “nation of immigrants,” one that was built by them. But since 9/11, immigration policy has made it more complicated for many hardworking immigrants to get here, and that’s a trend that the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce has noticed. […]
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