Legalization

New Report on the Benefits of Legalization Comes Up Short

Published on Sun, Apr 11, 2010

A new report released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) this week attempts to assess the economic benefits of a legalization program on immigrants and native born workers. The report, Immigrant Legalization: Assessing the Labor Market Effects, however, falls short on research and methodology. While the report accurately concludes that legalization would not have a negative impact on native workers’ wages and employment, the report takes a myopic approach to legalization’s impact on wages and mobility of the newly legalized. A wide range of economic studies—studies which consider legalization’s impact in both the long term and in context to comprehensive immigration reform—conclude that legalization does in fact benefit both native-born and immigrants alike.

Published in the New American Media

Arizona's Message to Immigrants: Take Your Billions and Run

Published on Thu, May 06, 2010

Many proponents of Arizona's harsh new immigration law cite rampant crime and violence at the border as the impetus behind the push to turn police into immigration agents and undocumented workers into criminals.

But immigrants are less likely than native-born residents to commit crimes, and presence in the US without papers is a civil, not a criminal offense. As the Immigration Policy Center points out, Arizona's crime rates have been steadily falling in recent years despite increased flows of undocumented immigration. It is unclear how directing police officers, under threat of lawsuit, to target these residents will make Arizona safer. In fact, law enforcement officials from across the country warn that SB 1070 may have the opposite effect, and compromise public safety by diverting scarce police resources away from targeting criminals, regardless of citizenship status.

Published in the Huffington Post

Should local police get involved in immigration enforcement?

Published on Sun, May 30, 2010

Some police departments argue federal immigration enforcement undermine their core missions, said Wendy Feliz Sefsaf of the American Immigration Council.

"It [Arizona's law] goes against all the goals of community policing," she said. "There's definitely law enforcement out there saying this kind of thing doesn't work."

In fact, last week police chiefs from Los Angeles, Tucson, Houston, Philadelphia and other cities, met with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and said laws like Arizona's would lead to increases in crime.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said Arizona's law "will likely hinder" federal efforts to detain and remove "dangerous criminal aliens." Calling for immigration reform on the national level, she said "this issue cannot be solved by a patchwork of inconsistent state laws."

Published in the Orlando Sentinel

What's the Cost of Educating Children of the Undocumented?

Published on Wed, Jul 07, 2010

The Immigration Policy Center, the research and policy arm of the Washington-based American Immigration Council, put out a statement saying the report was "highly misleading" because FAIR "completely discounts the economic contributions of unauthorized workers and consumers."

Published in the Education Week

Immigration & the Constitution

Published on Mon, Aug 09, 2010

WATCH IPC's Senior Policy Analyst, Michele Waslin, debates immigration hawk Tom Tancredo on CNN.

Published in the CNN

Judicial Review Provisions of The REAL ID Act

On May 11, 2005, the REAL ID Act was signed into law. This Act contains numerous provisions related to federal court review of immigration cases. This Practice Advisory discusses the provisions of the Act that pertain to judicial review of immigration decisions under the INA.

Published On: Tuesday, June 7, 2005 | Download File

Calling All 5th Graders

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Join the National Creative Writing Contest to Explore America as a Nation of Immigrants and Win Prizes!

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Birthright citizenship debate goes mainstream

Published on Sat, Sep 04, 2010

Michele Waslin, an analyst with the Immigration Policy Center, a research organization that focuses on the contributions that immigrants make, said denying citizenship to children would only create more problems.

"It would punish the innocent children of undocumented immigrants, and it flies in the face of traditional American values," Waslin said.

Published in the New County Times

Moncrieffe v. Holder: Implications for Drug Charges and Other Categorical Approach Issues

In Moncrieffe, the Supreme Court held that a state drug conviction is not an aggravated felony when the statute of conviction extends to the social sharing of a small amount of marijuana. This practice advisory discusses the holding of the case, the decision’s potential broader implications, strategies for noncitizen criminal defendants, and steps that lawyers should take immediately in pending or already concluded removal proceedings affected by Moncrieffe.

Published On: Thursday, May 2, 2013 | Download File

Immigrants & Community

Immigrants & Community teaches middle grade students through literacy-based activities about various types of community and about how immigrants contribute to the communities of which they are a part.

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