Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future
The blue-ribbon Independent Task Force on Immigration and America’s Future, convened in 2005-2006 and co-chaired by former U.S. Spencer Abraham (R-MI) and former Congressman Lee Hamilton (D-IN), produced a bipartisan blueprint to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.
The report, which continues to offer a durable foundation for today's debates, recommended creating temporary, provisional, and permanent immigration streams; establishing an independent commission to flexibly adjust admissions based on economic and labor market conditions; modernizing employer verification and border management; strengthening immigrant integration; and offering an earned path to legal status for unauthorized immigrants.
The Task Force’s final report (with executive summaries in English and Spanish) as well as all the preparatory reports carried out during the life of the Task Force can be found here, as can a listing of its membership, which included U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) along with a distinguished group of business and civil society leaders, researchers and academics, and other legislators.
Showing 1–10 of 24 results
La inmigración y el futuro de los Estados Unidos: Un nuevo capítulo
Una reforma integral de la inmigración en Estados Unidos resulta esencial para satisfacer las necesidades económicas, demográficas y de seguridad del siglo XXI.
Bipartisan Panel Calls for "New Chapter" in U.S. Immigration Policy
A high-level, bipartisan task force today called for fundamental reform of the nation’s immigration laws and system. The report and recommendations of the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America’s Future, co-chaired by former Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-MI) and former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (D-IN), address the dilemmas of illegal immigration but also reconcile the need to meet strong economic and social demands for legal immigration with the imperative to strengthen enforcement and safeguard national security.
Immigration and America's Future: A New Chapter
A comprehensive U.S. immigration overhaul spanning admissions, enforcement, and integration is essential to meet 21st-century economic, demographic, and security needs.
The Impact of Immigration on Native Workers: A Fresh Look at the Evidence
The wage and employment effects of immigration on U.S.-born workers remain contested—and are just one piece of a far more complex economic picture.
Immigration Enforcement: Beyond the Border and the Workplace
Border policing alone cannot stop unauthorized immigration—effective enforcement requires layered interior strategies covering visa tracking, worksite screening, and removal.
Immigrants and Labor Force Trends: The Future, Past, and Present
Driving more than half of U.S. labor force growth as of 2005, immigrants were projected to fill nearly one in five jobs by 2030—especially in the fastest-growing occupations.
The Contributions of High-Skilled Immigrants
Evidence shows high-skilled immigrants, who are largely complementary to U.S.-born workers and are concentrated in medicine and STEM fields, raise productivity and create jobs for native workers.
Countering Terrorist Mobility: Shaping an Operational Strategy
Making terrorist mobility a central U.S. counterterrorism focus will require better management and coordination across intelligence, border, and immigration agencies.
The Growing Connection Between Temporary and Permanent Immigration Systems
While the temporary and permanent immigration systems are meant to be separate, temporary visas increasingly serve as a pathway to a green card in a de facto third admissions system.
U.S. Employment-Based Admissions: Permanent and Temporary
The U.S. employment-based immigration system, permanent and temporary, falls short in responding to changing market conditions and is out of sync with companies’ hiring cycles.
Task Force Members
The Task Force was convened by MPI and co-chaired by former U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) and former Congressman Lee Hamilton (D-IN). MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner directed the panel’s work. Members of the bipartisan group included leaders of key immigration stakeholder groups, experienced senior public policy actors, elected officials, and immigration experts, with ex-officio participation from Mexico, Canada, the European Commission, and executive branch agencies.
Members
T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Dean, Georgetown University Law Center
Howard Berman*, U.S. Congressman (D-CA)
Oscar A. Chacón, Director, Enlaces América
Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Jeff Flake*, U.S. Congressman (R-AZ)
Fernando Garcia, Founding Director, Border Network for Human Rights
Bill Ong Hing, Professor of Law and Asian American Studies, University of California at Davis
Tamar Jacoby, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute
Juliette Kayyem, Lecturer in Public Policy, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
Edward Kennedy*, U.S. Senator (D-MA)
John McCain*, U.S. Senator (R-AZ)
Janet Murguia, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza
Leon Panetta, Co-Director, Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy
Steven J. Rauschenberger, Illinois State Senator (R)
Robert Reischauer, President, Urban Institute
Kurt L. Schmoke, Dean, Howard University School of Law
Frank Sharry, Executive Director, National Immigration Forum
Debra W. Stewart, President, Council of Graduate Schools
C. Stewart Verdery, Principal, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti
John Wilhelm, President/Hospitality Industry, UNITE HERE
James W. Ziglar, Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
* Because of their legislative roles, currently serving members of Congress were not asked to endorse the Task Force recommendations.