American Immigrant Policy Portal Update, April 2021

American Immigrant Policy Portal

Newsletter

April, 2021

Research to Inform Policy, Practice, and Advocacy on

Migration-Related Issues

Policy-related reports, studies, and information about the challenge and promise of immigrant integration. Materials organized by collection topic.

Click on headlines for abstracts and links.

New Public Policy Research and Reports

Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Immigration

National Immigration Forum paper argues that legal immigration levels should be increased to avoid the dire economic consequences of falling birth rates and a rapidly aging population

Employment and Labor Issues

While arguing for expansion of the H-2B temporary worker program, CATO paper asserts that the costs and complexity of the program are a disincentive for many employers and need to be reduced

Paper from the Bipartisan Policy Center reviews the purpose, history, and deficiencies of the H-2B temporary visa program

EPI paper argues against increasing the number of H-2B temporary work visas until domestic unemployment rates are reduced and program abuses are eliminated

Upwardly Global publishes report urging a series of legislative and administrative steps to reduce barriers facing internationally trained immigrants and refugees

Intergroup Relations

Paper in Science Magazine argues that a different form of social capital is necessary in ethnically diverse societies

Paper from the American Immigration Council examines the underlying "sacred" beliefs that are predictive of pro- or anti-immigration attitudes and suggests that finding common ground on core values, rather than any kind of cost-benefit analysis of immigration, might be a better starting point for dialogue on immigration policy

Law Enforcement

Paper from the Bipartisan Policy Center examines alternatives to detention (ATD) programs in other countries and finds that they have high compliance rates and relatively low cost

United Nations report urges governments to release immigrants from detention to combat the COVID crisis and cites best practices in non-custodial, community-based care from other countries

Refugee and Asylee Issues

Paper suggests ways that higher education institutions can create educational opportunities for at-risk refugee students

CMS report examines a less publicized family separation crisis, i.e. the dilemma of asylum applicants with family members in other countries, whose asylum applications are in limbo because of the Trump era "last-in, first-out" policy, and who remain separated from family members for prolonged periods

Paper discusses how developed countries, through a strategy of "distancing refugees," have shifted responsibility for the world's refugees and asylum seekers to less developed countries

Global Perspectives

MPI paper examines the impact of climate change -- specifically years of drought in Central America -- on the decision of farmers in Guatemala to migrate, and suggests steps that can be taken to help them adapt to changing agricultural conditions

LATEST NEWS AND COMMENTARY

Featuring a selection of recent Op-eds from

Immigration researchers and major opinion leaders

May, 2021

America Never Wanted the Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses

Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic

April 16, 2021

Immigration is a defining asset of the United States. Here's how to restore confidence in our system

George W. Bush, The Washington Post

April 14, 2021

The Sensible Border Fix Protectionists Will Hate

Noah Smith, Bloomberg Opinion

April 14, 2021

What Tom Friedman misses about our current immigration challenges

Greg Sargent, The Washington Post

April 13, 2021

We Need a High Wall With a Big Gate on the Southern Border

Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times

April 12, 2021

Huge Trump-era and pandemic immigrant visa backlog poses challenge for Biden

Bob Ortega, CNN Investigates

April 5, 2021

The border can't be our only concern. The U.S. needs an immigrant integration policy

Francisco Lara-Garcia, Los Angeles Times

April 9, 2021

New Immigration Policy Is Opening Doors for Mixed-Status Families

Sasha Abramsky, The Nation

April 7, 2021

Immigration bill would help keep STEM grad students in U.S. -- but must include more majors

Christopher L. Eisgruber & Robert J. Jones, ROI-NJ

April 6, 2021

'Fixing' the immigration crisis: The decisive point

Geoffrey S. Corn & Alyssa N. Shallenberger, The Hill

April 5, 2021

Why American farms need immigration reform

Danilo Zak, The Hill

March 18, 2021

Immigration is Not a "Crisis"

Pedro Gerson, Slate

March 16, 2021

When Americans recall their roots, they open up to immigration

Claire L. Adida & Adreline Lo, The Conversation

March 2, 2021

Immigration: What We've Done, What We Must Do

Allison Brownell Tirres, Public Books

The Portal is a project of Diversity Dynamics, LLC, in association with the Immigrant Learning Center, Public Education Institute, Malden, MA. We salute the dedicated work of our panel of volunteer content area experts who help to write our research abstracts. Please send content suggestions for the Portal, including events of interest, to: mail@usdiversitydynamics.com. We welcome inquiries from new volunteers. No endorsements implied for research, opinions, resources or events featured on the Portal.