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American Immigration Council

The Bay State's New Senator Gains Diverse Constituents

Released on Wed, Jan 20, 2010

Massachusetts Senator-Elect Scott Brown will shortly step into the Senate seat held for nearly half a century by one of the most loyal champions of immigrants to ever sit in Congress. Because of that history, Bay Staters have come to expect that their Senators will understand the important contributions of immigrants to the growth and well-being of their state.  Regardless of politics or ideology, as the new Senator gets down to the business of representing his entire state, understanding the significant role of immigrants will become essential. 

Of all the New England states, Senator Brown's immigrant and new American constituents are  perhaps the most diverse and numerous, continuing the tradition of generations of immigrants who helped build Massachusetts. The Immigration Policy Center has compiled research that shows immigrants, Latinos, and Asians are a political and economic powerhouse in Massachusetts, contributing billions to the state economy, and are part of the very economic engine that keeps the Bay State running strong.

IPC research finds: Read more...

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Immigration reform's economic impact is debated

Published on Tue, Jan 12, 2010

As the U.S. unemployment rate hovers at around 10 percent, a key question is emerging in the unfolding immigration reform debate: whether legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants will further erode the economy or speed its recovery. The answer is hard to pin down because of clashing conclusions in recently issued reports.

Published in the Miami Herald

Study: Immigration Reform Would Boost US Economy

Published on Fri, Jan 08, 2010

If the United States were to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants currently living in the country, it could boost its gross domestic product by $1.5 trillion in just 10 years, a new study claims.Conducted by a U.C.L.A. economist and released by the Immigration Policy Center and the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan research institute based in Washington, the study argues that if comprehensive immigration reform were passed it would result in higher wages, which would lead to a rise in consumption that, in turn, would create more jobs and generate more tax revenue.

Published in the Sphere

Legalize 'Em

Published on Thu, Jan 07, 2010

The Center for American Progress and the Immigration Policy Center released a report today quantifying the potential economic benefits of comprehensive immigration reform. Legalize unauthorized workers, the study concludes, and the American GDP would grow by an additional $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years (kick them all out — never mind the cost of deportation — and we'd lose $2.6 trillion in the process).

Published in the Miller-McCune

Legalization would bring economic benefits

Published on Fri, Jan 08, 2010

Based on the experience of immigration reform in 1986, a change in the law to legalize the undocumented would bring great benefits to the U.S. economy, adding to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) around 1.5 trillion dollars over the next 10 years.

Published in the La Opinión

Benjamin Johnson Discusses the Economic Benefits of CIR

Published on Fri, Jan 08, 2010

No one ever said legislating "change" would be easy. With Congress mired in health care, cap and trade and more, why not take on another issue that has vexed it for years? Take immigration. Ben Johnson of the American Immigration Council says the stars have aligned for reform.

Published in the NPR

Immigrant legalization viewed as a boon

Published on Fri, Jan 08, 2010

Legalizing the status of the roughly 12 million unauthorized immigrants living in this country would create jobs, increase wages and boost the sagging U.S. economy, an academic study released Thursday says.

Published in the San Antonio Express

Legalization would boost U.S. economy, study says

Published on Fri, Jan 08, 2010

Legalizing the status of the roughly 12 million undocumented immigrants living in America would create jobs, increase wages and boost the sagging U.S. economy, according to a study released Thursday. The study by UCLA associate professor Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda found that citizenship and flexible limits on legal immigration would serve future labor demands and boost wages for native-born workers.

Published in the San Francisco Chronicle

UCLA study says legalizing undocumented immigrants would help the economy

Published on Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Even during the ongoing recession, immigration reform legislation that legalizes undocumented immigrants would boost the American economy, according to a new study out of UCLA. The report said that legalization, along with a program that allows for future immigration based on the labor market, would create jobs, increase wages and generate more tax revenue. Comprehensive immigration reform would add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years, according to the report.

Published in the L.A. Times

Immigration and the Economy

Published on Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Panelists talked about a report on the effects of allowing illegal immigrants to gain legal status in the U.S. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda summarized the contents of the report, Heather Boushey and Daniel Griswold debated its findings, and Benjamin Johnson made closing remarks. Topics included the impact of previous legalizations on the U.S. economy. Following their remarks, the panelists responded to questions from members of the audience.

Published in the C-SPAN

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