Immigration and America's Future

by Meissner, Doris; Meyers, Deborah W.; Papademetriou, Demetrios G.; Fix, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780974281933
• ISBN10: 097428193X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-10
• Publisher: Migration Policy Inst

Summary

Immigration is both the oldest and newest story of the American experience. Immigration has helped define the United States, enable growth and prosperity, and shape a dynamic society. Yet just as it has been a vital ingredient in America's success, it generates changes that can be unsettling and divisive.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
List of Task Force Members	xi
Executive Summary	xiii
Preface	xxi
Introduction	1	(2)
Why Is Immigration Important?	3	(16)
The economy and demography of the 21st century	3	(9)
Immigration and the identity of the country	12	(3)
Foreign policy and national security	15	(4)
What Is Wrong with US Immigration Policy and Practice?	19	(8)
Illegal immigration	19	(2)
Temporary immigration	21	(1)
The legal immigration selection system	22	(2)
Filling a vacuum: state and local roles	24	(3)
An Immigration Policy and System for the 21st Century	27	(4)
The current debate	27	(1)
New assumptions	28	(3)
Attracting the Immigrants the United States Wants and Needs	31	(14)
Numbers and categories of immigration	31	(10)
Flexibility in the immigration system: The Standing Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets	41	(4)
Enforcing the Rules	45	(26)
Employer verification	45	(8)
Enforcement at US borders	53	(9)
Immigration enforcement and national security	62	(2)
Protecting workers	64	(3)
Other enforcement	67	(4)
Immigrant Integration	71	(10)
Integration policy challenges	71	(6)
The unauthorized population	77	(4)
Strengthening Institutional Capacity	81	(6)
Policy processes and interagency coordination	81	(3)
Policy information	84	(1)
Implementing new mandates	84	(3)
The Regional Context of Immigration	87	(8)
Economic development	88	(2)
Migration management	90	(5)
Notes	95	(12)
Task Force Member Biographies	107	(10)
Appendices	117	(26)
Member Comments	143	(8)
Dissenting Comment	151	(2)
About the Convening Institutions	153