American Immigrant Policy Portal Update, February 2021

American Immigrant Policy Portal

Newsletter

February, 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

Employment and Labor Issues

MPI report examines where immigrants and their children fit into both "jobs of the future" and "declining jobs," and urges workforce professionals to help immigrant-origin workers overcome disadvantages in the job market

Russell Sage Foundation report raises concerns over the increase in the number of temporary migrant workers in the U.S., who are often forced to endure exploitive working conditions

MPI report weights the relative advantages of family-based immigration vs. employment-based immigration

Human Services (General)

Study analyzes the monetary costs to families and communities when someone is arrested for an immigration violation and suggests ways that local governments can mitigate these costs

Human Services (Health Care)

Giving historical examples of "othering" in the etiology of diseases, researcher examines the racialization of diseases in American migration policy and in the global health law regime

Intergroup Relations

Study of public opinion in the U.S. finds more support for President Biden's immigration policies than those of former President Trump

In an analysis of public messaging on immigration, researchers find that "assimilation-primed" subjects are more inclined to support immigration than those prepped with messages on the value of diversity or the economic importance of immigration

Harvard researchers suggest that cultural concerns about immigration, rather than economic, have fueled the spread of far-right ideology in the U.S.

Law Enforcement

Report finds that 83 percent of non-detained immigrants attended their court hearings between 2008 and 2018

CATO study finds that criminal conviction rates for unauthorized immigrants in Texas were 42 percent lower than for native-born people, raising questions as to the efficacy of immigration enforcement to lower crime rates

Local Government

Chicago Council report describes the inclusive policies adopted by the City of Chicago and regional authorities to facilitate the integration of immigrants

State Government

New Jersey issues report reviewing the accomplishments of its Office of New Americans during its first year of operations and outlining plans for the future

Refugee and Asylee Issues

IRAP report chronicles how the U.S. refugee program was decimated by the "extreme vetting" procedures implemented by the Trump administration and recommends steps to rebuild the program on a stronger foundation

National Perspectives/Immigration Policy

MPI report finds fault with the attorney-general's "referral and review" power in immigration matters and supports legislation to consolidate immigration policymaking authority within the Department of Homeland Security

New American Economy puts forth 21 immigration reform ideas for 2021, including data and references supporting the soundness of each idea

Forum report urges the recission of former President Trump's travel and refugee bans, while retaining the tools developed by his administration to evaluate the identity management and information-sharing practices of other countries

MPI publishes a profile of the international student population in the United States, covering topics such as countries of origin, regional distribution, and economic impact

LATEST NEWS AND COMMENTARY

Featuring a selection of recent Op-eds from

Immigration researchers and major opinion leaders

February 23, 2021

The blind spot in the immigration debate

Ronald Brownstein, CNN Politics

February 19, 2021

The Border Mess That Trump Left Behind

Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic

February 17, 2021

Visa changes face tougher road in immigration overhaul efforts,

Suzanne Monyak, Roll Call

February 10, 2021

On immigration expansion, go slow and steady, one step at a time

Karthick Ramakrishnan & Allan Colbern, LA Times

February 15, 2021

Immigration Hard-Liner Files Reveal 40-Year Bid Behind Trump's Census Obsession

Hansi Lo Wang, NPR

February 11, 2021

Dems prepare for heartburn over Biden immigration plan

Heather Caygle et al, Politico

February 8, 2021

The Race to Dismantle Trump's Immigration Policies

Sarah Stillman, The New Yorker

February 8, 2021

A Plan B for Immigration Reform

Jorge Ramos, The New York Times

February 5, 2021

Biden's new orders seem bold. For most immigrants, they don't change much

Felipe De La Hoz, The Washington Post

February 5, 2021

What should be the consequences for illegal immigration?

Joseph Chamie, The Hill

February 4, 2021

New Research Makes Case For Increasing Immigration

Stuart Anderson, Forbes

R ead More

February 2, 2021

Trump Didn't Actually Accomplish Much on Immigration

Justin Fox, Bloomberg Opinion

February 1, 2021

Unclogging the nation's immigration court system

Greg Chen & Peter L. Markowitz, The Hill

January 29, 2021

Let's Not Blow This Chance to Fix Immigration

Vivek Wadhwa & Alex Salkever, Foreign Policy

January 26, 2021

Biden open to breaking his immigration bill into pieces

Laura Barron-Lopez et al, Politico

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.