Economics
May Day Protests Remind Legislators Immigration Reform is Workers Issue
On Thursday, protesters expressed their mounting frustration over Congress’ failure to pass immigration reform in May Day demonstrations across the nation. From New York to California, thousands of labor, faith, and immigrant rights activists took to the streets to lift up the positive impact immigrant workers have on our… Read More
Grupo Nativista Insta al Partido Republicano a Alejarse Aún Más de la Comunidad de Inmigrantes
Los grupos anti-inmigrantes utilizan periódicamente una táctica común que consiste en hacer circular informes que advierten a los legisladores y al público en general acerca del carácter supuestamente amenazante de los inmigrantes. Estos informes tienden a retratar a los inmigrantes como una carga económica y fiscal, una amenaza para… Read More
Nativist Group Urges Republican Party to Further Alienate the Immigrant Community
Anti-immigrant groups periodically use a common tactic of circulating reports warning lawmakers and the general public about immigrants’ supposedly threatening character. These reports often consist of portraying immigrants as an economic and fiscal burden, a threat to societal integration, or a political menace to an idealized status quo. Following… Read More
Will Unauthorized Immigration Begin to Rise Again?
The record-low level of unauthorized immigration to the United States, particularly from Mexico, raises an obvious question: How long will it last? Presumably, conditions somewhere will change—either here or abroad—and unauthorized immigration will rise again. Even more important than the question of when it will happen, however, is… Read More
High-Tech Immigrant Entrepreneurs are Crucial to Local Economies
Recently, a growing number of cities and states have begun pursuing strategies that attract and welcome immigrants and immigrant entrepreneurs in order to grow their economies. Encouraging immigrant high-tech entrepreneurship, and addressing the factors that cultivate an environment in which entrepreneurs may be more successful, is yet… Read More
How the Broken Immigration System Hurts Farmworkers Who Pick Our Crops
By Adrienne DerVartanian, Director of Immigration and Labor Rights of Farmworker Justice. Like many Americans and aspiring Americans, Juan (a pseudonym to protect his identity) has high hopes for immigration reform. Juan came to the United States from Mexico in 1995. Over the past 18 years, he has… Read More
Increase in Deportations Harms Native-Born Workers and Economy
More immigrants are being “removed” from the United States than ever before by a deportation system that has grown larger and more aggressive coupled with an agency with misplaced priorities in which most immigrants deported pose no threat to anyone. “For nearly two decades, the… Read More
How Immigration Is Good for Science Research in U.S.
Research and knowledge are becoming key to economic growth worldwide, increasing the importance of intellectual work. And for the United States in particular, immigrants play an important role in science and engineering (S&E) research. Indeed, a February report from the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation… Read More
Without Citizenship, Immigration Reformers Could be Leaving Dollars on the Table
While President Obama’s State of the Union Address will reportedly focus on income inequality in the United States, it is also a likely bet that he will address the economic benefit of immigration reform even as Republicans are finalizing their immigration principles. As conversations around immigration reform proposals forge ahead, the economic benefits of citizenship versus simply providing legal status should not be overlooked. According to a new Center for American Progress (CAP) report, The Economic Case for a Clear, Quick Pathway to Citizenship, there is an important citizenship premium that should be factored in to economic calculations of reform. According to the report, the premium is “the bump to a country’s economy that arises after immigrants become citizens. This bump comes in the form of higher wages and more tax revenue collected from naturalized citizens, all of which spurs more overall economic activity.” Read More
Senator Jeff Sessions Has Erroneously Blamed Immigrants for U.S. Income Inequality
Despite the formal end of the recession in 2009, unemployment in the United States remains high, wages are still stagnant, and economic indices of all kinds are looking grim. A crisis of this magnitude requires bold action by U.S. lawmakers to realign U.S. economic policies in ways that promote the growth of both jobs and wages. Economists across the political spectrum agree that immigration reform—including a pathway to legal status for unauthorized immigrants already living here—should be a central part of any such effort to boost the economy. Nevertheless, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) thinks he knows better. In his opinion, what we need to do to alleviate the nation’s economic woes is to derail immigration reform. Apparently, if we can hang on to our broken immigration system a little longer, there will be brighter days ahead for the U.S. economy. Read More
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No one should face the immigration system alone
