Breaking the Immigration Stalemate

The Obama administration has committed to tackling immigration reform. But despite all the problems of our current system—threats to the rule of law, exploitation of vulnerable newcomers, real and perceived competition with Americans for jobs and public resources—reform will be exceedingly difficult. To break this stalemate, the Brookings-Duke Immigration Policy Roundtable is proposing six policy changes, including emphasizing enforcement at the workplace, setting standards for the legalization of illegal immigrants and establishing an independent Standing Commission on Immigration.

On October 6, Brookings hosted an event to release the report and to discuss the proposals and potential pitfalls to achieving them. The report is the result of months of deliberation by the roundtable, a joint project of Brookings and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. Roundtable members represent a broad spectrum of conflicting views from across the “pro-immigration” and “restrictionist” divide, but have nonetheless come together in support of a single set of recommendations.

After the program, panelists took audience questions.