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'Not a Positive Signal': The Economic Impact of Arizona's New Immigration Law

Published on Thu, May 06, 2010

Arizona's controversial new immigration law reflects a sharp political response to long-simmering conflict over immigration policy in a nation that takes pride in its history as a society built with the help of people from many lands.

Wharton faculty say the timing of the legislation is in part a reaction to stress brought on by the economic downturn, even as declining demand for labor has slowed immigration into the United States. While the statute has drawn widespread attention, faculty contend that it is unlikely to spur major change in broader immigration policy, at least in the near term. "It seems odd to me that this issue came up in Arizona now, given that the economy is so flat," says Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli, who suggests that Arizona politicians are looking for a "scapegoat" by "saying there are no jobs because of illegal workers. It's easy to blame immigrants."

Published in the UPenn's Wharton School

Kavitha Sreeharsha, Esq.

Kavitha Sreeharsha is a Senior Staff Attorney at Legal Momentum’s Immigrant Women Program. Her work focuses on immigration policy advocacy and technical assistance relating to immigrant women issues. Her advocacy includes co‐chairing the Freedom Network (USA), the only human‐rights based anti‐trafficking coalition in the United States. Kavitha received her J.D. from U.C. Hastings and her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. She is a recipient of several awards including the 2004 Unity Award from the Coalition of Minority Bar Associations and the 2007 Tanya Nieman Award from Partners Ending Domestic Abuse in San Francisco. Kavitha is based in Washington, D.C.

Congress on Border: Big Bill vs. Bits

Published on Mon, Jun 07, 2010

Should they wait for the comprehensive package, gambling that some heretofore elusive breakthrough will land on their plates? Or should they slice off what they can, when they can?

"That's the question everyone is asking right now," said Wendy Sefsaf, a spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based Immigration Policy Center, which advocates a comprehensive approach.

Published in the Arizona Daily Star

Immigrants Impact on Idaho Economy

Published on Thu, Jul 29, 2010

BOISE, Idaho -- A new study shows how immigrants, both legal and illegal, effect Idaho's economy.

Numbers from the Immigration Policy Center show immigrants made up 7.2 percent of Idaho's workforce in 2008. Of that, 3.1 percent were illegal immigrants.

The study also says that if all undocumented immigrants were removed from the state, Idaho would lose nearly $430 million in economic activity. "These immigrants are an integral part of our economy, they're an integral part of our communities and if they were to leave, there would be huge economic repercussions. So if the Federal Government acts, people will be able to come out of the shadows and legalize and pay their fair share on the economy," said Tyler Moran of the National Immigration Law Center.

The study also showed the purchasing power of immigrants in Idaho. Latinos purchasing power totaled 2.5 billion dollars. That a more than 500 percent increase from 1990.

WATCH:

Published in the Fox News

American Immigration Council v. DHS and USCIS

Entire Document Production, August 13, 2012

Key documents:

Pages 2-4: Seating policy- Email directives from 2010 and 2011 regarding policy of allowing attorneys to sit next to their clients and concern that some field offices are not incompliance.

Pages 67-74: Representation overseas- Email correspondence regarding representation of refugees overseas (note that USCIS did not release the “old counsel opinion” referenced in an email).

Pages 117-118, Pages 1670-1671: Directive to review AIC and AILA’s proposed revisions to the AFM

Pages 967-968: Stalled review of the AFM: email correspondence indicating there is “a lot of interest” in amending the counsel provisions of the AFM and an explanation that the amendment process was stalled in 2007.

Page 1355: “Just trying to get this right – esp. given I-797 fiasco”- A redacted 2011 email (probably regarding amendments to the AFM) with the title “Just trying to get this right – esp. given I-797 fiasco.”Read more...

2010 American Heritage Awards

2010 American Heritage Awards to Honor Outstanding Immigrant Women

 Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center

National Harbor, MD

Friday, July 2, 2010

Read More...

Hatch’s new immigration bill: Focus on enforcement

Published on Fri, Oct 01, 2010

Ben Johnson, the executive director of the Washington-based American Immigration Council, says Hatch’s bill is simply more of the same rhetoric that’s been tossed around for a while and does nothing to move the debate forward.

“The reality is that there too many politicians, and I think, unfortunately, Senator Hatch is beginning to fall into that category, introducing legislation not in any effort to actually get it passed but to send messages to their constituents,” Johnson said.

Johnson added some parts of Hatch’s legislation are already addressed in existing law.

“Declaring that we should deny visas to gang members and members of organized crime is like outlawing dinosaurs in Utah,” Johnson

Published in the Salt Lake Tribune

Latino and Asian Clout in the Voting Booth

Released on Wed, Aug 12, 2009

Immediately after the Presidential election of 2008, it was quickly apparent through exit polling that Latino, Asian, and African-American voting had expanded dramatically compared to the 2004 election. Census Bureau data released late last month confirms the tremendous growth in voting among these groups. Today, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) releases a fact check, Latino and Asian Clout in the Voting Booth, which shows how much the electoral power of racial and ethnic minorities increased in just four years.

View Release

Next CFO Atwater commits to support immigration verification program E-Verify

Published on Mon, Nov 08, 2010

The benefits of E-Verify are not clear cut. According to the Immigration Policy Center,

Expanding mandatory E-Verify as part of the stimulus package would threaten the jobs of thousands of U.S. citizens, decrease productivity, saddle U.S. businesses with additional costs, and hinder the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) ability to provide benefits to needy and deserving Americans – all at a time when we need to stimulate our economy. The fact is: expanding E-Verify now would decelerate the Stimulus Package and slow America’s economic recovery.

Published in the Florida Independent