Legalization

Department of Homeland Security

The Yearbook of Immigration Statistics is a compendium of tables that provides data on foreign nationals who, during a fiscal year, were granted lawful permanent residence (i.e., admitted as immigrants or became legal permanent residents), were admitted into the United States on a temporary basis (e.g., tourists, students, or workers), applied for asylum or refugee status, or were naturalized. The Yearbook also presents data on immigration law enforcement actions, including alien apprehensions, removals, and prosecutions.

View Link

U.S. state lawmakers target ‘birthright’ citizenship

Published on Tue, Jan 11, 2011

“This is clearly an attack on the Fourteenth Amendment,” said senior policy analyst Michele Waslin at the Immigration Policy Center, adding it “is clearly against the fundamental ideas that America is based on and it’s very mean-spirited.”

Published in the Reuters

Litigation Clearinghouse Newsletter Vol. 4, No. 4

This issue covers a class action brought by religious workers seeking to file visa petitions and adjustment of status applications concurrently, circuit court decisions addressing IJ denials of continuances, updated AILF Litigation Issue Pages, a Favorable Fifth Circuit decision on the FTCA, and a new Eighth Circuit resource for litigators.

Published On: Thursday, March 26, 2009 | Download File

2008 Annual Benefit: American Heritage Awards

Read more...

US immigrant integration policies ranks high in a study

Published on Tue, Mar 08, 2011

According to a new study, US ranks ninth position among 32 countries in terms of immigrant integration policies.

The Immigration Policy Center, the British Council and the Migration Policy Group worked together to release the study called The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX). All 27 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, Canada, and the USA are included in this study. The MIPEX reviews and ranks integration policies for legal immigrants across these countries.

The MIPEX uses 148 policy indicators which are divided into seven categories to compare and rank countries. Seven categories are employment opportunities, family reunion, education, political participation, long-term residence, access to citizenship and anti-discrimination.

The US has been included in the study for the first time. The result shows that it ranks ninth in terms of integration policies, and first in terms of its strong anti-discrimination laws and protections. It also has a high position against other countries about the access to citizenship scale as it encourages newcomers to become citizens in order to fully participate in American public life.

In comparison with other countries, legal immigrants in the U.S. enjoy employment opportunities, educational opportunities, and the opportunity to reunite with close family members the most.

The MIPEX indicates that many US states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington, as well as major cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco are leading on immigrant integration through their offices dedicated to welcoming newcomers.

"We have much to learn from other countries as well, but perhaps the greatest lesson that comes from MIPEX is that the very things that distinguish the United States are worth preserving as we move forward into the next decade of the 21st century," said Mary Giovagnoli, Director of the Immigration Policy Center.Read more...

Published in the USA Immigration News

Litigation Clearinghouse Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 21

This issue covers Supreme Court developments, a class action to restore SSI benefits to immigrants, suits challenging anti-immigrant ordinances, and federal court jurisdiction to review an L-1A extension denial.

Published On: Thursday, December 7, 2006 | Download File

19th Annual Washington, D.C. Immigrant Achievement Awards

Read more...

Tens of Thousands March for Workers’ Rights, Immigration Reform

Published on Mon, May 02, 2011

Across the country, tens of thousands marched and rallied May 1, May Day, to call for national immigration reform and to support all workers’ rights. Just as we did on April 4, working people declared: “Somos Unos—Respeten Nuestros Derechos” or “We Are One—Respect Our Rights.”

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told a crowd of about 100,000 in Milwaukee that “May Day is our day to stand together shoulder to shoulder for immigrant and worker rights.”

Gov. Scott Walker…has declared war on Wisconsin workers and, like you did before, you joined in a peaceful protest to say “No! No!” We reject the idea that America can no longer be a great nation and that we’re too broke to treat people fairly. We reject the notion that America can’t be the land of shared prosperity.

The crowd marched 2.5 miles across Milwaukee chanting, “this is what democracy looks like,” “sí, se peude,” “Walker eschuca estamos en la lucha” and “Wisconsin no es Arizona.”

Read Trumka’s entire speech here and click here to read more about the Milwaukee march.

On the other side of the country, nearly 10,000 people in Los Angeles rallied for good jobs that include a path to citizenship for 12 million undocumented immigrants.

According to a recent report by the Center for American Progress and the Immigration Policy Center, if federal immigration reform included a path to legalization, California would add 633,000 jobs and increase tax revenue by $5.3 billion.

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler spoke at a mass rally in Chicago and Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker spoke at a rally in New York City.

Cory McCray, president of the Young Trade Unionists in Baltimore, spoke to Young Democrats from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Pennsylvania about the importance of collective bargaining. Check out a video of some of the discussion here.

Here are some other major May Day events:Read more...

Published in the AFL-CIO Blog