Immigration Policy Center

Published on Mon, Jul 26, 2010

"I think that [Arizona's law] has created an imperative for the federal government," to push for the overhaul, said Wendy Sefsaf, communications director at the Immigration Policy Center.

With more than 20 states considering legislation similar to Arizona's law, it would not be in the federal government's interests to challenge each one individually, she said.

Published in the International Business Times

Published on Wed, Jul 28, 2010

"Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens," said Ben Johnson, executive director of the American Immigration Council.

Johnson said the share of immigrants in federal prisons may seem alarming but that only 8 percent of all U.S. prisoners are in such facilities. Most are in state and local prisons, where incarceration rates for immigrants are lower than average.

He also pointed out that many immigrants in the federal system may simply be there because they lack legal immigration status -- not for having committed flagrant criminal offenses.

"No community is immune from the ravages of drugs and sexual violence. But the overwhelming majority of those crimes are not done by immigrants," Johnson said. "We don't ask criminals about their political affiliation or their religion. So why should we focus on their immigration status?"

Published in the ABC News

Published on Wed, Jul 21, 2010

Mary Giovagnoli, director of the Immigration Policy Center, said that bipartisan support for the bill has been much harder to achieve this year. In addition to pressure leading up to the midterm elections, she said, "there seems to have really been a sense that one of the most effective ways to undermine the Obama administration was just to be pretty negative or to block pretty much anything that was seen as an administration priority -- and immigration falls into that category. In some ways, I think the fight for the soul of the Republican party is being fought out on immigration issues."

But if Congress cannot muster the force for comprehensive immigration reform, Giovagnoli thinks the DREAM Act could have a good shot at passing on its own. In addition to Lugar, she identified "easily ten" Republican senators whom she believes could be convinced to support the bill.

Published in the Atlantic

Published on Tue, Jul 27, 2010

The procedures followed by individual police agencies are not dictated by the board or the governor, however, and as a new study by the Immigration Policy Center shows there will be a wide variety of enforcement policies within Arizona, even with the law’s heavy-handed language about officers being required to do one thing or another and citizens being able to sue those they don’t believe to be enforcing the law.

Published in the Arizona Republic

Published on Wed, Jul 28, 2010

Now, unless a federal judge decides otherwise, law enforcement officers will be required starting Thursday to check the status of anyone they have “reasonable suspicion” to be in the United States illegally.

In a report released this month by the Immigration Policy Center in Washington, D.C., an Arizona attorney voiced concerns about how the law could be interpreted and carried out throughout the state.

Published in the East Valley Tribune

Published on Tue, Jul 27, 2010

You don't have to be an evangelical Christian to realize that immigration reform is in the U.S.'s self-interest. According to a report earlier this year from the Campaign for American Progress and the American Immigration Council, an amnesty program affecting the more than 11 million undocumented people in the United States would add $1.5 trillion to the GDP over a decade. That's a lot more folks generating government revenue and keeping U.S. businesses afloat.

Published in the Huffington Post

Published on Thu, Jul 22, 2010

A rough estimate on the number of illegal immigrants residing in the nation as well as New Jersey places the numbers at a minimum of 500,000 in the state, and about 12 million nationwide. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC), the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council, released a study last year that found illegal immigrants made up 9.2 percent of the state's workforce.

Published in the New Jersey Newsroom

Published on Wed, Jul 21, 2010

Wendy Sefsaf, communications director for the Immigration Policy Center (IPC), said the FAIR report only examines one side of the issue.

“What they never do is contrast it with contributions,” Sefsaf said of the FAIR analysis. “They always look at fiscal costs and we try to bring in benefits to balance it out.”

A fact sheet released by the IPC, a non-partisan research and policy center also headquartered in Washington, D.C. says illegal immigrants provide millions of dollars in productivity for the Montana economy.

“If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Montana, the state would lose $96.3 million in economic activity, $42.8 million in gross state product, and approximately 720 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group,” the fact sheet states.

Published in the Big Sky Business Journal

Published on Fri, Jul 16, 2010

The increase in state laws parallels the changing settlement patterns of illegal immigrants. Between 1990 and 2008, illegal immigration slowed significantly in California but grew in Georgia, North Carolina and other states, according to a 2009 Pew Hispanic Center report.

"These are not your typical immigrant-receiving states, so they are not accustomed to having large immigrant populations," said Michele Waslin, senior analyst at the Immigration Policy Center. "They are struggling with how to deal with new populations."

Published in the Los Angeles Times

Published on Sat, Jul 10, 2010

Deal's number came from a recent Federation for American Immigration Reform report that actually puts the cost at $1.6 billion, he said. The Immigration Policy Center, though, cast doubt on the FAIR report, saying it included the cost of educating children who courts have ruled must be allowed to attend school. It also does not take into account the wages illegal immigrants spend and the taxes they pay, IPC said.

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald