IPC Releases Two Publications on Restrictive State Immigration Laws

This release comes from the Immigration Policy Center (IPC)  IPC, established in 2003, is the policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational conversation on immigration and immigrant integration.

Restrictive State Immigration Laws:
Questions Answered and Lessons Learned

February 12, 2012

Washington D.C. - This session, state legislatures around the country, including those in Mississippi and Kansas, are again considering harsh immigration-control laws. These laws are intended to make everyday life so difficult for unauthorized immigrants that they will choose to “self-deport” to their home countries. However, experience from states that have previously passed restrictive immigration laws, like Arizona and Alabama, shows that these laws can hinder prospects for economic growth and cost taxpayers millions to implement, defend and enforce.

The Immigration Policy Center is releasing two publications that explain the wide range of issues associated with these restrictive state immigration laws:

• Q&A Guide to State Immigration Laws: What You Need to Know if Your State is Considering Anti-Immigrant Legislation (IPC Special Report, Updated February, 2010)

This updated guide provides key answers to basic questions about state immigration-related laws—from the substance of the legislation and myths surrounding the debate to the legal and fiscal implications. As other states contemplate legislation, knowing the answers to these basic questions is critically important in furthering a rational discussion.

•  Bad for Business: How Harsh Anti-Immigration Legislation Drains Budgets and Damages States’ Economies (IPC Fact Check, February, 2012)

This paper outlines some of the economic and fiscal lessons from states that have passed harsh immigration-control legislation.

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Dissecting the HALT Act

The following release comes from the Immigration Policy Center (IPC).  The Immigration Policy Center is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational national conversation on immigration and immigrant integration.

Dissecting the HALT Act
Last Safety Valves in Immigration System Under Attack

Washington D.C. - Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 26, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement will hold a hearing on the “Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation Act” (HALT Act), a bill that would suspend discretionary forms of immigration relief until January 21, 2013—the day after the next Presidential inauguration.

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More Fear and Loathing from the House Judiciary Committee

The following release comes from the Immigration Policy Center. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational national conversation on immigration and immigrant integration.

More Fear and Loathing from the House Judiciary Committee

Committee to Take Up Reps. Smith and Goodlatte's Restrictive Immigration Bills

Washington, D.C. (June, 13, 2011) – Tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up two immigration bills that supposedly address community safety, but in reality are simply the latest attempts to restrict immigration and limit due process for immigrants. Neither Chairman Lamar Smith’s (R-TX) “Keep Our Communities Safe Act of 2011,” or Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s (R-VA) “Security and Fairness Enhancement for America Act of 2011” (SAFE Act) offer solutions to the immigration crisis. Instead, Chairman Smith’s bill would authorize indefinite detention for a wide range of immigrants, while Rep. Goodlatte’s bill would eliminate the diversity visa—a lottery that offers 50,000 visas per year to immigrants from countries that send few people to the U.S. Once more, the House Judiciary Committee is using fear to restrict our immigration system.

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Remembering Our Immigrant Veterans

Today we honor those who have served our nation with selflessness and bravery. Included in the millions who have served are immigrants.  The article below, which originally appeared at Immigration Impact, discusses the contribution of immigrant veterans.

Remembering Our Immigrant Veterans: An Incalculable Contribution

By Wendy Sefsaf

Whenever restrictionist groups calculate the cost of an immigrant, they inevitably overlook the contributions of immigrant veterans who fight and die on behalf of Americans every single day. Immigrants have voluntarily served in all branches of the U.S. military from the beginnings of our great nation. In fact, without the contributions of immigrants, the military could not meet its recruiting goals and could not fill the need for foreign-language translators, interpreters, and cultural experts.
According to Margaret Stock:

As of June 30, 2009, there were 114,601 foreign-born individuals serving in the armed forces, representing 7.91 percent of the 1.4 million military personnel on active duty. Roughly 80.97 percent of foreign-born service members were naturalized U.S. citizens, while 12.66 percent were not U.S. citizens.

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IPC: The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen “Voter Fraud”

The following report comes from the Immigration Policy Center.  The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational national conversation on immigration and immigrant integration.

In Oregon,  anti-immigrant hardliners like to make ludicrous claims that there is widespread voter fraud by non-citizens.  The following report shows that their claims are just fear-mongering and nothing more.

Chicken Little in the Voting Booth: The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen “Voter Fraud”

Election experts tend to agree that modern-day voter fraud is a very rare occurrence in the United States, primarily because it is so irrational. The potential payoff (a vote) is not worth the risk of jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, and—in the case of non-citizens—possibly deportation. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law succinctly summarizes this point in a 2006 fact sheet: “Each act of voter fraud risks five years in prison and a $10,000 fine—but yields at most one incremental vote. The single vote is simply not worth the price. Because voter fraud is essentially irrational, it is not surprising that no credible evidence suggests a voter fraud epidemic.” As an October 18, 2010, story in the National Journal points out, “a five-year investigation by the Bush Justice Department…turned up virtually no evidence of widespread voter fraud.” Nevertheless, anti-immigrant activists are fond of pretending that fraudulent voting by non-citizens is a national epidemic.

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Carlos Rich: Defending the 14th Amendment

Originally posted at Imagine 2050. Imagine 2050 is project which includes activists, immigrants, artists and students who are invested in a future nation that embraces multiculturalism and tolerance.

Defending the 14th Amendment
August 16, 2010
By Carlos Rich
www.imagine2050.net

The 14th Amendment is the affirmation that all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are, in fact, U.S. citizens. Efforts to dismantle are moving us backwards on American democracy.

It would take us back to a time when all other people, besides those of European descent, were not good enough to be first class citizens or worthy of attaining any status in this country.

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New Study Confirms Positive Impact of Immigration on Wages of Native-Born Workers

This release comes from the Immigration Policy Center. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational national conversation on immigration and immigrant integration. Through its research and analysis, IPC provides policymakers, the media, and the general public with accurate information about the role of immigrants and immigration policy on U.S. society.

For Immediate Release
February 5, 2010

Contact:
Wendy Sefsaf at 202-507-7524

New Study Confirms Positive Impact of Immigration on Wages of Native-Born Workers

Blaming Immigrants for Native-Born Labor Declines Doesn't Add Up

Washington D.C. - The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) yesterday released a new study, Immigration and Wages, which confirms what many other economists have found: "that immigration has a small but positive impact on the wages of native-born workers overall."

This report comes on the heels of other economic reports, from across the ideological spectrum, that explain how comprehensive immigration reform will lift the wages of U.S. workers, increase tax revenue and boost consumer purchasing power.

The EPI report affirms that foreign-born and native-born workers "complement" each other in the labor market through the differing skills and abilities they bring with them to the workplace. When one fully accounts for the many differences between foreign-born and native-born workers in terms of education, occupational experience, and English-language ability, it becomes clear that they cannot simply be swapped for one another like batteries. In fact, the presence of specialized immigrant workers in the labor force tends to increase the productivity, and therefore the wages, of their native-born counterparts.

The report makes clear, the plight of low-wage native-born workers can not be blamed on immigrants as some groups have attempted to do: "Declining job quality for the least-educated American workers is due to a host of factors aside from immigration, including declining unionization rates, the eroding real value of the minimum wage, and trade practices that expose U.S. workers with low levels of education to competition from much lower wage workers around the globe." In short, scapegoating immigrants for the nation's economic woes will do nothing to help American workers.

To read a blog post on the EPI report at ImmigrationImpact.org click here.

To read the EPI report in its entirety click here or visit www.EPI.org.

For more economic studies on immigration reform see:

An IPC/CAP study Raising the Floor for American Workers conducted by UCLA's Dr. Raul Hinojosa shows comprehensive immigration reform that includes a legalization plan for the unauthorized workers already in our economy would contribute a cumulative $1.5 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product over ten years, as more tax revenues are collected, wages increase for U.S.-born and legalized workers, and immigrant workers spend more in our economy.

The libertarian Cato Institute's report Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform also shows that "legalization of low-skilled immigrant workers would yield significant income gains for American workers and households."

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For more information contact Wendy Sefsaf at 202-507-7524 or wsefsaf@immcouncil.org

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Fear-Mongering and Falsehoods About Health Care Reform from Anti-immigrant Group

Immigration Impact: Anti-Immigrant Group Adds to Falsehoods About Health Care Reform

Washington D.C. - In a report released by the Center for Immigration Studies today, the anti-immigrant group jumps on the bandwagon of those attempting to derail substantive health care reform through fear-mongering and falsehoods. Their baseless claim that millions of unauthorized immigrants will receive government-subsidized health care on the government's dime has already been discredited by the President, the media, and the U.S. government's own researchers. These groups, however, persist in their efforts to hijack the debate in order to demonize immigrants.

In his Immigration Impact blog post today, IPC Senior Researcher Walter Ewing writes:

"These big, scary numbers {from CIS} are based on the false premise that there are simply no mechanisms in place to prevent unauthorized immigrants from receiving coverage under the bill. But, as a report released late last month by the Congressional Research Service points out, H.R. 3200 explicitly bars unauthorized immigrants from receiving federal subsidies for the purchase of health insurance. Moreover, as Saturday's New York Times reports, the health care bills currently circulating in Congress would increase insurance coverage among low-income workers primarily through the expansion of Medicaid-which already has proof-of-citizenship requirements in place."

Click here to read the rest of the post.

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RELEASE: IPC Lauds Obama Administration for Beginning Immigration Reform Discussion

This press release comes from the Immigration Policy Center. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research arm of the American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF).

IPC Lauds Obama Administration for Beginning Immigration Reform Discussion

President Obama to Meet with Congressional Leaders at the White House Tomorrow
June 24, 2009

Washington, DC - Tomorrow President Obama and Congressional leaders will meet to chart a roadmap designed to move comprehensive immigration reform forward in 2009. The President has already begun solving our nation's toughest problems and has promised to tackle our broken immigration system in his first year in office. Leaders in Congress are also committed to moving immigration reform this year and their efforts are buoyed by a groundswell of support from the majority of Americans who want immigration reform.

"Now more than ever Congress must take the necessary steps to unify families, provide legal channels for immigrant workers, and create a path towards citizenship for those in our country who are willing to pay taxes, learn English, and follow our laws," said Mary Giovagnoli, Director of the Immigration Policy Center. "An immigration system that promotes American values, encourages hard work, and fosters economic prosperity is what America urgently needs."

We now look to Congress to develop a comprehensive immigration reform package that includes the checks and balances necessary for a 21st century immigration system. This includes bringing people out of the shadows, strong border enforcement, legal channels for immigrant workers, and a robust naturalization and integration program.

For more information on the various elements of reform, the Immigration Policy Center has produced the following fact check:

Comprehensive Immigration Reform: A Primer

For press inquiries, contact Wendy Sefsaf at 202-507-7524 or wsefsaf@ailf.org

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Anti-immigration Group Gets Called Out for Fuzzy Math

Today, the Immigration Policy Center released a report taking to task the arguments from the anti-immigration group NumbersUSA, which they say "don't add up".

In their report, Fuzzy Math: The Anti-Immigration Arguments of NumbersUSA Don’t Add Up, IPC says NumbersUSA claims immigration to the U.S. "is all about arithmetic". They say the group believes "immigration increases the U.S. population, and more people presumably means more pollution, more urban sprawl, more competition for jobs, and higher taxes for Americans who must shoulder the costs of “over-population."

Looking at the data, IPC says the math doesn't mesh and points out that NumbersUSA's argument, "is fundamentally flawed and misses the point".

“Over-population” IPC says, is not the the cause of "environmental or economic woes facing the United States", and that "arbitrary restrictions on immigration" will not create a "cleaner environment" or "healthier economy".

Read the full report here.

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Report Shows Legalization of Undocumented Immigrants Would Benefit U.S. Economy

That is what a new report out from the Immigration Policy Center says.

According to their report titled, The Economics of Immigration Reform: What Legalizing Undocumented Immigrants Would Mean for the U.S. Economy, without Comprehensive Immigration Reform the United States cannot experience full economic recovery.

Research included in the report found that:

Legalization increases government revenues by bringing more workers into the tax system.

Workers with legal status earn and spend more.

“Enforcement-only” policies are expensive and ineffective.

Legalization increases immigration’s economic benefits.

Among other things, the report shows that legalization would increase tax revenue; whereas "enforcement only" policies have served to force undocumented labor underground causing a a decrease in revenue.

What about those that already pay taxes into the system? The report states that "between one-half and three-quarters of undocumented immigrants now work “on the books” and pay federal and state income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes", however are ineligible to receive the benefits they are paying for.

This is report is just another piece of evidence why Congress needs to be swift in passing Fair and Just Immigration Reform this year.

To read the full report, please link here, or visit the Immigration Policy Center at www.immigrationpolicy.org

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Leaders in Both Parties Agree Immigration Reform is a Must Pass Priority

From our allies at the Immigration Policy Center (IPC). Established in 2003, IPC is the policy arm of the American Immigration Law Foundation. IPC's mission is to shape a rational national conversation on immigration and immigrant integration.

Another Reason to Give Thanks:
Leaders in Both Parties Agree Immigration Reform is a Must Pass Priority

November 25, 2008

Washington, DC-In recent days, leaders from both sides of the aisle indicated that comprehensive immigration reform is a legislative priority for the 111th Congress. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reassured the public that Congress will "move forward" and pass immigration reform legislation. Meanwhile, the renowned Republican strategist Karl Rove included immigration reform as part of a roadmap for the future survival of the GOP. "Republicans must find a way to support secure borders, a guest-worker program and comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens citizenship, grows our economy and keeps America a welcoming nation," said Rove.

In fact, the lessons from this month's election are stark. An analysis by America's Voice of 21 "battleground" races for House and Senate seats found that pro-immigration-reform candidates beat enforcement-only "hardliners" in 19 of the races. "Americans voters have shown they prefer fair and practical solutions over anti-immigrant rhetoric that sidesteps the real problem," said Angela Kelley, Director of the Immigration Policy Center. Now leaders must show that they got the wake up call. Reid and Rove know that the American people are counting on Washington to offer answers that strengthen and sustain all of America's workers, families and communities, native born and newcomer alike. Immigration reform is a part of the solution for a stronger America, and one that policy-makers have to get done and get done right."

For more information and background on these comments and more, visit ImmigrationImpact.org.

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For more information contact:
Wendy Sefsaf, 202-631-0358 (cell), or email wsefsaf@ailf.org
Andrea Nill, 202-507-7520 (office), or email anill@ailf.org

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New Blog Challenges Anti-Immigrant Blogosphere

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) has announced that they have a new blog to help combat the anti-immigrant blogosphere.

According to a release sent out by IPC, "Immigration Impact (www.immigrationimpact.org) was developed to help reshape the immigration debate in a way that will bring us closer to comprehensive immigration reform".

"The misleading messages coming from an increasingly large number of anti-immigrant blogs demand an honest and informative response from their counterparts in the blogosphere," says IPC director and Immigration Impact contributor, Angela Kelley. "We're joining the blogosphere to tell the other side of the story and counter these attacks with arguments based in fact, research, and in-depth analysis."

IPC says their new blog will "provide thoughtful, rapid-response commentaries and insights on the latest news and events" so that readers can stay informed on what is happening with the immigration debate.

For more information and to join the discussion visit Immigration Impact at www.immigrationimpact.com.

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E-Verify Deeply Flawed, Will Hurt Lawful U.S. Workers

That is what Senior Policy Analyst Michele Waslin of the Immigration Policy Center of the American Immigration Law Foundation is saying in an article today. Waslin is responding to a new report about E-Verify from Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). She says the new report is “misleading” in stating that E-Verify is “99.5 percent accurate”.

Last Month, the Southern Poverty Law Center issued a report last showing CIS founder John Tanton and groups associated with it to be linked to openly racist organizations.

According to the Waslin, CIS has been trying to convince the public and Congress to “reauthorize and expand” the program so that it would be mandatory for all employers.

“This would mean that every single U.S. worker would have to get permission from the government to work - and the impact of a single error could be devastating.”

This, Waslin says, would “harm lawful U.S. workers”.

Waslin goes on to cite testimony from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that says it is misleading to make claims that E-Verify’s error rate is less than 1 percent.

“Richard Stana of the Government Accountability Office testified at a May 2008 Congressional hearing that it was "misleading" to claim that the E-Verify error rate is less than 1 percent. In fact, many of the tens of thousands of workers who receive final non-confirmations are actually work-authorized.”

The bottom line, the article says, “the accuracy rate of E-Verify is unacceptable - each error means that a U.S. citizen or legal U.S. worker could be denied employment and a paycheck because the government database contains an error” And that, “E-Verify is a problematic program that has harmful consequences for U.S. workers and employers.”

Resources:
Expanding Flawed E-Verify System Will Hurt Lawful Workers
The Tanton Files: FAIR Founder’s Racism Revealed

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