The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (LINK)

A new study from the Center for American Progress quantifies the benefits to the U.S. economy of Comprehensive Immigration Reform and shows how it can actually help in raising wages for all American workers and in jump-starting the economy even in a recession.  Using hard data to create an econometric model, it estimates the economic ramifications of three different scenarios -- including mass deportation of all undocumented immigrants.


The study finds that mass deportation is the worst scenario for the U. S. economy, reducing U.S. Gross Domestic Product by $2.6 trillion over 10 years not including the substantial actual cost of deportation of 12 million people. Wages would rise for less-skilled native-born workers, but would diminish for higher-skilled native-born workers.  This scenario would also lead to widespread job loss.



By contrast, implementing Comprehensive Immigration Reform generates an increase in U.S. GDP of at least at least $1.5 trillion summed over 10 years.  It also boosts wages for both native-born and newly legalized
immigrant workers.

Pope Benedict comments on immigrant rights (LINK)

In remarks last Sunday about immigrant problems in Italy, Pope Benedict said, "An immigrant is a human being, different in origin, culture, and tradition, but he is a person to respect, with rights and duties."  The Pope also criticized the "exploitation of immigrants."

No Amnesty in Proposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation

In 1986 President Ronald Reagan* got Congress to pass an amnesty for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. at that time.  Because of that, many people believe that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is another plan to grant amnesty to undocumented immigrants now living in the U.S. Indeed the media even sometimes portrays Comprehensive Immigration Reform as amnesty.  But it is not amnesty.

According to Merriam-Webster, amnesty is “an act of an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals.”  Pardon is “the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty.”  

However, Comprehensive Immigration Reform would exact a penalty -- undocumented immigrants would be required to pay a fine for breaking the law.  In addition, they would be required to:

• Pay any back taxes (in fact, 50-75% of undocumented immigrants already pay taxes)
• Pass a criminal background check (during the immigration peak, U.S. crime dropped over 30%)
• Learn English
• Have a job
  

The real question then is who pays the penalty.  Under Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the undocumented immigrant must pay the fine.  Without Comprehensive Immigration Reform, we, the taxpayer, pay the cost of deporting undocumented immigrants.   That costs the U.S. taxpayer well over $1 billion per year -- the cost during the peak deportation year when 300,000 undocumented immigrants were deported.  And, at that rate, the last of the 12 million undocumented immigrants here now will be deported in 40 years.

Of course, without the border protections and employer penalties for hiring undocumented immigrants that are also part of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, there will be many more undocumented immigrants who will have come into the U.S. over that period.

While justice and compassion are good reasons to support Comprehensive Immigration Reform, simple economics adds a more pragmatic reason.

* As an individual, Ronald Reagan was very convinced of the benefits of immigration, even undocumented.  "This view was apparent in Reagan's public statements well before he became President. In one of his radio addresses, in November 1977, he wondered about what he called 'the illegal alien fuss. Are great numbers of our unemployed really victims of the illegal alien invasion, or are those illegal tourists actually doing work our own people won't do? One thing is certain in this hungry world: No regulation or law should be allowed if it results in crops rotting in the fields for lack of harvesters.' As a Californian, Reagan understood the role of immigrant labor in agriculture." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114773982558453625.html)

Hope...and a Challenge (LINK)

In its lead editorial today (January 6, 2010), The New York Times notes that "The quest for overhauling immigration received two very welcome lifts on New Year's Day."  (For the full text, click on the subject line.)

First, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged at his inauguration to help the Obama administration pass immigration reform.  He said, "No city on earth has been more rewarded by immigrant labor, more renewed by immigrant ideas, more revitalized by immigrant culture."  As The Times suggests, we could easily substitute our "country" in Mayor Bloomberg's statement and it would be every bit as true.

Second, The Times highlighted four immigrant college students who are walking from Miami, Florida to Washington, DC to bring attention to the problems of immigrant children who are denied or have problems securing a college education even if they are very highly qualified.  These young people are denied simply because their parents are undocumented (even though the student may be a U.S. citizen) or they were brought here at an early age and are themselves undocumented but want to become U.S. citizens.

As the editorial notes, comprehensive immigration reform would resolve these injustices not by some broad "amnesty" as its opponents like to say, but by creating a pathway to legalization that requires the undocumented immigrant already living in the U.S. to "show they have been employed, pay a $500 fine, learn English and undergo a criminal background check" in addition to paying any back taxes.  It also notes that this "is not a question of adding new people to the work force; they are already here, many helping keep the economy afloat while tolerating low pay and abuse from lawbreaking employers who prefer them to American workers." 

In sum, "America needs to shut the path to illegal entry and employment while opening smoother and more rational routes to legal immigration."

However, The Christian Science Monitor yesterday reported on "Opponents on immigration reform gear up for forthcoming battle" (http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0105/Opponents-on-immigration-reform-gear-up-for-forthcoming-battle).  Noting that "Immigration reform is far down on Washington's 'to do' list, after healthcare reform, the Afghanistan war, and job creation." it also reports that "outside the Beltway, in America's community centers and protest venues, you'd think someone had already pushed the hot button to bring this always-simmering issue to a boil."  For example, on November 14, 2009, 50 "Tea Party Against Amnesty and Illegal Immigration" rallies were held around the U.S.

Countering that, however, pro-Reform groups held 900 "house parties" (including one here at St. Anthony of Padua) nationwide.  As pollster Peter Brodnitz has found in his recent polling, "Americans have a more knowledgeable and nuanced opinion than they did a few years ago."  His most recent poll "...found that 86 percent of American voters given details of comprehensive reform want Congress to pass a plan."  The challenge for those supporting immigration reform is to reach out and educate our communities about the details of comprehensive reform.

Ireland Supports U.S. Effort for Immigration Reform (LINK)

Late last year, speaking at the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary in New York City, Ireland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Michael Martin, asked those of Irish ancestry in the U.S. to "rally around immigration reform."  With an estimated 50,000 undocumented immigrants from Ireland in the U.S., Mr. Martin noted that "The Irish government has articulated our concerns to Obama himself.  And there's a need for the [Irish] community here to be supportive."  He noted that a large number of the undocumented Irish immigrants are university graduates.  The Irish government is hopeful that reform might take place in the first three months of 2010, and the question of undocumented Irish will be part of a comprehensive review of the immigration system.  For more information about undocumented Irish immigrants, click here:  http://legalizetheirish.org

Virginia Association of Counties Supports Comprehensive Immigration Reform

At the November 2009 meeting of the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo), which represents 95 counties in Virginia, approved a position statement supporting Federal Comprehensive Immigration Reform.  The statement was approved unanimously and will be part of VACo's Legislative Program for 2010.  VACo's mission is to "support county officials and to effectively represent, promote and protect the
interests of counties to better serve all the people of Virginia."  Among other things, VACo is also "an effective force representing local governments at the state and national levels in legislative and regulatory processes."

House Bill for Immigration Reform Introduced by Rep. Gutierrez (LINK)

Yesterday, Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (H.R. 4321), co-sponsored with over 90 other members of the House of Representatives.  (Similar legislation is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Senator Charles Schumer of New York in January.)  In his statement, Rep. Gutierrez noted some key points:

• "This bill is not complicated...It keeps families together, but understands we must secure our borders.  It keeps people working, but understands the needs of our economy.  It gives a pathway to citizenship, but understands that immigrants must learn English, pay taxes and contribute to their communities."
• "The immigrant blame game wants us to forget that immigrants are just people...just people trying to do their best.  But immigrants are different in one important way.  They desperately want something that far too many of us take for granted.  They want to be Americans."
• "In the immigration debate, some things are constant...One is that opponents of immigration reform will use it as a wedge issue and will blame everything from unemployment to rising health care costs on immigrants."