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Just the Facts

Immigration Fact Checks provide up-to-date information on the most current issues involving immigration today.

The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities

There are an estimated 1.9 million undocumented children and young adults in the United States who might be eligible for legal status under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM) Act.  For many of these young people, the United States is the only home they know and English is their first language.  Each year, tens of thousands of them graduate from primary or secondary school, often at the top of their classes.  They have the potential to be future doctors, nurses, teachers, and entrepreneurs, but they experience unique hurdles to achieving success in this country.  Through no fault of their own, their lack of status may prevent them from attending college or working legally.  The DREAM Act would provide an opportunity for them to live up to their full potential and make greater contributions to the U.S. economy and society. Read more...

Published On: Thu, Nov 18, 2010 | Download File

Secure Communities: A Fact Sheet

Updated 11/04/10 - While the implementation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the state/local partnership agreements known as the 287(g) program has been a source of great controversy, it is far from the only tool ICE uses to engage state and local law enforcement in immigration control.  Most notably, the Secure Communities Program, which launched in March 2008, has been held out as a simplified model for state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. This fact sheet lays out the basics of Secure Communities program, how it works, key areas of concern and recommendations on how to improve the program. Read more...

Published On: Thu, Nov 04, 2010 | Download File

How the United States Immigration System Works: A Fact Sheet

U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much confusion as to how it works.  The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the body of law governing current immigration policy, provides for an annual worldwide limit of 675,000 permanent immigrants, with certain exceptions for close family members.  Congress and the President determine a separate number for refugee admissions.  Historically, immigration to the United States has been based upon three principles: the reunification of families, admitting immigrants with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy, and protecting refugees.  This fact sheet provides basic information about how the U.S. legal immigration system is designed. Read more...

Published On: Thu, Nov 04, 2010 | Download File

Refugees: A Fact Sheet

What is a refugee?

A refugee, as defined by Section 101(a)42 of the Immigration and Nationality Act(INA) (based on  the  United Nations 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocols  relating to the Status of Refugees) is a person who is  unable or unwilling  to return to the home country because of a “well-founded fear of persecution” due to race, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin. Read more...

Published On: Thu, Oct 21, 2010 | Download File

Chicken Little in the Voting Booth: The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen “Voter Fraud”

Election experts tend to agree that modern-day voter fraud is a very rare occurrence in the United States, primarily because it is so irrational.  The potential payoff (a vote) is not worth the risk of jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, and—in the case of non-citizens—possibly deportation.  The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law succinctly summarizes this point in a 2006 fact sheet: “Each act of voter fraud risks five years in prison and a $10,000 fine—but yields at most one incremental vote.  The single vote is simply not worth the price.  Because voter fraud is essentially irrational, it is not surprising that no credible evidence suggests a voter fraud epidemic.”  As an October 18, 2010, story in the National Journal points out, “a five-year investigation by the Bush Justice Department…turned up virtually no evidence of widespread voter fraud.”  Nevertheless, anti-immigrant activists are fond of pretending that fraudulent voting by non-citizens is a national epidemic. Read more...

Published On: Tue, Oct 19, 2010 | Download File

The Economic and Political Impact of Immigration State by State: A Map

Click on any state to see the political and economic power of immigrants, Latinos, and Asians

Read more...

Published On: Fri, Oct 15, 2010 | Download File

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010: A Summary

This following summary highlights key provisions of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of  2010 introduced by Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Leahy (D-VT):

 Title I │Title II │Title III │Title IV │Title V│Title VI

Title I. Border Enforcement ▲

Effective Date Triggers - The full legalization provisions may not take place until the DHS Secretary certifies the following:Read more...

Published On: Thu, Sep 30, 2010 | Download File

The DREAM Act: 2010 (A Resource Page)

The plight of the DREAM Act students encapsulates many facets of today's immigration crisis. Caught in a system where there is little, if any, means for legalizing their status, smart, hard-working kids face an uncertain future because of their inability to continue their education, work, or join the military. The loss of potential, productivity, and hope for these individuals is also a loss for this country. The United States is missing out on talented workers and entrepreneurs, and is losing vital tax revenues and other economic contributions. While fixing this particular problem will hardly resolve the need for comprehensive immigration reform, it will unlock the door to the American dream for thousands of young people each year.Read more...

Published On: Thu, Sep 16, 2010 | Download File

Explaining the Recent Decline in Unauthorized Migration

Immigration Enforcement in a Time of Recession

Recent estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center indicate that the number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States has declined by roughly one million since 2007—bringing the total size of the unauthorized population to approximately 11.1 million.  Coming after the release of similar estimates by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in January, these figures have provoked considerable speculation as to how much of the decline is attributable to the current recession, and how much is the result of heightened immigration enforcement.  DHS, for instance, was quick to take credit for the drop, citing the money and manpower that have been poured into immigration enforcement by the Obama administration.  However, immigration researchers were just as quick to point out that unauthorized immigration has always responded to the state of the U.S. economy, and that the downward trend captured by both Pew and DHS matches up closely with the beginning of the recession in December 2007. Read more...

Published On: Thu, Sep 09, 2010 | Download File

Separating Fact from Fiction: The Truth about Kidnapping in Arizona

An oft-repeated claim in the debate over Arizona’s harsh anti-immigrant law, SB 1070, is that tough immigration-enforcement measures are needed to prevent violent crime from engulfing the state.  In particular, supporters of SB 1070 often cite kidnappings in the state’s capital, Phoenix, as a reason to crack down on unauthorized immigrants.  Arizona politicians such as U.S. Senator John McCain and State Senator Russell Pearce, for instance, have justified their calls for more immigration enforcement by claiming that Phoenix is the “the number two kidnapping capital of the world” after Mexico City.  Not only is this claim false, but it ignores two inconvenient facts.  First of all, the victims of most kidnappings in Phoenix are unauthorized immigrants.  Second, crime rates in Arizona have been falling for years.  Cracking down on the unauthorized immigrants upon whom so many kidnappers prey is a classic case of blaming the victim.  Moreover, this blame-the-victim posture diverts attention from the fact that the broken U.S. immigration system has created a lucrative market for kidnappers.

The claim that Phoenix is “the number two kidnapping capital of the world” is untrue.Read more...

Published On: Thu, Aug 26, 2010 | Download File