American Immigrant Policy Portal
Newsletter 
Click here to visit the Portal January/2017
In This Issue

   
Research to Inform Policy and Practice   
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.


As a new administration takes over in the United States, with the stated intention of revisiting and reforming immigration policy -- but without apparent knowledge of research available to support policy development in this area -- the importance of the Portal's effort to publicize pertinent research cannot be overstated. This month 's additions to the Portal are a case in point.

The McKinsey Global Institute, for example, finds that the world's 247 million migrants were responsible for 9.4 percent of global GDP, including a $2 trillion gain in GDP in the U.S. Moreover, in its review of more
than 40 studies on the impact of immigration on the wages and employment of native -born workers in the U.S., the McKinsey report found little evidence  of adverse affects. 

Several studies this month provide fresh thinking on the subject of undocumented migration. Rutgers Law School Professor Linda Bosniak critiques the concept of "wrongfulness" in irregular migration, a perspective with obvious implications for DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants. Northeastern University's Sara Kominers looks at the growing number of people in the U.S. who are "lawfully present" but without legal status and access to safety net services and hence vulnerable to "caste-like discrimination." Edwards and Ortega quantify the devastating impact of any kind of mass deportation program on specific industries, including the leisure and hospitality sector which could expect to lose $30-$40 billion in the short term.

Finally, Jacqueline Hagan, writing for the American Immigration Council, questions the distinction between "skilled" and "unskilled" immigrant labor, finding evidence that immigrants without high school degrees who work in agriculture, construction, or the hospitality industry bring "substantial informal skills" to the U.S. labor market.  Other studies this month emphasize the importance of programs and policies to promote the integration of immigrants into the economic, civic, and political life of the country.
 
NewResearchNew Public Policy Research and Reports




  
 
lcLatest Commentary
 
 
A selection of recent OpEds from immigration researchers and major opinion leaders




 
January 14, 2017
The world needs a new strategy to tackle the migration crisis
William Lacy Swing, The Guardian
Read More

January 12, 2017
Diverse Metros Mean Higher Wages for All
Tanvi Misra, Citylab, The Atlantic
Read More

January 10, 2017
The High Cost of Closed Borders
Richard Florida, Citylab, The Atlantic
Read More

January 3, 2017
Why Trump's plan to deport criminal noncitizens won't work
Kari Hong, The Washington Post
Read More

December 28, 2016
Canada's sanctuary for migrants is built on a strict immigration policy
Paul May, LA Times
Read More

December 28, 2016
Faster Growth? Two Things Trump Supporters Won't Like
Neil Irwin, The New York Times
Read More

December 27, 2016
The numbers don't lie, but anti-immigration radicals do
Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post
Read More

Like us on Facebook
View our videos on YouTube
The Portal is a project of Diversity Dynamics, LLC, in association with the Center for International Social Work, School of Social Work, Rutgers University, and the Immigrant Learning Center, Inc., Public Education Institute, Malden, MA. Please send content suggestions for the Portal, including events of interest, to: mail@usdiversitydynamiccs.com. No endorsements implied for research, opinions, resources or events featured on the Portal.