05/31/11 This in from Ruben Navarrette last night: You would think that the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee would have better things to do than respond to every column that mentions him.
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05/09/11 The fact that Florida's state legislature will not advance Arizona-style anti-immigration legislation this year is a welcome development – and one that should puncture several myths that surround the politics of immigration.
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01/20/11 In response to a recent Roll Call article calling out the nativist lobby, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith wrote a letter to the editor making a series of claims—many of which he's been making for the last 20 years—which simply don't stack up to the facts. These myths also conveniently obscure the lack of any denial of ties to the nativist lobby. While many of Smith's easy-to-swallow myths may stir the extreme end of a conservative base, they serve as a yet another distraction from having an open and honest immigration debate.
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09/10/10 Yesterday, the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute released a report entitled, "The Demographic Impact of Repealing Birth," finding that the controversial idea birthed by some GOP senators of repealing the 14th amendment would, over the next ten years, actually increase illegal immigration by another 5 million people.
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09/03/10 A new study about the effects of immigration on U.S. employment supports the long-standing arguments of immigration advocates: Rather than displacing American workers, immigrant labor actually makes our economy stronger. Kevin Drum has the details at Mother Jones.
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04/08/10 This post is a weekly feature by Erin Rosa, Media Consortium Blogger: According to a recent study described by New America Media, passing comprehensive immigration reform and providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants  wouldn’t negatively impact the job market for those who are already citizens. This is one of many myths promoted by [...]
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01/12/10 Under the EB-5 visa program, which was established in 1990, immigrants who have created at least 10 US jobs with their investment of $500,000 - $1 million can be granted legal permanent residency. An appropriate thank you, don't you think, for those who are creating jobs in a country desperately in need of them? According to the Washington Post , the number of immigrants taking advantage of the program tripled from 1,443 in 2008 to 4,218 in 2009, partly because the recession motivated the government to streamline often slow-moving procedures -- and the benefits of doing so have been tremendous.
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09/30/09 Today the Senate Finance Committee is considering several key amendments on immigration to the current health insurance reform legislation. The worst amendments are sponsored by Senators Kyl (R-AZ), Grassley (R-IA) and Ensign (R-NV). Check out this alert by reform advocates working on the intersection of healthcare and immigration policy -- please take a moment to call your Senators now to oppose amendments that are bad policy for all Americans.
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09/10/09 It's obvious that the specter of ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is being used by politicians like Rep. Joe Wilson as a divisive wedge issue-- he has become a mouthpiece for groups whose main agendas are rooted in white nationalism, fear, and xenophobia. One such organization is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), classified as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. FAIR has been lobbying Congress for years now and is storming DC this week for its annual "Hold Their Feet To The Fire" lobby days. Take Action!
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09/09/09 Taking a cue from the "tea parties" and rowdy "townhalls" this summer, perhaps, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted, "You lie!" at President Obama during his speech last night. According to the Associated Press: "OBAMA: "The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." One congressman, South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson, shouted "You lie!" from his seat in the House chamber when Obama made this assertion. Wilson later apologized."
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09/02/09 Immigration Policy Center just released a new report by Senior Researcher Walter Ewing that injects "a healthy dose of economic realism" into the debate over how the government should handle the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country. According to Ewing, our current economic situation needs immigration reform that helps rather than hurts the US economy, and so he lists three potential changes in immigration policy and compares their economic impact – leaving aside the moral and civil issues that surround various options.
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06/03/09 New public opinion research by Lake Research Partners showed up in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, ripping to shreds the conventional wisdom that immigration reform can't happen in a down economy: "If anything, the economic climate has actually improved the environment for immigration reform, at least as far as the public is concerned," said Celinda Lake, who heads Lake Research Partners."
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04/27/09 As usual, right-wing media is off blaming immigrants for everything wrong with the world. To recap: yes, swine flu is wreaking havoc in Mexico and has taken over a hundred lives there. Yes, it is a major disaster that needs to be tracked, treated, and contained - and our government is working to do that. But no, Michelle Malkin, this dreaded flu is not the fault of immigrants living in our nation.
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04/15/09 Well, yesterday was a new day. Yesterday's news that organized labor has joined forces to push for comprehensive reform highlights the important link between comprehensive immigration reform, the economy, and worker protection. As the New York Times argued so succinctly yesterday: Even in a bad economy - especially in a bad economy - getting undocumented immigrants on the right side of the law only makes sense.
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04/13/09 Today the Immigration Policy Center brought together key economic experts to dispel the most stubborn myths surrounding immigrants and the economy. Immigration Impact's Andrea Nill explains why real immigration reform would benefit all Americans: "Moving forward with comprehensive immigration reform will ensure that all workers are here legally, will punish unscrupulous employers who undercut their honest competitors, and will restore integrity to the labor market. It will lift wages for workers, ensure all workers are paying taxes, and restore fairness to our immigration system." Sound to good to be true?
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03/24/09 The Washington Post's George Will has a great column on Police Chief Jack Harris, who argues that Washington's failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform directly affects his ability to fight crime in Phoenix. 'For now, the U.S. "has turned immigration policy over to Mexican thugs." So, we have reached a point at which barbed wire, car batteries and acid become the business tools of kidnapper-torturer-extortionists.'
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03/13/09 Factcheck.org has a good analysis of this wide-spread misinformation campaign by restrictionist groups like the Center for Immigration Studies: "Q: Will 300,000 illegal immigrants get construction jobs through the stimulus package? A: There's no way of knowing how many illegal immigrants may or may not end up with a job from stimulus funds. But this inflated estimate comes from conservative groups concerned about the absence of employee verification requirements in the final bill."
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03/05/09 In a new report published by the Immigration Policy Center, Debunking the Myth of Sanctuary Cities: Community Policing Policies Protect American Communities, I explain how opponents of comprehensive immigration reform have pushed a dangerous policy that would alienate immigrant crime victims from state and local police, a policy that would make entire communities less safe. These politicians share the same worldview as notorious Latino residents of Maricopa County who have committed no crimes into Public Enemy Number One, while thousands of outstanding felony warrants languish on his desk.
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09/25/08 Just when we thought we already had enough problems with the Wall Street fiasco, in walks Michelle Malkin. The right-wing blogger and television loudmouth has given us a new group to point fingers at. That's right, the current Wall Street meltdown has nothing to do with government ineptitude or failure to stem corporate greed... "It's the immigrants, stupid!"
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