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Immigration Reform As Economic Stimulus
by Walter A. Ewing of Immigration Policy Center
The public debate over immigration reform, which all too often devolves into emotional rhetoric, could use a healthy dose of economic realism. As Congress and the White House fulfill their recent pledges to craft immigration-reform legislation in the months ahead, they must ask themselves a fundamental question: can we afford any longer to pursue a deportation-only policy that ignores economic reality? At a time when the budgets of federal, state, and local governments contain more red ink than revenue, in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, what can we realistically afford to do with the roughly 12 million unauthorized-immigrant men, women, and children whom the Pew Hispanic Center estimates now live in the United States—plus the four million U.S.-born, U.S.-citizen children who have an unauthorized-immigrant parent? Even more to the point in the present economic climate, how can we best tap these millions of unauthorized workers, consumers, and—yes—taxpayers as a force for economic recovery? Read full report.
A LEGACY OF THE UNFORESEEN
Immigration reform: U.S. policies aimed at controlling the flow of newcomers historically have led to unexpected consequences
By Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Many of the most radical changes in the origins and numbers of America's vast flow of immigrants were unintentionally set in motion, experts say, by politicians who expected an entirely different result.
The United States has always attracted large numbers of immigrants, often driven by economic and political events at home and abroad. Large expansions are usually followed by restrictions and retrenchment. U.S. laws have often led to unanticipated changes in the nature and composition of immigration flows. Read more.
Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform
By the latest estimates, 8.3 million workers in the United States are illegal immigrants. Proposed policy responses range from more restrictive border and workplace enforcement to legalization of workers who are already here and the admission of new workers through a temporary visa program. Policy choices made by Congress and the president could have a major economic impact on the welfare of U.S. households. This study uses the U.S. Applied General Equilibrium model that has been developed for the U.S. International Trade Commission and other U.S. government agencies to estimate the welfare impact of seven different scenarios, which include increased enforcement at the border and in the workplace, and several different legalization options, including a visa program that allows more low-skilled workers to enter the U.S. workforce legally.
Untying the Knot by the Immigration Policy Center
"Today, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) released two installments of a three-part report, Untying the Knot, which seeks to debunk the frequently misrepresented relationship between immigration and unemployment. The reports, prepared by Rob Paral and Associates, examined data from the Census Bureau and found that there is no apparent relationship between the number of recent immigrants in a particular locale and the unemployment rate among native-born whites, blacks, Latinos, or Asians. Even now, at a time of economic recession and high unemployment, there is no correlation between the number of recent immigrant workers in a given state, county, or city and the unemployment rate among native-born workers." - from the Immigration Policy Center press release, "Experts Untie the Immigration and Unemployment Knot. Research Reveals Disconnect Along Geographic, Ethnic, and Racial Lines."
Read full reports:
• Untying the Knot (Part I of III): The Unemployment and Immigration Disconnect
• Untying the Knot (Part II of III): Immigration and Native-Born Unemployment Across Racial/Ethnic Groups
Under Siege: Life for Low-Income Latinos in the South. A Report by the Southern Policy Law Center.
"Comprehensive immigration reform, which brings undocumented immigrants out of the shadows by providing a workable path to citizenship, is the only realistic, fair and humane solution.
This reform must be coupled with strong enforcement of labor and civil rights protections. This would make crime victims and communities safer, curb racial profiling and other abuses, and better protect the wages and working conditions of all workers."
Also see immigration myths and facts addressed in this study from the Southern Policy Law Center's study.
The Labor Movement's Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Immigration reform is a component of a shared prosperity agenda that focuses on improving productivity and quality; limiting wage competition; strengthening labor standards; especially the freedom of workers to from unions and bargain collectively; and providing social safety nets and high-quality lifelong education and training for workers and their families.
Recent Study by the Pew Hispanic Center: A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
Unauthorized immigrants living in the United States are more geographically dispersed than in the past and are more likely than either U.S. born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with a spouse and children. In addition, a growing share of the children of unauthorized immigrant parents--73%--were born in this country and are U.S. citizens.
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Why America’s Economy Needs a Provisional Worker Program
One of the most critical aspects of immigration reform is the creation of a provisional, or temporary, worker program that facilitates a legal workforce for America’s economic needs. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of misperception about such a program.
An Essential Resource: An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Undocumented Workers on Business Activity in the US, with Estimated Effects by State and by Industry
Strenuous debate continues over policies and implications of immigration, in particular the undocumented population. While some emphasize the value of a readily available workforce as the baby boomers begin to age and retire, others focus on costs including health care, education and social services. There are many options available, but the current approach, which tacitly allows an ever growing number of undocumented entries and creates many social and market distortions, must be addressed. Congressional action is required to craft a rational and sensible policy that fully addresses the realities of the modern U.S. economy.
Interactive Map on Immigration Trends
Visit this map at the NY Times Web site to see immigrations trends since 1880 for the United States. Use the tools to see which countries where immigrants come from to America. Also use the tools to see where immigrants are settling in America.