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
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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.
