Immigration under New Labour
By Will Somerville
Book published by The Policy Press, September 2007

This book chronicles the transformation of Britain from a country of “uncertain backward-looking” immigration policies to a “veritable hotbed of policy innovation.” Will Somerville explores both how Britain has developed new economic migration policies, making it a top global competitor for skilled migrants and foreign students, and how a more restrictive approach to asylum seekers has been adopted. He also describes the new integration tools and security measures, central to the new immigration policy, and how institutional changes, including the establishment of a new Border and Immigration Agency, have helped deliver policies.
Press Release | Preface

Social Security “No Match” Letters: A Primer
MPI Backgrounder No. 5, October 2007

A US District Court Judge has ruled that a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulation regarding Social Security Administration (SSA) “no match” letters cannot be implemented.  DHS wanted SSA to include guidance on new procedures for employers who receive “no match” letters because they have submitted worker records that do not match the SSA database. The DHS guidance letters would have detailed new actions for employers to take that demonstrate they had complied with requirements to hire only persons authorized to work in the United States. This MPI Backgrounder shows that there is a strong correlation between the states that receive the most no-match letters and those that have the largest numbers of unauthorized immigrants.  Based on 2006 information, the DHS procedures would have affected more than 1.5 million workers, with approximately 1 million concentrated in ten states.
Backgrounder | Press Release

Integrating Islam: A New Chapter in “Church-State” Relations
By Jonathan Laurence, Boston College
Report of the Transatlantic Task Force on Immigration and Integration, October 2007

With at least 15 million Muslims now residing in Europe, Islam is Europe’s second largest religion. A new report provides a roadmap for how European governments can best engage Muslim communities on issues related to religious practice and integration. The primary challenges for European governments are to safeguard religious freedoms and to ensure a voice for Muslim populations, while combating extremism and adapting European societies to diverse religious communities. Drawing on examples from throughout the European Union, the report provides a framework for establishing dialogues that can play a critical role in integrating newcomers of various faiths, many of whom still have foreign nationality.
Full Report | Press Release

Pathways to Success for the Children of Immigrants
By Maurice Crul, University of Amsterdam
Report of the Transatlantic Task Force on Immigration and Integration, September 2007

Dr. Crul looks at how the children of Turkish immigrants, the largest immigrant group in Europe, are faring across the continent. He finds disparities across countries in the age at which children start school, the number who drop out of secondary school, and the number of youth who are unemployed. He notes that, because immigrant students tend to start school at a linguistic and cultural disadvantage, compelling them to choose either an academic or vocational education “track” too early may relegate them to a less enriching education. Dr. Crul suggests a range of policy tools to avoid this outcome, such as establishing strong apprenticeship programs and allowing vocational students to switch back to academic schools if they show the potential to succeed.

Early Education for Immigrant Children
By Paul Leseman, Utrecht University
Report of the Transatlantic Task Force on Immigration and Integration, September 2007

Dr. Leseman looks at factors that create educational disadvantages among children of immigrants, including socioeconomic and psychological risks and lack of cognitive stimulation at home. He finds that while early education can improve the educational and socioeconomic position of low-income and minority communities, the program’s design is fundamental to its success. He recommends that policymakers focus on providing center-based care, with programs grounded in teaching children the host language and with strong outreach to minorities that includes additional help for parents. He also recommends that governments directly subsidize early-education programs rather than providing parents with vouchers, which can be confusing and are underused.

Bridging Divides: The Role of Ethnic Community-Based Organizations in Refugee Integration
By Kathleen Newland, Hiroyuki Tanaka, and Laura Barker
Migration Policy Institute and the International Rescue Committee, June 2007

Almost 2.4 million refugees and asylees from at least 115 countries entered the United States between 1980 and 2006.  Despite declines in refugee admissions, the United States continues to resettle more refugees than any other country. A new study released for World Refugee Day on June 20 examines how organizations founded by refugees are helping others who have escaped violence and persecution abroad adjust to life in the United States. 
Download PDF
Order a hard copy from the MPI bookstore: US | International

A Profile of Immigrants in Arkansas
By Randolph Capps, Everett Henderson, John D. Kasarda, James H. Johnson, Jr., Stephen J. Appold, Derrek L. Croney, Donald J. Hernandez, and Michael Fix
Urban Institute, April 2007

Arkansas, which had the fourth fastest growing immigrant population and fastest growing Latino population of any state between 2000 and 2005, is the subject of this series of reports. Volume 1 provides detailed demographic information about the foreign-born in Arkansas and compares immigrants to natives on a wide variety of quality-of-life measures. It profiles immigrants' countries of birth, legal status, educational attainment, poverty, homeownership, employment, and the primary industries in which they are employed. Volume 2 assesses immigrants' impacts on the Arkansas economy, in terms of consumer spending, tax contributions, fiscal costs, and the savings that businesses and consumers realize by using immigrant labor.

Actual Immigration to the United States:
The Real Numbers
By Julia Gelatt
Fact Sheet No. 16, May 2007

While official figures show annual permanent immigration to the United States averaging about 1 million people a year, actual annual immigration to the United States is about 1.8 million people. True numbers of people who enter the United States each year and ultimately remain permanently include not only those coming through official permanent immigration channels, but also those entering through certain temporary immigration streams, and those entering or remaining in the United States without authorization.

Measures of Change: The Demography and Literacy of Adolescent English Learners
By Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix, and Julie Murray
March 2007

This new report provides a demographic profile of students in grades 6-12 who are English Language Learners (ELLs) and focuses on how these students are faring on standardized tests at the national level and in four states: California, Colorado, Illinois, and North Carolina. The authors find wide achievement gaps between ELL and other students at both national and state levels -- a finding with worrying implications for schools trying to meet requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Download PDF
Order a hard copy from the MPI bookstore: US | International

Circular Migration and Development:
Trends, Policy Routes, and Ways Forward
By Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias and Kathleen Newland
Policy Brief, April 2007

Circular migration, the temporary or permanent return of migrants to their countries of origin, is seen as offering benefits to countries of migrant origin, to destination countries, and to migrants themselves. The most common policy route to encourage circulation has been to ensure that migrants maintain ties with their countries of origin, by providing financial incentives to return or by enforcing strict measures to prevent their remaining permanently in destination countries. Experience from many countries shows, however, that effective circular migration arrangements call for policies that strengthen ties to countries of both origin and destination.

Trends in the Low-Wage Immigrant Workforce
By Randy Capps, Karina Fortuny, and Michael Fix
Urban Institute, March 2007

In 2005, immigrants overall represented more than a fifth of low-wage workers and almost half of workers without a high school education. This report describes recent trends in the immigrant labor force and their implications for the US economy.

Securing the Future: US Immigrant Integration Policy, A Reader
Edited by Michael Fix, Vice President and Co-Director of MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy
February 2007

In this volume, top health, education, and fiscal policy experts sketch the contours of a national integration policy and focus on trends in the workforce, education, citizenship, health, and the second generation. The authors also explore issues raised by proposed reforms to the US immigration system, including impact aid to state and local governments and financing health care for legalizing immigrants.
Read More
Order a hard copy from the MPI bookstore: US | International

Click here for earlier publications.