Harnessing the Advantages of Immigration for a 21st-Century Economy
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Doris Meissner, Marc R. Rosenblum, and Madeleine Sumption
The US immigration system neither meets labor market needs efficiently nor minds the interests of US workers with particular success, and has yet to devise a way that uses immigration to promote US economic growth and competitiveness well. This paper proposes an institutional solution to address this systemic failure: Creating a permanent and independent body, situated within the executive branch, that is charged with recommending adjustments to immigration laws to the president and Congress: the Standing Commission on Labor Markets, Economic Competitiveness, and Immigration. The bipartisan panel would provide timely, evidence-based, and impartial analysis and recommendations to the president and Congress regarding employment-based immigration.
Download Report | Press Release

Prospects for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Testimony of Doris Meissner, Director of MPI's US Immigration Policy Program, before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship, at its hearing: "Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do It and How?" April 30, 2009.

DHS and Immigration: Taking Stock and Correcting Course
By Doris Meissner and Donald Kerwin
Nearly six years after the federal immigration bureaucracy was dismantled and rebuilt to meet the heightened security imperatives of the post-9/11 era, the arrival of new executive branch leadership offers the singular opportunity to take stock and provide a clear-eyed assessment of the performance of the three immigration agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. In a new report, MPI offers policy recommendations for US Customs and Border Protection, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as overall DHS immigration policy direction and coordination, that could be accomplished by the new administration without need for legislation.
Download Report | Press Release | Listen to the Briefing

The Redesigned Citizenship Test: High Stakes
By Laureen Laglagaron and Bhavna Devani
MPI Backgrounder No. 6, September 2008
More than a decade in the making, the redesigned citizenship test required for use after October 1, 2008 is supposed to provide a more meaningful opportunity for applicants to demonstrate knowledge about US history and civics, and allow the government more standardized test administration. This MPI Backgrounder details the redesign process, examines whether the government met its goals, and provides policy recommendations.
Backgrounder | Press Release | Listen to the Briefing

Behind the Naturalization Backlog
By Claire Bergeron and Jeremy Banks
Fact Sheet No. 21, February 2008
The processing time for naturalization applications has risen dramatically since mid-2007, to an 18-month average, as the federal government has struggled to cope with a surge in applications driven in part by a substantial fee increase. More than 460,000 people filed naturalization applications in July 2007 right before the fee hike took effect — fully one-third of the nearly 1.4 million applications that were filed during the entire fiscal year. This MPI fact sheet examines the causes, context, and concerns surrounding the backlog.
Fact Sheet | Press Release

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. This MPI Backgrounder shows that, based on 2006 information, the DHS procedures would have affected more than 1.5 million workers, with approximately 1 million concentrated in ten states.

Annual 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.

Spotlight on Naturalization Trends
By Aaron Erlich and David Dixon
Migration Information Source, November 2005

New Estimates of Unauthorized Youth Eligible for Legal Status under the DREAM Act
Backgrounder by Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
October 2006
The DREAM Act, incorporated into the current Senate bill, would immediately make about 360,000 young people aged 18 to 24 who have graduated from high school or obtained a GED eligible for conditional legal status. Those who qualify and then attend college or join the military within six years would become eligible for permanent legal status – an arrangement unprecedented in US history.

A New Century: Immigration and the US
By MPI Staff, Updated by Kevin Jernegan
Migration Information Source, February 2005

Spotlight on Temporary Admissions of Nonimmigrants to the United States
By Jeanne Batalova
Migration Information Source, July 2005

Backlogs in Immigration Processing Persist
By MPI Staff
Fact Sheet, June 2005
Over the last fifteen years, the number of pending applications for immigration benefits in the United States has swollen by over 1,000 percent, growing from 540,688 in 1990 to a high of 6.08 million in 2003.

Who Does What in US Immigration
By Megan Davy, Deborah Meyers, and Jeanne Batalova
Migration Information Source, December 1, 2005
An explanation of agencies' immigration-related responsibilities within the Department of Homeland Security

Migration Information Source Data on the Foreign Born in the United States

Who's Where in the United States
This Migration Information Source data tool has information on the foreign born by region or continent of origin, and state or region of destination.

State-by-State Data on the Foreign Born in the United States
This easy-to-use Migration Information Source data tool shows state data on where the foreign born are from, how much of the population they represent, what languages they speak at home, and more.

Migration Information Source Maps of the Foreign Born in the United States
Six maps showing the distribution of immigrants by county, including the total foreign-born population and the five largest foreign-born groups according to the results of Census 2000.

Migration Information Source Spotlights on the Foreign Born from Around the World in the United States
By David Dixon, Elizabeth Grieco, and members of the MPI staff

• Foreign born from Africa
  
• Foreign born from Asia
  
• Foreign born from Canada
  
• Foreign born from Central America
  
• Foreign born from China
  
• Foreign born from the Dominican Republic
  
• Foreign born from Europe
  
• Foreign born from Haiti
  
• Foreign-born Hmong
  
• Foreign born from India
  
• Foreign born from Iran
  
• Foreign born from Iraq
  
• Foreign born from Korea
  
• Foreign born from Mexico
  
• Foreign born from the Philippines
  
• Foreign born from South America
  
• Foreign born from Vietnam

Data on the Foreign Born in the United States

Putting Data to Work for Immigrants and Communities: Tools for the Washington DC Metro Area and Beyond
By Suzette Brooks Masters, Kimberly A. Hamilton and Jill Wilson, March 2004
This report provides, in an easy to use fashion, the major data sources, training providers, data-related publications, and other useful contacts in the government, Census Bureau satellites, and universities that can be helpful to organizations working with immigrants or anyone interested in US immigration data.
Data Users Pullout Guide
Purchase from the MPI Store

Census 2010: Averting the Data Crisis
By Elizabeth Grieco
Policy Brief No. 1, February 2003

Data Sources on the Foreign Born and International Migration at the US Census Bureau
By MPI Staff
Migration Information Source, January 2003
This article maps out the key features of three of the primary US Census Bureau data resources used to research immigration: the census itself, the American Community Survey, and the Current Population Survey.

Defining 'Foreign Born' and 'Foreigner' in International Migration Statistics
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, July 2002

Characteristics of the Foreign-born Population

Foreign-Born Self-Employed in the United States
Jeanne Batalova and David Dixon
Migration Information Source, April 2005

College-Educated Foreign Born in the US Labor Force
Jeanne Batalova
Migration Information Source, February 2005

Educational Attainment of the Foreign Born in the United States
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, July 2004

Health Insurance Coverage of the Foreign Born in the United States: Numbers and Trends
By Elizabeth Grieco
Fact Sheet, June 2004

Immigrants and US Labor Unions: A New MPI Fact Sheet
By Elizabeth Grieco
Fact Sheet No. 7, May 2004

What Kind of Work Do Immigrants Do? Occupation and Industry of Foreign-Born Workers in the United States
By Elizabeth Grieco
Fact Sheet No. 5, January 2004
View Graphs

The Foreign Born in the US Labor Force
By Elizabeth Grieco
Fact Sheet No. 4, January 2004

The Foreign Born in the US Armed Forces
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, July 2003

Sex Ratios of the Foreign Born in the United States
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, March 2003

Women Immigrants in the United States
Executive summary by Deborah Meyers and Maia Jachimowicz
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, March 2003

English Abilities of the US Foreign-Born Population
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, January 2003

Foreign-Born Hispanics in the United States
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, February 1, 2003
Data Manager Elizabeth Grieco examines the size and distribution of the foreign-born Hispanic population throughout the United States.

Hispanos nacidos en el extranjero que viven en los Estados Unidos
Por Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, February 1, 2003
La Gerente de Datos Elizabeth Grieco considera el tamaño y la distribución de la población hispana extranjera en los EEUU.

English Abilities of the US Foreign-Born Population
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, January 2003

Spotlight on Immigrant Women
By Elizabeth Grieco
Migration Information Source, May 2002

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 4th 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. An executive summary is also listed below.

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Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics
Report by Jeffrey S. Passel, prepared for the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future by the Pew Hispanic Center
Jeffrey S. Passel offers a portrait of the unauthorized population in unprecedented detail. The report shows that most of the unauthorized population lives in families, a quarter has at least some college education, and illegal workers can be found in many sectors of the US economy.

Lessons From The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
By Betsy Cooper and Kevin O'Neil
Task Force Policy Brief No. 3, April 2005
The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was the first legislative attempt to comprehensively address the issue of unauthorized immigration. Although the concepts behind the legislation were sound, there were a number of problems with its design and implementation in each of its major goals.

Migration Information Source
SPECIAL ISSUE ON THE UNAUTHORIZED
March 2005
Articles include:

The Global Struggle with Illegal Migration: No End in Sight
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou

Unauthorized Migrants Living in the United States: A Mid-Decade Portrait
By Jennifer Van Hook, Frank Bean, and Jeffrey Passell

Solving the Unauthorized Migrant Problem: Proposed Legislation in the US
By Eliot Turner and Marc R. Rosenblum

Twilight Statuses: A Closer Examination of the Unauthorized Population
By David A. Martin
Task Force Policy Brief No. 2, June 2005
Approximately 1 to 1.5 million people hold current or eventual claims to legal status recognized by US law because they are caught in processing or admissions quota backlogs or have been granted temporary protected status (TPS).

The "Regularization" Option in Managing Illegal Migration More Effectively: A Comparative Perspective
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou
Task Force Policy Brief No. 4, September 2005
This author argues that legalization (or "regularization" in Europe) of unauthorized migrants can not only prevent the illegally resident population from building to unacceptable levels, but can also make the management of migration more effective when used in concert with other policy initiatives.

Observations on Regularization and the Labor Market Performance of Unauthorized and Regularized Immigrants
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Kevin O'Neil and Maia Jachimowicz
Prepared for the European Commission, DG Employment and Social Affairs
July 2004

IRCA: Lessons of the Last US Legalization Program
By Mary G. Powers, Fordham University
Ellen Percy Kraly, Colgate University
William Seltzer, Fordham University
Migration Information Source, July 2004

How Changes to Family Immigration Could Affect Source Countries' Sending Patterns
By Julia Gelatt
Fact Sheet No. 18, June 2007
The proposed Senate bill would substantially revise the family-based permanent immigration system. The current system allocates about two-thirds of permanent visas to family members while the Senate bill, which includes changes to family categories and a new points-based system, would likely result in less than half of all visas going to family members. At the same time, using the points system, the share of visas going to employment-based immigrants would increase from less than one-fifth currently to about two-fifths.

Proposed Points System and Its Likely Impact on Prospective Immigrants
By Demetrios Papademetriou, Jeanne Batalova, and Julia Gelatt
Backgrounder No. 4, May 2007
This MPI Backgrounder provides data on the foreign born in the United States related to the immigrant selection criteria expected to be part of the points-system proposal. These include age, educational attainment, occupation, English proficiency, and labor force participation -- factors that may be given more emphasis than extended family relationships. 

Selecting Economic Stream Immigrants through Points Systems
By Demetrios Papademetriou
Migration Information Source, May 2007
MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou is a leading expert on the use of points systems internationally. His new article on the Migration Information Source outlines the basics of points systems, which countries have used them, their political benefits, and trends in points-system use.

Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future: The Roadmap
By Michael Fix, Doris Meissner and Demetrios Papademetriou
Task Force Policy Brief No. 1, June 2005
The Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future is focusing on key policy questions in areas in which today's US immigration policy and practices are faltering. These include: upholding the rule of law; developing policies that meet immigration and national security needs; managing immigration in ways that increase the nation's economic competitiveness; and promoting the economic and social integration of newcomers.

"Comprehensive" Legislation vs. Fundamental Reform: The Limits of Current Immigration Proposals
By Visiting Scholar Marc Rosenblum
Task Force Policy Brief No. 13, January 2006
The author evaluates the elements of current Administration and Congressional proposals for their potential to address the fundamental flaws characterizing the current immigration system. He finds that proposed reforms likely would fail to address the mismatch between visa supply and demand, the system's over-reliance on temporary nonimmigrant visas, inefficient immigrant labor regulations, and the challenges of responding to the roughly 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States.
Side-by-side chart of legislative reform proposals (PDF)

Reflections on Restoring Integrity to the United States Immigration System: A Personal Vision
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou
Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future Insight No. 5
September 2005
The author summarizes the lessons learned from implementing the Immigration and Control Act of 1986, including that: the robust and growing demand for work and family reunification visas must be incorporated into new policies; legalization should not be done halfway; reducing incentives for fraud should be a top policy goal; and migration must be managed in cooperation with neighboring countries.

Migration Information Source Policy Beat
By Julia Gelatt
Each month, the Policy Beat provides the latest on legislative developments, Department of Homeland Security initiatives, and US immigration data.

Senate Debate Resumes and DHS Boosts Internal Enforcement
May 2006
This month's update includes a report on the provisions of the Senate compromise immigration bill; new strategies for internal immigration enforcement; and Georgia's strict new controls regarding unauthorized immigrants, plus other immigration news.

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Collateral Damage: An Examination of ICE's Fugitive Operations Program
By Margot Mendelson, Shayna Strom, and Michael Wishnie
The federal fugitive operations program established to locate, apprehend, and remove fugitive aliens who pose a threat to the community has instead focused chiefly on arresting unauthorized immigrants without criminal convictions. In a new report, MPI finds that 73 percent of the nearly 97,000 people arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement fugitive operations teams between the program's inception in 2003 and early 2008 were unauthorized immigrants without criminal records. And arrests of fugitive aliens with criminal convictions have represented a steadily declining share of total arrests by the fugitive operations teams.
Download Report | Press Release

Document Security Provisions: What's in the Cards?
By Dawn Konet
Fact Sheet No. 17, June 2007
This Fact Sheet provides a chart of the security features -- from photos and fingerprints to holograms and lamination -- of documents issued by government agencies and used by US residents to work, travel and verify their identities. Notably, there have been no significant security changes to the Social Security card, one of the most commonly used to show work eligibility.

US Border Enforcement:
From Horseback to High-Tech
By Deborah W. Meyers
Task Force Policy Brief No. 7, November 2005
Border Patrol funding has grown more than 500 percent over the last two decades, as legislative and policy changes specified concentrated and enhanced personnel and technological resources. This review of border enforcement history raises a number of policy questions, with the primary one being whether border enforcement has been effective.
Migration Information Source article

Blurring the Lines: A Profile of State and Local Police Enforcement of Immigration Law Using the National Crime Information Center Database, 2002-2004
By Hannah Gladstein, Annie Lai, Jennifer Wagner and Michael Wishnie
Report, December 2005
In almost 9,000 cases from 2002 to 2004, police officers checking the names of individuals stopped or detained against records in the nation's main criminal database received an initial "hit" for an immigration violation that, upon further investigation, the Department of Homeland Security could not confirm. The rate of false positives was 42 percent overall, and some individual law enforcement agencies had error rates as high as 90 percent.

Spotlight on US Immigration Enforcement
By David Dixon
Migration Information Source, September 2005
Of the 186,151 individuals formally removed in 2003, 40 percent entered without authorization. MPI's David Dixon briefly explains the US approach to immigration enforcement and looks at apprehension, detention, and removal statistics.

Immigration Facts: Immigration Enforcement Spending Since IRCA
By David Dixon and Julia Gelatt
Task Force Fact Sheet No. 10, November 2005
This study of appropriations finds that from 1985 to 2002, funds for border control jumped from $700 million to $2.8 billion per year; funds for detention and removal skyrocketed from $192 million to $1.6 billion, while funds for interior investigations rose from $109 million to only $458 million.

Real Challenges for Virtual Borders: The Implementation of US-VISIT
By Rey Koslowski, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University-Newark
Report, June 2005
The US-VISIT program may deter terrorists from attempting to enter the United States through legal channels but alone probably will not catch them, concludes a new report from MPI. The author finds that the program will need a clearer mandate and serious investments of political and economic capital to provide more than an illusion of national security.

One Face at the Border: Behind the Slogan
By Deborah Meyers
Report, June 2005
In less than two years, the Department of Homeland Security’s ambitious One Face at the Border initiative has made strides toward creating a unified agency to inspect people and goods at US air, land and sea ports. However, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection must still address significant weaknesses that could undermine border security if they are not confronted squarely and soon.
Full Report | Press Release

Secure Borders, Open Doors: Visa Procedures in the Post-September 11 Era
By Stephen Yale-Loehr, Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Betsy Cooper
September 2005
The US visa policy program has become a key tool in promoting national security, but vulnerabilities remain and government agencies must work together to ensure that security measures do not compromise US economic competitiveness and foreign policy goals.
Full Report | Executive Summary | Press Release | Event

Evaluating Enhanced US Border Enforcement
By Wayne Cornelius, Director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California-San Diego
Migration Information Source, May 2004

Documentation Provisions of the Real ID Act
By Kevin Jernegan
Task Force Backgrounder No. 11, November 2005
The Real ID Act seeks to meet the US security imperative to have a reliable system for confirming and individual’s identity, prevent fraud and capitalize on possible gains from information-sharing among law enforcement agencies. However, concerns range from cost issues to the difficulty of constructing safeguards against misuse of the data.

Countering Terrorist Mobility:
Shaping an Operational Strategy
By Susan Ginsburg, formerly counsel for the 9/11 Commission
Task Force Report, February 2006
The author provides a blueprint for an integrated strategy to thwart terrorists by focusing on terrorist mobility. She describes the elements of a terrorist mobility strategy that can use leads generated by terrorists’ need to travel to counter their ability to enter, live in, or move within the United States and like-minded countries.
Full Report PDF | Press Release | Event

Immigration Enforcement: Beyond the Border and the Workplace
By David A. Martin, MPI nonresident fellow and professor of International Law at the University of Virginia
Task Force Policy Brief No. 19, July 2006
In addition to effective border and workplace enforcement, other key enforcement improvements are necessary. The government must assure that removal orders are enforced through expansion of the use of fugitive operations teams; wider application of civil and criminal penalties to absconders; more strategic use of detention, including in connection with supervised release programs; and shortening hearing times while preserving due process, including testing the efficiency effects of government-provided counsel through a limited pilot project. Government reforms must also build better protections against fraud into the systems leading to a grant of benefits and mainstream immigration enforcement.

Worksite Enforcement and Employment Verification

Immigration Enforcement at the Worksite: Making it Work
By Visiting Scholar Marc R. Rosenblum
Task Force Policy Brief No. 6, November 2005
The author lays out six critical reforms necessary to construct a coherent worksite enforcement system, including limits on documents proving identity and work authorization, changes to shift the burden of applicant screening from employers to the government, and more efficient use of employment databases to target non-compliant employers.

Eligible to Work?: Experimentations in Verifying Work Authorization
By Kevin Jernegan
Task Force Insight No. 8, November 2005
The author describes the Basic Pilot program currently in use to verify employees' work eligibility. He notes that the successes and failures of the efforts undertaken to date can inform proposals for future employment authorization and verification initiatives.

The Declining Enforcement of Employer Sanctions
By Peter Brownell
University of California, Berkeley
Migration Information Source, September 2005

Harnessing the Advantages of Immigration for a 21st-Century Economy
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Doris Meissner, Marc R. Rosenblum, and Madeleine Sumption
The US immigration system neither meets labor market needs efficiently nor minds the interests of US workers with particular success, and has yet to devise a way that uses immigration to promote US economic growth and competitiveness well. This paper proposes an institutional solution to address this systemic failure: Creating a permanent and independent body, situated within the executive branch, that is charged with recommending adjustments to immigration laws to the president and Congress: the Standing Commission on Labor Markets, Economic Competitiveness, and Immigration. The bipartisan panel would provide timely, evidence-based, and impartial analysis and recommendations to the president and Congress regarding employment-based immigration.
Download Report | Press Release

Immigrants and the Current Economic Crisis
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Aaron Terrazas
As the nation sinks into a recession that may be the worst since the Great Depression, the economic crisis raises fundamental questions about future immigration flows to and from the United States and how current and prospective immigrants will fare. This report, a research product of MPI's new Labor Markets Initiative, examines how the number of immigrants has changed since the recession began; how legal and illegal immigration flows may change; and how immigrants fare in the labor market during downturns.
Download Report | Press Release
More on the Labor Markets Initiative here

Uneven Progress: The Employment Pathways of Skilled Immigrants in the United States
By Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix with Peter A. Creticos
More than 1.3 million college-educated immigrants in the United States are unemployed or working in unskilled jobs because they are unable to make full use of their academic and professional credentials, MPI reports in the first assessment yet of the scope of the "brain waste" problem. The report analyzes and offers possible solutions for the credentialing and language-barrier hurdles that deprive the US economy of a rich source of human capital at a time of increasing competition globally for skilled talent.

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.

US Employment-Based Admissions: Permanent and Temporary
By Susan Martin, Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University
Task Force Policy Brief No. 15, January 2006
The pros and cons of existing temporary worker programs in the United States include giving employers a chance to test employees for their contributions to society and the economy, but in some cases, making temporary workers vulnerable to exploitation because they are dependent on specific employers or jobs for their legal status.

The Growing Connection Between Temporary and Permanent Immigration Systems
By Jeanne Batalova
Task Force Insight No. 14, January 2006
The distinction between temporary and permanent migration, clearly demarcated in past decades, has become increasingly blurred. A new immigrant admissions system has emerged that is neith temporary nor permanent, but rather a transitional system that allows visa holders to prove their worth to employers and the broader economy.

Foreign-Born Self-Employed in the United States
Jeanne Batalova and David Dixon Migration Information Source, April 2005 About one in 10 US immigrants is self-employed.

Immigrants and US Labor Unions
By Elizabeth Grieco
Fact Sheet, May 2004

Temporary Worker Programs: A Patchwork Policy Response
By Deborah W. Meyers
Task Force Insight No. 12, January 2006
In fiscal year 2004, the volume of admissions to the United States for temporary workers, trainees, and their dependants reached nearly 1.5 million people. Within these employment-based visa categories, temporary workers have dramatic variations of stay that range from three months to ten years, and many are transitioning to the permanent system.

College-Educated Foreign Born in the US Labor Force
By Jeanne Batalova
Migration Information Source, February 2005

The Foreign Born in the US Labor Force
By Elizabeth Grieco
Fact Sheet, January 2004

What Kind of Work Do Immigrants Do?
Occupation and Industry of Foreign-Born Workers in the United States
By Elizabeth Grieco
Fact Sheet, January 2004
View Graphs

US Temporary Worker Programs: Lessons Learned
By Doris Meissner
Migration Information Source, March 2004

Gambling on the Future: Managing the Education Challenges of Rapid Growth in Nevada
By Aaron Terrazas and Michael Fix
Nevada, the fastest growing state in the United States, is experiencing a population boom – driven in part by immigration – that has key implications for its school system and labor market. Immigrants represent one in five Nevada residents and their children account for one in three Nevadans under age 18. Yet even as schools have experienced a surge in enrollment, federal and state investments in the state's failing education system haven't kept pace.
Download Report | Press Release

Los Angeles on the Leading Edge: Immigrant Integration Indicators and Their Policy Implications
By Michael Fix, Margie McHugh, Aaron Matteo Terrazas, and Laureen Laglagaron
April 2008
As Los Angeles makes the transition from being a city of immigrants to one dominated by their US-born children, it can serve as a policy laboratory for other cities facing the need to better integrate immigrants into US classrooms, workplaces, and civic life. MPI’s report details the imperative for integration policies that will benefit immigrants and the broader US society alike.
Download Report | Press Release

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.
Order Online | Press Release | Download the Report

Immigration Fee Increases in Context
By Julia Gelatt and Margie McHugh
Fact Sheet No. 15, February 2007
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced plans for an 80 percent increase in naturalization application fees. The fact sheet details the increased fees' implications for US immigrants and provides background on USCIS' call for higher fees.

Migration Information Source
SPECIAL ISSUE ON INTEGRATION
October 2003
Articles include:

Policy Considerations for Immigrant Integration
Demetrios G. Papademetriou maps out the policy issues involved in balancing the interests of immigrants with those of the host society during the process of integration.

Leaving Too Much to Chance: A Roundtable on Immigrant Integration Policy
By Michael Fix, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, and Betsy Cooper
November 2005
Fifty of the nation's leading experts gathered at MPI to discuss three critical areas of integration policy: PreK - 12 education; work and work supports for immigrant families; and civic engagement and citizenship, with the aim of identifying major policy changes and opportunities and to begin mapping an agenda for policy change regarding immigrant integration.

The New Demography of America's Schools
By Randolph Capps, Michael Fix, Julie Murray, Jason Ost, Jeffrey S. Passel, and Shinta Hirontoro
Urban Institute, September 2005

Immigrant Children, Urban Schools, and the No Child Left Behind Act
By Michael Fix, Migration Policy Institute
Randy Capps, The Urban Institute
Migration Information Source, November 1, 2005

Building the New American Community Initiative
A unique pilot project conducted in America's small and medium-sized cities shows that broad-based community coalitions can proactively integrate the newcomers who are increasingly transforming Main St., USA. In the first project of its kind, a consortium of leading organizations in three mid-sized metropolitan areas undertook inclusive community-building. The project's final report contains valuable findings for policymakers, funders and organizations collectively approaching the challenge of helping newcomers adapt to their new communities and local communities welcome newcomers.
Full Report | Executive Summary

Local Integration: The Forgotten Solution
Karen Jacobsen of Tufts University examines local integration as an alternative to "warehousing" refugees in camps.

The Challenges of Integration for the EU
The EU can use several unique levers to promote integration policy, according to Sarah Spencer of the University of Oxford.

The Role of Cities in Immigrant Integration
Brian Ray takes an in-depth look at the importance of cities in the process of immigrant integration.

Immigrants and Homeownership in Urban America: An Examination of Nativity, Socio-economic Status and Place
By Brian Ray, Demetrios Papademetriou and Maia Jachimowicz
April 2004
This study focuses on the top 100 US metropolitan areas where immigrants live. The authors find key factors that influence homeownership among immigrants include availability of affordable housing, length of residence in the country, and English proficiency. While noting that immigrants are far from a homogenous group, the authors identify strategies that may increase immigrants' chances for homeownership.

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US-Mexico Migration Relationship

Migration Information Source
SPECIAL ISSUE ON US-MEXICO MIGRATION
March 2004

Articles include:

The Mexico Factor in US Immigration Reform
Demetrios G. Papademetriou maps out the historic challenges and opportunities in US-Mexico relations in the wake of President Bush's immigration reform proposal.

From Traitors to Heroes: 100 Years of Mexican Migration Policies
Jorge Durand of the University of Guadalajara examines Mexico's long history of and ambivalent attitude toward migration to the US.

Mexico-US Migration: A Long Way to Go
Mexican negotiators seek shared responsibility for US-Mexico migration issues, according to Gustavo Mohar, former chief negotiator for migration affairs at the Mexican Embassy in the US.

Mexican Immigration to the US: The Latest Estimates
Jeffrey Passel of the Urban Institute provides a context for understanding the presence of roughly 5.3 million unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the United States.

Mexico Country Resource Page
Migration Information Source

Does 'Smarter' Lead to Safer? An Assessment of the Border Accords with Canada and Mexico
By Deborah Waller Meyers
Insight No. 2, June 2003
PDF Version  | Purchase from Bookstore

United States-Canada-Mexico Trade and Migration
By Megan Davy and Deborah Meyers
Fact Sheet No. 11, October 2005
Fact Sheet | Press Release

The Shifting Expectations of Free Trade and Migration
By Demetrios Papademetriou
NAFTA's Promise and Reality: Lessons from Mexico for the Hemisphere
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2003
A 10-year anniversary look at how economic and social forces eclipsed NAFTA's potential to curb illegal immigration, published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Security at US Borders: A Move Away from Unilateralism?
By Deborah W. Meyers
Migration Information Source, August 2003

The US-Mexico Immigration Relationship: Operating in a New Context
Co-authored with Demetrios Papademetriou
Foreign Affairs en Español, Spring 2002
(Read in Spanish)

The US-Mexico Border
By MPI Staff
Migration Information Source, June 1, 2006
An updated guide to regional population numbers, border crossings, border enforcement, and the economic ties between the United States and Mexico