Our Most Recent Spotlight Articles
This page last updated February 28, 2008

• Immigration and the Wealth of States – In this report released by the Americas Majority Foundation, author Richard Nadler contrasts the 19 jurisdictions that contain 84% of the America’s immigrant population with the 32 states in which the remaining 16% reside. It shows that a high immigrant population and recent increases in immigrant population is associated with elevated levels and growth rates in gross state product, personal income, per capita personal income, disposable income, per capita disposable income, median household income, and median per capita income. (January 2008)



• Top 5 Immigration Myths of this Campaign Season - As the campaign season rolls onward and the intensity of the debate escalates, the American Immigration Lawyers Association has put together these top five recurring myths that must be dispelled to clear the way for an honest dialogue on immigration. (January 2008)



• Immigration in the Elections – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has developed an online guide to the presidential elections that includes biographical information, links to campaign sites and news stories, and recent statements on immigration from each candidate. (January 2008)



• U.S. Latinos Feel Impact of Immigration Debate: The Pew Hispanic Research Center recently released its report 2007 National Survey of Latinos. It found that Hispanics in the United States are feeling a range of negative effects from the increased public attention and stepped up enforcement measures that have accompanied the growing national debate over illegal immigration. An NDN report, Hispanics Rising, has reported that Hispanics are the fastest-growing part of the American electorate, and “one deeply changed by the immigration debate.”



• Public Opinion on Immigration – The National Immigration Forum compiled recent public opinion polls on the immigration debate, and found that the public continues to support realistic immigration solutions.



• Undocumented Immigrants and Emergency Room Services - A recent study found that undocumented Latinos are 50% less likely to use emergency room services than U.S.-born Latinos. The study “Health Care Access, Use of Services, and Experiences among Undocumented Mexicans and Other Latinos,” was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine Journal. IPC Senior Policy Analyst Michele Waslin was interviewed by Uprising Radio to discuss the findings.



• Immigrants Essential to New York Economy - A new report released by the Fiscal Policy Institute shows that immigrants add $229 billion to the New York State economy. This represents over 22.4 percent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product. “These figures should wipe away any impression that immigrants are holding the New York economy back. In fact, immigrants are a central component of New York’s economic growth,” says David Dyssegaard Kallick, principal author of the report titled Working for a Better Life: A Profile of Immigrants in the New York Economy.



• Resources on Immigrants and Crime In a recent IPC Special Report, authors Ruben Rumbaut and Walter Ewing rebut the common misperception that immigrants are responsible for higher U.S. crime rates. The Immigration Policy Center hosted a teleconference on to discuss the paper, and compiled a list of additional resources on the issue of immigrants and crime.



• IPC Policy Spotlight -- Inter-American Development Bank Study Shows Remittances Slowing A new study commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), shows that the percentage of Mexican immigrant adults sending remittances to Mexico has decreased significantly, especially in U.S. states that have only recently seen an increase in immigrant populations in their communities-commonly referred to as "new arrival areas." The study surveyed Mexican and Central American immigrants including citizens, legal residents, and undocumented immigrants.
  
  
• Economy Loses Billions Due to Border Crossing Delays A study prepared by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and California Department of Transportation found that delays crossing the northbound border cost the San Diego County economy over $2 billion per year. The Imperial Valley Association of Governments (IVAG) is currently finalizing a study with similar findings regarding the Imperial Valley and Mexicali region. The SANDAG and IVAG studies highlight the need for money to be spent improving efficiency and infrastructure in both rural and urban areas all along the U.S.-Mexico border.
  
  
• NCSL Reports Increase in State Immigration Legislation All 50 state legislatures have considered legislation this year that would affect immigration and/or immigrants. According to a report by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), at least 1400 pieces of legislation relating to immigration and immigrants have been introduced among the 50 state legislatures. By early July, 170 bills had become law in 41 states.
  
  
• Deportation Policy: Report from Human Rights Watch and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Hearing
  
  According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, the mandatory deportation of legal immigrants convicted of a crime, even a minor crime, has separated an estimated 1.6 million children and adults (including U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents) from their non-citizen family members.
  
  In a related event, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will hear the case of two men, Wayne Smith and Hugo Armendáriz, both of whom were respected members of their communities; have families that depended upon them; had been granted legal permanent residency when they were children; and had U.S. citizen children they were forced to leave behind when they were deported. But under changes made to the INA in 1996, they were denied the ability to raise in court any of these mitigating considerations against their deportation. As a result, they were deported for relatively minor drug crimes. Read the full text of the merits brief.



• Experts Say Immigration Does not Lead to Higher Crime Rate. More than 130 of the nation's top experts on immigration and crime tell federal and state policy makers that immigration does not lead to higher crime rates. Sociologists, criminologists, and legal scholars have signed a letter to President Bush, Members of Congress, and the nation's Governors to argue for an immigration policy based on facts rather than on the myth that increased immigration will lead to increased crime rates. (July 2007)



• Border Fence Could Cost $49 Billion.
  Congress's decision last year to authorize a 700-mile fence between the U.S. and Mexico could cost taxpayers $49 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). And even then, says CRS, the fence will cover roughly only one-third of the border and might not effectively prevent drug smugglers and others from crossing the border undetected.
  
  
• Texas' Undocumented Immigrants Provide Economic Gain.
  A report from the Texas Comptroller's office concludes that the 1.4 million undocumented immigrants in that state pay more into the state treasury than they take out in services and that they contribute significantly to the state economy. The full text of the report is available here. (December 21, 2006).
  
  
• Immigration and America’s Future: A New Chapter.
  Report of the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future. (September 2006).



• The Need for a Fundamental Rethinking of Immigration Policy.
  Immigration Policy Center Director Benjamin Johnson testifed at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that the U.S. needs to progress from treating immigration policy as an “enforcement-only” issue and start treating immigration as an economic resource. According to Johnson, immigration should be seen as a means to fill gaps in our labor force – gaps for high-skilled and low-skilled jobs. The full text of Johnson's opening statement is available here. His written testimony is available here. (July 2006).



• 500 Economists Clarify the Economic Benefits to the U.S. of Immigration.
  More than 500 economists – including five Nobel Laureates and prominent economists from the administrations of Presidents Bush, Clinton, Carter and Nixon – have published an Open Letter to Congress and President Bush to remind them that immigration “has been a net gain for American citizens.” More on the economists' letter is available here. (June 2006).



• Read the Congressional Testimony of IPC Research Fellow Dan Siciliano.
  mmigration Policy Center Fellow Dan Siciliano told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that immigration is directly responsible for billions of dollars annually in U.S. economic growth. Siciliano explained to the Committee that "if the United States were to reform the immigration system to better address the demand for foreign-born labor, the economic benefits of immigration could be even greater than what we have already experienced." The full text of Siciliano's written testimony is available here. (April 2006).