Economics
Without Legalization, State Policies Remain Crucial to Healthy Communities
In the absence of meaningful immigration reform to address the situation of the millions of undocumented individuals living in the United States, state policies have become more and more important. One of the areas in which that is especially true is public health. It is unquestionable that healthy communities require broad access… Read More
Adding Up the Economic Benefits of the President’s Deferred Action Initiatives
As the Center for American Progress (CAP) points out in a new analysis, immigrants with legal status earn more than immigrants who don’t have legal status. Immigrants who earn more also buy more goods and services from U.S. businesses (not to mention paying more in taxes). And all of this extra spending creates new jobs in U.S. businesses for native-born and foreign-born workers alike. This is not a complicated economic argument to grasp. In fact, it’s common sense; workers who have legal status can change jobs more easily and don’t find themselves stuck in the lowest-wage jobs. Hence the importance of passing comprehensive immigration reform legislation—or, as a stop-gap measure until Congress gets its act together, implementing the Obama Administration’s “deferred action” initiatives. Read More
How Inaction on Immigration Impacts the Agricultural Economy
Due to its geographic diversity and natural resource abundance, the United States is one of the world’s leading agricultural producers and suppliers. Indeed, the $374 billion U.S. agriculture sector is critical to the U.S. economy, but its health depends on a functioning immigration system. From migrant workers on farms,… Read More
Charlotte, NC Capitalizing on the Benefits of Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Charlotte, North Carolina, like many southern metropolitan areas, has grown rapidly in recent decades. In 2013, when Charlotte declared itself a “welcoming city,” one in ten residents (10.1 percent) in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metropolitan area were foreign-born, while one-third (32.6 percent) of “Main Street” business… Read More
The Power and Potential of High Skilled Immigration
Note: This article features the oral testimony of Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Read his full written testimony here. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today… Read More
How Small Business Immigrant Entrepreneurship Can Boost Economic Growth
Why is it important for places and organizations to connect the dots of immigrant entrepreneurship and local neighborhood economic growth? “Wherever you find immigrant growth you’ll find entrepreneurship. Some of the storefront businesses [in Iowa, for example…] would not be there without immigrant entrepreneurs,” Iowa State University researcher Sandra Burke… Read More
DHS Funding Controversy Over, But Enforcement-First Approach Remains
Over five months into fiscal year 2015, the President on Wednesday finally signed the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’) appropriations bill, after Congress twice narrowly averted shutting down the agency. Congressional members called it a “clean” bill, without House Republicans’ efforts to repeal President Obama’s recent executive actions (well within the President’s authority). But the debate over executive action has prevented a meaningful debate over the funding bill’s provisions, which support and expand DHS’ failed “enforcement first” approach to immigration policy. Read More
Justice Department Files Emergency Stay in Decision Against President Obama’s Executive Actions
The Justice Department on Monday filed an emergency stay asking the federal judge in Texas to lift the temporary hold (preliminary injunction) he issued on President Obama’s executive actions. Texas-based Judge Andrew Hanen issued the injunction against two of the President’s initiatives, namely, the expansion of… Read More
How Leveraging Immigrants’ Skills Could Further Boost U.S. Economy
Now is certainly a good time to think about ways in which to realize the full potential of the immigrant workforce. There are more than 26 million foreign-born workers in the United States, and just over 8 million of them are unauthorized. Two-thirds of all unauthorized immigrants have… Read More
Six Reasons Why Sen. Jeff Sessions’ ‘Immigration Handbook’ is a Work of Fiction
The chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, Jeff Sessions (R-AL), wasted no time in advertising his antipathy towards immigrants. Shortly after assuming his post, Sessions released an “Immigration Handbook for the New Republican Majority” that, in only 23 pages, managed to distill just about every fact-free sound bite ever conceived… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
