Filter
New Heritage Report Ignores Broad Consensus on Economic Benefits of Reform
Today, the Heritage Foundation released a report that attempts to assess the fiscal costs associated with legalizing the 11 million unauthorized individuals living in the United States. The new report is similar to a 2007 study, which was widely criticized at the time of publication and continues to be refuted today by conservatives like Republican budget […]
Read MoreBloated Estimate of Legalization Costs Ignores Immigration Reform’s Broader Economic Benefits
Washington D.C. – Today, the Heritage Foundation released a report which attempts to assess the fiscal costs associated with legalizing the 11 million unauthorized individuals living in the United States. The new report is similar to a 2007 study, which was widely criticized at the time of publication and continues to be re-rejected today by […]
Read MoreKeeping U.S. High-Skilled Temporary Worker Visa Programs Workable
When analyzing higher-skilled guest worker visa programs, such as the H-1B and L-1 programs, critics often fail to acknowledge the very different and important purposes that these programs were designed to serve, and the complicated requirements already in place to protect against abuse or exploitation. There is no denying that we can and should improve […]
Read MoreMoncrieffe v. Holder: Implications for Drug Charges and Other Categorical Approach Issues
Washington, D.C.—Last week, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Moncrieffe v. Holder, holding that a state drug conviction is not an aggravated felony when the statute of conviction extends to the social sharing of a small amount of marijuana. The case has important implications not only for noncitizens charged with drug trafficking, but also […]
Read MoreImmigration Activists Take to the Streets in May Day Rallies Around the Nation
Tens of thousands of people across the country—from New York to Vermont to California and Arizona—gathered at rallies and marches yesterday to demand immigration reform. Immigrants and advocates joined with labor groups, lawmakers, and other organizations for the May Day, also known as International Worker’s Day, demonstrations in dozens of cities. And their message was […]
Read MoreWhy There Are Not Enough STEM Workers in the U.S. Labor Market
Occasional research, such as a report released last week by the Economic Policy Institute, suggests the U.S. has a sufficient supply of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates and workers. However, these conclusions are at odds with a growing number of expert analyses that find the U.S. does in fact face significant challenges in […]
Read MoreWhy There Are Not Enough STEM Workers in the U.S. Labor Market
Occasional research, such as a report released last week by the Economic Policy Institute, suggests the U.S. has a sufficient supply of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates and workers. However, these conclusions are at odds with a growing number of expert analyses that find the U.S. does in fact face significant challenges in […]
Read MoreTerrified Nativists Unleash Everything They’ve Got Against Senate Immigration Bill
Nativists are terrified by the Senate immigration bill. Legal status for most unauthorized immigrants; a pathway to citizenship for those who are legalized; more flexible limits on future immigration—all of these are anathema to the nativist vision of what the United States should become. So it’s not surprising that the nativists are letting loose with […]
Read MoreStates Move Forward To Allow Undocumented Immigrants To Drive Legally
In a stark change from the harmful measures that swept across states in previous years, 2013 has started out as a good year for immigration reform at the state level. Lawmakers continue to push for pro-immigrant policies to help immigrants already living in the U.S., while the Georgia legislature’s passage of an anti-immigrant bill stands […]
Read MorePassport Pages Tell Our Tale
Today in the United States, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Americans who fall in love with and marry foreign nationals are being asked to choose between country and spouse, country and career, and country and family. I know this because I have spent the last several years in a battle with my own government to recognize my wife for immigration purposes. Trying to keep my marriage to a British national together has cost me my career and a full pension, time away from my American family and friends, as well as a great deal of stress over finances and my future.
Gay Americans who are legally married in the U.S. have a marriage that is not recognized by the federal government. Therefore, the 28,500 same-sex binational couples in America, in which one spouse is an American citizen, are in a situation where they cannot sponsor their husbands and wives for immigration purposes. This also means they do not receive the 1,138 federal rights, benefits, protections, and obligations that automatically come with marriage and serve to protect and support families.
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
