Legalization

Quick Fact: Immigrants make up the majority of computer science students

Two-thirds of electrical engineering and computer science graduate students at U.S. colleges are foreign nationals

Letter to the Editor: Where Arizona’s immigration law is flawed

Published on Sun, Apr 29, 2012

Despite the Supreme Court justices’ apparent skepticism [“Justices receptive to parts of Arizona’s immigration law,” front page, April 26], the immigration status checks required by Arizona’s law subvert federal enforcement priorities and procedures. Section 2(B) requires Arizona police to verify the immigration status of all individuals arrested. This will result in thousands of additional verification requests to the federal government every year, significantly delay response times and divert scarce enforcement resources away from high-priority targets.

Section 2(B) also requires that, in the event of a lawful stop or an investigative detention, police check immigration status only if they have “reasonable suspicion” an individual is unlawfully present. Given the cursory nature of such stops, the complexities of federal immigration law and minimal guidance from the state law, police — under threat of civil damages — will be forced to rely on impermissible criteria such as race to make these determinations.

Such an arbitrary and unjust process contradicts the comprehensive enforcement scheme embodied in federal immigration law.

Melissa Crow, North Potomac

Published in the The Washington Post

Practice Advisories by Topic

LAC Practice Advisories provide in depth discussion and analysis of select substantive and procedural issues in immigration law. The Practice Advisories are intended to assist lawyers and do not substitute for individual legal advice supplied by a lawyer familiar with a client's case. View advisories by date.

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO)

Failure to Appeal to the AAO: Does it Bar all Federal Court Review of the Case? (July 22, 2004). This Practice Advisory discusses whether and how a person can get review of a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services decision in federal court if he or she did not appeal the decision to the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO). The advisory addresses the Supreme Court case Darby v. Cisneros, holding that a plaintiff is not required to exhaust non-mandatory administrative remedies in certain situations, and how it may apply to cases involving appeals to the AAO.Read more...

DHS Unveils Guidance for Deferred Action for Qualfied Young Illegal Aliens

Published on Mon, Aug 06, 2012

Homeland Security Today cited the IPC's study, "Who And Where the DREAMers Are," in an in-depth article describing the new criteria surrounding Obama's deferred action plan:

Read more...

Published in the Homeland Security Today

Fundamental Principles of J Sponsorship

We are frequently asked by interested members of the immigration law community what are the basic principles which we use for strategic planning in the development of the International Exchange Center.

Here are the ten principles that guide our planning and decision making:

Our primary role is to intercede on behalf of the J participants to ensure their safety and well-being.
The J-2 dependent is as much our program participant as the J-1 trainee or intern.
The J exchange must be mutually beneficial to both the J participant and the American host organization.
The J exchange must foster the exchange of ideas between the international visitor and the American community.
The exchange is not complete until the exchange visitor returns home and shares the experience in the United States with friends, family, and colleagues.
The exchange should foster a deeper understanding of American cultural values for all involved.
As a Designated Sponsor of J exchange, we have an obligation to the U.S. Department of State to know where our J-1 participants are and that they are receiving the training outlined in the approved training plan.
We have an obligation to the U.S. Department of State that our J participants will have experiences that will improve the image and influence of the United States abroad.
We believe that short-term exchange is a powerful tool to demonstrate the value of ideas from around the world to American companies and communities.
We have a responsibility to educate the American immigration law and business communities as to the value and proper use of the J visa.

These ten principles inform all of our program development, communications, and placement decisions. They constitute our recipe for successful intercultural exchange.Read more...

The IPC Cited in the Guardian

Published on Wed, Apr 17, 2013

The IPC was cited in an article discussing Florida Senator Marco Rubio's attempts to promote the new Senate "Group of Eight" immigration bill. Here's an except:

"'Right now nobody benefits from the status quo,' Rubio told Univision's Jorge Ramos in an interview in Spanish. 'The only people who benefit right now are the criminals abusing the people who cross [the border] and the employers who abuse their workers by paying their workers less.'

Rubio is right but he has to make a stronger case. He should explain that immigrants are not a drain but a net benefit for the United States, if there is a pathway to green cards and citizenship for the 11 million undocumented living in the United States.

What Rubio didn't detail is how the undocumented contribute to the economy by paying taxes. If they are given legal residency and citizenship, they will be able to contribute more over time. According to the Immigration Policy Center, households headed by undocumented immigrants paid a combined $11.2bn in state and local taxes in 2010."

Published in the Guardian

Ali B. Cambel

Ali B. Cambel was born in Merano, Italy, in 1923 of Turkish parents who were in the diplomatic corps. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen, a member of the Religious Society of Friends, and is a widower.

Mr. Cambel received his early education through home tutoring. He gained admission to Robert Academy, an American prep school and then to Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey where he received his first degree with honors in the humanities and sciences at age nineteen. He pursued graduate work in chemical engineering at the University of Istanbul, naval architecture at M.I.T., and mechanical engineering at CalTech. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics from the University of Iowa. He is also a licensed professional engineer.Read more...

IPC Senior Fellow Rob Paral Published in Houston Chronicle

Published on Wed, Sep 11, 2013

Rob Paral, a Senior Fellow at the Immigration Policy Center and the author of our recently published Special Report, "Stepping Up: The Impact of the Newest Immigrant, Asian, and Latino Voters," made the case in the Houston Chronicle that the long-term demographic shift in many Republican and Democratic districts makes immigration reform even more of an urgent priority:

"A new analysis of immigration trends and demographic composition of U.S. House districts shows that many Republican congressional districts have emerging electorates that care deeply about immigration reform.

"Many Republican representatives will see their constituency profiles evolve in the coming years. Asian and Latino youth and newly naturalized U.S. citizens will make up 34 percent of newly eligible voters in 55 Republican-held congressional districts."

Published in the Houston Chronicle

Hannah Lewis

Hannah Lewis specializes in community development strategies around engaging new immigrants with farming backgrounds in local food systems. She was a program coordinator with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development at Iowa State University while conducting research for this paper and now works in Des Moines, Iowa, for a national non‐profit working in sustainable agriculture and rural communities.

After the Raid is Over: Marshalltown Iowa and the Consequences of Worksite Enforcement Raids (IPC Special Report, January 2011)

The Detroit News Editorial Highlights IPC Data on Immigrants in Michigan

Published on Sat, Apr 12, 2014

An editorial by The Detroit News recently highlighted an IPC report on immigrant entrepreneurship in Michigan from a report titled "Michigan: Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Innovation, and Welcoming Initiatives". The editorial stated:

"Between 1996 and 2007, foreign-born Michiganians were three times as likely as nonimmigrants to start a new business, according to the Immigration Policy Center. And they’re six times as likely to start a high-tech firm."

Published in the The Detroit News