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Senator Durbin Re-Introduces DREAM Act on Heels of President’s Immigration Speech
Today, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Harry Reid (D-NV) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) re-introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or “DREAM Act,” which would provide a pathway to legal status for the thousands of undocumented students who graduate from high school each year (the companion bill in the House was also introduced […]
Read MorePresident Obama Puts Immigration Reform Back on the Table
Washington, D.C. – Today, President Obama offered his most concrete articulation of a new way forward for resolving our broken immigration system. Echoing and expanding upon the concepts of innovation, entrepreneurship, and the American Dream, the President invited the American public to join him in pressing Congress for comprehensive immigration reform. Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director […]
Read MorePresident Obama’s Speech on Immigration: Campaign Politics or a Call to Action?
Today in El Paso, President Obama delivered his second major speech dedicated to fixing our broken immigration system. The President addressed some of the major obstacles to passing comprehensive reform—namely the “border-first” crowd’s repeated claim that the Administration hasn’t done enough to secure the border—by touting the record level of resources invested along the border. […]
Read MoreHow U.S. Integration Policies Stack up Against Other Countries
Today, immigration policy analysts discussed the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX)—a survey which measures the immigration and integration policies of 31 nations—as well as the survey’s implications for integration policy in the U.S. Overall, the U.S ranked 9th out of the 31 countries surveyed, but first in terms of its strong anti-discrimination laws and protections. […]
Read MoreThe Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX III)
How U.S. Integration Policy Stacks Up Against Other Countries
Integration is an often overlooked but key component of U.S. immigration policy. Successful integration of immigrants fuels their success, strengthens communities, and builds bridges between newcomers and other community members. Time and again, the influx of immigrants into a community has been shown to reverse economic decline and breathe new life into urban areas, small towns, and rural communities. Moreover, integration can be a key to entrepreneurship and future economic growth. For example, research by Richard Florida and Charlotta Mellander found that nations which focus more on immigrant integration have higher levels of economic competitiveness, are more innovative, and have higher rates of entrepreneurship. Understanding how federal and state laws facilitate or hinder integration is therefore an important component of setting integration policy.
State Lawmakers Continue to Push Immigration Enforcement Measures, Despite Warnings
Although state lawmakers have heavily revised their immigration measures—stripping away provisions they believe will meet fierce opposition—they nevertheless continue to push forward, determined to put anything resembling “get-tough” legislation on the books. In fact, a number of measures targeting undocumented immigrants moved through state legislatures in recent weeks, including Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma and Alabama—despite warnings […]
Read MoreMore States Voice Disapproval Over ICE’s Secure Communities Program
The national debate over ICE’s Secure Communities program has recently picked up more steam as several states’ have very publicly voiced disapproval. The program, which shares the fingerprints of individuals booked into jails with federal immigration databases, has been widely criticized for failing to target serious criminals, for increasing the potential for racial profiling, and […]
Read MoreCongressional Hispanic Caucus Asks President to Untie Hands and Help Immigrant Groups
In his latest effort to drum up bipartisan support for immigration reform in Congress, President Obama met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) yesterday at the White House. Similar to other meetings in recent weeks (with national and state leaders, Latino celebrities and an immigration-themed commencement speech at Miami-Dade College), the President reiterated that his […]
Read MoreACLU Files Lawsuit Against Utah’s Immigration Enforcement Law
Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olsen filed a class action lawsuit against Utah’s HB 497— an SB1070-inspired immigration-enforcement bill. Last March, Utah passed three distinct immigration bills that collectively were designed to go beyond the enforcement-only approach of Arizona’s SB1070 […]
Read MorePresident Obama Continues To Walk Immigration Tightrope
President Obama delivered a heartfelt commencement address this weekend at Miami-Dade College that once again showed the difficult tightrope he walks on immigration. On the one hand, he reminded his listeners yet again how important immigration reform, including passage of the DREAM Act, is to the continued moral and economic vitality of the country. On […]
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