Immigration Policy Center

Published on Mon, Aug 30, 2010

As Mary Giovagnoli writes on the Immigration Policy Institute's Immigration Impact blog, 17,000 out of the close to 400,000 people deported in 2009, is not exactly a significant number. Still, I want to argue that these types of small tweaks to the immigration system are crucial to obtaining larger reforms down the road.

Published in the The Huffington Post

Published on Mon, Aug 30, 2010

The best bet for reforming the immigration system this year lies with smaller bills, and immigrants rights groups have attempted to push for these measures instead. If this happens, the future of comprehensive immigration reform is still unclear, according to Mary Giovagnoli, director of Immigration Policy Center.

“We don’t have a good measure anymore of what will happen once we get something discreet like the DREAM Act passed,” she says. “But when the sky doesn’t fall in and if people still get re-elected after supporting DREAM, it may show members of Congress that leaning into the immigration issue and voting for comprehensive immigration reform could help them politically.”

Published in the The Washington Independent

Published on Sat, Aug 21, 2010

Texas Solicitor General James Ho wrote an analysis for the Immigration Policy Center (posted on immigrationpolicy.org) looking at the Senate debate when the amendment was passed, as well as applicable Supreme Court rulings, and concluded that "birthright is protected no less for children of undocumented persons than for descendants of Mayflower passengers."

Published in the Texas Star Telegram

Published on Thu, Aug 19, 2010

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Richard Rocha said immigrants who are counted as criminals have been convicted of crimes or have a record of a conviction for a crime. But immigration advocates are skeptical of the definition because ICE enforcement includes detaining people before they've been convicted, its definition of crimes includes misdemeanors and minor traffic offenses and its definition of a criminal immigrant has been inconsistent, said Michele Waslin, a senior policy analyst at the Immigration Policy Center.

Published in the Associated Press

Published on Wed, Aug 25, 2010

Because ICE officials already said the memo should not be official policy and denied plans for mass amnesty, it’s unclear what the groups hope to accomplish. If anything, immigrants’ rights groups argue the Obama administration has been too harsh on illegal immigration. Mary Giovagnoli of the Immigration Policy Center, argued in June the issue is a “right-wing conspiracy theory” and that no amnesty plans have been pushed by the administration or Congress.

Published in the The Washington Independent

Published on Thu, Aug 19, 2010

Robin Templeton of GritTv and Seth Hoy of AlterNet jumped on the issue this week. Both argue that, in far too many cases, the citizenship of an immigrant's children has little bearing on whether or not she stays in the country, let alone become a U.S. citizen.

Published in the The Huffington Post

Published on Fri, Aug 20, 2010

"We question how (ICE is) setting their priorities," said Michelle Waslin, senior policy analyst at the Washington-based Immigration Policy Center, which is against Secure Communities. "Are they truly focusing on the most dangerous criminals, or are they also picking up people who have not been convicted of any or a relatively minor crime?"

Published in the Durango Herald

Published on Thu, Aug 12, 2010

Because some of these children have one parent who is a legal resident, the Pew study doesn’t bolster the argument to change the 14th amendment, said the Immigration Policy Center, a Washington-based organization that opposes Graham’s initiative.

Published in the Bloomberg

Published on Sat, Aug 14, 2010

“The rhetoric surrounding the proposed repeal of birthright citizenship is divisive and runs counter to American values,” said a statement last week from the Immigration Policy Center.

Published in the Kansas City Star

Published on Fri, Aug 13, 2010

The non-partisan Immigration Policy Center rejects Graham’s views on birthright citizenship. “We are talking about changing the U.S. Constitution, the 14th Amendment, the cornerstone of civil rights,” said senior policy analyst Michele Waslin. “Repealing birthright citizenship would affect every American and every child born in the U.S.”

Published in the Immigrant Magazine