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A new bi-partisan approach to immigration reform is emerging in the U.S. Senate, as President Obama has signaled that this is one of his top priorities for his second term. But with a weak global economy and continued stagnation in the job market, immigrants have become the target of scrutiny in the United States and around the world. Brookings experts are examining the demographic, economic, social and political impact of immigration.
Rosa Ayala carries a Resident Alien placard during the International Workers Day and Immigration Reform March on May Day in Los Angeles, California (REUTERS/David McNew).
Blog Post
This Week in Immigration: Senate Markup
May 7, 2013, Nicole Prchal Svajlenka
Nicole Prchal Svajlenka gives a rundown of the latest week's news on the fast-moving issue of immigration policy and reform.
Refine by: H-1B Visas | Demographics | Race and Ethnicity | Internal Displacement
Expert Q & A | Diana Villiers Negroponte and Ted Piccone
May 2, 2013, Diana Villiers Negroponte and Ted Piccone
Interview
May 1, 2013, Joshua Meltzer, Diana Villiers Negroponte, Ted Piccone and Neil Ruiz
In the News
The political conditions have been the best in a number of years to actually pass comprehensive [immigration] reform but the Boston events already are emboldening critics ... It's going to slow down the process and in D.C. anytime you slow down the process it creates openings for critics to try to torpedo the overall legislation. April 19, 2013, Darrell M. West, Bloomberg
The political conditions have been the best in a number of years to actually pass comprehensive [immigration] reform but the Boston events already are emboldening critics ... It's going to slow down the process and in D.C. anytime you slow down the process it creates openings for critics to try to torpedo the overall legislation.
The question is, can we come up with a mechanism [for immigration] that allows us to have a more adjustable system over time and have more flexibility? April 13, 2013, Audrey Singer, Los Angeles Times
The question is, can we come up with a mechanism [for immigration] that allows us to have a more adjustable system over time and have more flexibility?
It seems like the stars are aligning and that this is best chance that we've seen in years [for immigration reform]. In particular, the signaling comes from people and places where there has been resistance before: Top Republican leaders are talking about legalization for people who are in the United States without status for the first time. Many businesses, labor, religious, and political leaders are voicing their concerns about not fixing our immigration and the harm that would do. I see this as a very ripe time. February 23, 2013, Audrey Singer, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
It seems like the stars are aligning and that this is best chance that we've seen in years [for immigration reform]. In particular, the signaling comes from people and places where there has been resistance before: Top Republican leaders are talking about legalization for people who are in the United States without status for the first time. Many businesses, labor, religious, and political leaders are voicing their concerns about not fixing our immigration and the harm that would do. I see this as a very ripe time.
What we haven’t really achieved in our system after decades of thinking about [immigration policy] is how to adjust the admissions policy to better suit our economic needs in something closer to real time. That is going to be part of the discussion in the next couple of months. Do we make changes based on some market demand, and how do we measure that? Do we set out knowing what we want and then adjust our policies? February 19, 2013, Audrey Singer, Bloomberg
What we haven’t really achieved in our system after decades of thinking about [immigration policy] is how to adjust the admissions policy to better suit our economic needs in something closer to real time. That is going to be part of the discussion in the next couple of months. Do we make changes based on some market demand, and how do we measure that? Do we set out knowing what we want and then adjust our policies?
[The H-1B visa issue] is not just an issue for Microsoft and Intel, it’s an issue for the American heartland. There are a lot of companies that need specialist skills, especially in STEM fields, and they just can’t find them locally so they have to search globally. —Neil Ruiz February 11, 2013, Financial Times
[The H-1B visa issue] is not just an issue for Microsoft and Intel, it’s an issue for the American heartland. There are a lot of companies that need specialist skills, especially in STEM fields, and they just can’t find them locally so they have to search globally. —Neil Ruiz
It’s always been a really contentious issue—what to do about people who are here without legal status. There are a lot of people who have really well-formulated opinions about the border and illegal immigration, and it’s really hard to change their points of view, and so [legalization] is seen as contributing to the problem rather than contributing to a solution. February 4, 2013, Audrey Singer, The Town Talk
It’s always been a really contentious issue—what to do about people who are here without legal status. There are a lot of people who have really well-formulated opinions about the border and illegal immigration, and it’s really hard to change their points of view, and so [legalization] is seen as contributing to the problem rather than contributing to a solution.
Interview | National Journal
January 30, 2013, William H. Frey
We need to have an immigration policy that recognizes the labor-force needs of this country, whatever they are. Clearly, we focus on the high-skilled workers because they have the greatest productivity for the economy. But low-skilled jobs are important, too. As we get a bigger middle-class population, we will need people to work in many of those lower-skilled jobs which may not be filled with our existing population. January 30, 2013, William H. Frey, National Journal
We need to have an immigration policy that recognizes the labor-force needs of this country, whatever they are. Clearly, we focus on the high-skilled workers because they have the greatest productivity for the economy. But low-skilled jobs are important, too. As we get a bigger middle-class population, we will need people to work in many of those lower-skilled jobs which may not be filled with our existing population.
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Audrey Singer
Senior Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program
"The question is, can we come up with a mechanism [for immigration] that allows us to have a more adjustable system over time and have more flexibility?"
Source: Los Angeles Times
William H. Frey
Darrell M. West
Vice President and Director, Governance Studies
Founding Director, Center for Technology Innovation
@DarrWest
Michael Greenstone
Director, The Hamilton Project
Senior Fellow, Economic Studies
Adam Looney
Policy Director, The Hamilton Project