Economics
Deferred Action for Undocumented Immigrants Could Add Billions in Taxes to U.S. Economy
There’s no question that improving the United States’ outdated immigration system would help the economy. The Senate-passed immigration bill S. 744 would have, if enacted, reduced the federal budget deficit by approximately $1 trillion over 20 years and led to an increase in wages for U.S. workers. But House leaders… Read More
Cities and Regions Explore Ways to Maximize Migration’s Local Dividends
Local officials are recognizing that immigration can play a role in their broader growth and development strategies. As Demetrios Papademetriou of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) explains, immigration can be an economic windfall for their communities through more jobs and growth. But these benefits are not automatic… Read More
Seven Reasons Why Undocumented Immigrants are Rooted in America
With immigration legislation now moribund in Congress, all eyes have turned to the White House to see what sorts of non-legislative fixes to the immigration system might be implemented by the Obama administration. While the administration’s deliberations remain private, it is almost certain that one of the fixes being… Read More
Immigrants, Both Documented and Undocumented, Are Helping Save Medicare and Social Security
A new report from the Partnership for the New American Economy and an analysis of Social Security data by MSNBC offer more evidence that immigrants, whether they are documented or undocumented, are major contributors to the economic well-being of major safety net programs. Because immigrants are generally… Read More
Children in Jail: What It’s Like for Immigrants Held at Artesia Center
By Megan Jordi, legal director at the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center. The rule of law is only a mirage in the remote, dusty town of Artesia, New Mexico, where the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is holding more than 600 Honduran, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan women and children. The… Read More
Restrictionists Spread Unfounded Rumors About Migrant Children and Disease
More often than not, anti-immigrant groups use their hateful rhetoric to blame immigrants for all of our nation’s ills. On a regular basis, restrictionist groups release reports that portray immigrants as criminals, terrorists, a threat to American workers, an economic and fiscal burden, or an obstacle to national unity,… Read More
White House Discusses Strengthening Communities by Welcoming Immigrants
This week nearly 200 leaders from communities across the U.S. gathered at the White House for a National Convening on Immigrant and Refugee Integration. Attendees included practitioners, policymakers, elected officials, researchers, business representatives, and faith leaders. The participants discussed successful initiatives, as well as challenges and opportunities… Read More
Congress Needs Reminding of Unaccompanied Migrant Children’s Plight
The House Judiciary Committee’s June 25 hearing was supposed to be about the recent surge in the numbers of unaccompanied child migrants from Central America who are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Had this really been the subject of the hearing, the topic of escalating gang violence… Read More
Immigrants Offset Population Decline and Aging Workforce in Midwest Metros
As Immigrant Heritage Month continues this June, it’s clear that an increasing number of places large and small across America recognize the value immigrants have brought and continue to bring to the United States. After all, metropolitan areas, as the drivers of the nation’s economy, are where the majority… Read More
Immigration and Economic Revitalization in America’s Cities
June marks the first annual Immigrant Heritage Month, a time to gather and share inspirational stories of how the United States has been fueled by our immigrant tradition. As such, in a June 1 post in Forbes, Carl Schramm describes immigration’s historical role in American cities’ industrial… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone