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The League of Women Voters Launches Immigration Study

The League of Women Voters recently launched a three-year Immigration Study aimed at helping communities understand the implications of immigration at the local, state, and federal level. As part of this project, League members and leaders will explore the underlying values and principles regarding immigration, reasons for immigration, current federal immigration policy, and the impact of immigration in American society. Other related topics covered will include:

• business and economic effects and impact

• diversity

• effects of global interdependence on migration

• motivation of refugees, asylees and other immigrants

Highly recommended reading is the report of the Independent Task Force co-chaired by former Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-MI) and former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (D-IN), Immigration and America’s Future: A New Chapter. This task force was convened by the Migration Policy Institute in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Manhattan Institute. The report articulates a vision that promotes US global competitiveness in the context of post-9/11 security imperatives, while grappling with many of the technical details that are frustrating reform efforts. Among its recommendations, the Task Force calls on Congress and the President to:

• Redesign and simplify the immigration system by establishing three streams for immigration – temporary, provisional and permanent. The new provisional category provides a way to align immigration with current economic realities by creating visas for immigrants of all skill levels who have an offer of employment to enter the country legally. The number of nonimmigrant visa classifications would be reduced from 24 to 7 to streamline and make the system more transparent.

• Create an independent body in the Executive Branch that would introduce flexibility into the system by making regular recommendations to Congress and the President for adjusting immigration levels. Its recommendations would be based on ongoing analysis of labor market needs and changing economic and demographic trends.

• Provide employers with a verification mechanism that allows them to comply with requirements for hiring only authorized workers, and develop a new, secure Social Security card that enables individuals to readily establish their work eligibility.

• Accelerate implementation of “Smart Border” measures that use equipment, personnel and cutting-edge technology more effectively and strengthen accountability by establishing measures of effectiveness and an annual progress report on meeting them.

• Establish a national office to promote the integration of immigrants and provide a focal point at the federal level for state, local and private sector integration initiatives.

• Provide a path to legal status for unauthorized immigrants who can demonstrate steady employment, knowledge of English, payment of taxes, and passage of a background security check, among other requirements.

Immigration: Is There a Good Solution?

Ann Brandon, Chair, Immigration Study Committee

Can we do better than Congress in finding a solution - or solutions - for the immigration issue? I’m sure we can. There is a podcast from the national League Council featuring three knowledgeable speakers on the subject. Here is an abbreviated summary of one of the speakers - Doris Meissner, who is a Senior Fellow with the Migration Policy Institute.

She noted that, with all of the rhetoric now about immigration, we need to get back to basics. These are what she considers key facts about immigration:
1) We are a nation of immigrants, but we came in waves of four main periods: First was the beginning of people coming here; next, settling the west; next, the rise of large cities; and then the latest period from the 1980’s which coincides with a fundamental economic transformation, becoming part of a global economy..
2) Demography: We are now an aging society, which has many implications. We’re no longer getting enough younger workers. Our growth in coming years will be workers over 55 and the foreign born.
3) Hourglass phenomenon: We have a skills gap. Immigrants are filling the gap at the bottom and at the top. Eleven of the fastest growing 15 skills are at the low end; at the high end, math based professions (engineering, science, technology) need more people.
4) Overall economic impact: Americans feel more anxious - they’re concerned that the foreign born are depressing wages. Overall the evidence is positive - their jobs lower our costs and prices on goods. And they do pay taxes.
5) There is a disproportionate focus on the southwest border. At least 40% of the illegals are illegal from overstaying their visa. The billions being spent on border security is a travesty. We need a more nuanced and sophisticated policy.
6) New Growth States: Traditionally 60-70% of immigrants have settled in six major states. From the middle 1990’s they have been going everywhere. Most are Mexican and are going where the jobs are. The majority are here illegally. This has made the issue a national political issue.

To hear the whole podcast, and get more information, go to www.lwv.org. Also, check out www.migrationpolicy.org.

Immigration Facts: Did You Know . . . .

1) The 1965 diversity requirement set a maximum for each country of 7% of the total immigration in a year, leading to de facto quotas. As a result, legal immigration from Mexico, China, India and the Philippines is markedly lower than it would be if entry from a country were proportionate to those who wanted to come.

2) Twenty-five to 40% of unauthorized immigrants are individuals who have overstayed temporary visas.

3) Trade agreements and immigration laws and policies can be spectacularly out of sync. Since 1994 NAFTA contributed to the substantial increase in trade between the U.S. and Mexico, while immigration from Mexico to the U.S. grew more restricted and more problematic.

4) The percentage of immigrants today in terms of current population figures is no larger than it was in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

5) Children born in this country are U.S. citizens, with all the rights of U.S. citizens. But because proof of citizenship is now required to receive treatment under Medicaid, treatment could be denied to a newborn infant until proof is verified; this could take several weeks.

6) A large group of immigrants enter this country illegally - many by covertly crossing the U.S. border with Mexico. Originally this group was largely male and highly transient - with workers making frequent trips to and from Mexico. Because illegal border crossing has become more publicized and difficult, return trips have decreased and migrating groups often include entire families. As a result, more children of unauthorized immigrants have been born in the U.S. and permanent residence has become a more likely prospect for their families.

Adapted from Overview: Federal Immigration Policy and Proposed Reforms by Deborah Macmillan, www.lwv.org. For those of you who would like to prepare for the immigration study consensus meeting, there are materials out at www.lwv.org to help you do so. Go to “For Members”, and then click in the box in blue on the right hand side of the page. That will get you to a wealth of information about immigration policy and the League’s study. See you at the consensus meeting in November!

Resources

League of Women Voter's Immigration Study Materials

Migration Policy Institute