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Immigration Legislation

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The State of the Union 2013

The 2013 SOTU address will be remembered for its impassioned call for greater gun control just two months after Sandy Hook. But President Obama's second-term agenda can be characterized by its sheer breadth, reflecting the broad range of policy challenges facing the U.S. today.

Feb 13, 2013
Commentary

Legalization and Border Security: Are We There Yet?

The White House and a bipartisan group of senators recently unveiled proposals for comprehensive immigration reform. The proposal raises a number of questions, says Peter Brownell: How would success in securing the border actually be determined? Would it mean absolutely zero unauthorized immigration across U.S. borders?

Feb 7, 2013
Blog

Potential Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants Takes Shape

A group of U.S. Senators this week unveiled a proposal to reform the nation's immigration laws, outlining a path to citizenship for most of the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and endorsing an increase of certain types of foreign-born workers.

Jan 31, 2013
Research Brief

How Can Economic and Political Ties Between U.S. and Mexico be Strengthened? (Spanish translation)

This study identifies areas that are negatively affecting U.S.-Mexico relations and suggests that the two countries might take a binational approach to improving their long-term partnership.

Jan 25, 2013
Multimedia

Immigration Reform Gathers Steam

In this recent conference call with RAND Media Relations Director Jeffrey Hiday, James P. Smith, the RAND Distinguished Chair in Labor Markets and Demographic Studies, provided an overview of the economic consequences of immigration. About 40 million residents of the United States are foreign born, accounting for about 13 percent of the nation's population.

Jan 11, 2013
Research Brief

How Can Economic and Political Ties Between the United States and Mexico Be Strengthened?

This study identifies areas that are negatively affecting U.S.-Mexico relations and suggests that the two countries might take a binational approach to improving their long-term partnership.

Nov 27, 2012
Commentary

Immigration Needs a Hybrid Fix

Is there a way out of the dilemma? I think there is: a simultaneous combination of a pathway to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants already here and a serious commitment to enforce the law without ambiguity in the future, writes James P. Smith.

Nov 2, 2012
Journal Article

State and Local Law Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws

There are two sides of the debate over whether or not state and local enforcement of federal immigration laws is effective and appropriate.

Nov 1, 2012
Blog

Farsighted Leadership in a Shortsighted World: 9 Issues That Deserve Attention During the 2012 U.S. Presidential Debates and Beyond

For nearly 65 years, RAND has cultivated the farsighted perspectives required to address the big, long-term public policy issues. In an effort to look beyond the 2012 U.S. election and promote “farsighted leadership in a shortsighted world,” the latest edition of the RAND Corporation’s magazine offers commentaries that transcend partisan rhetoric and foster policies that both presidential candidates could well accept.

Sep 24, 2012
News Release

RAND Review Election Coverage Points to Policies of 'Farsighted Leadership'

In an effort to look beyond the 2012 U.S. election and promote "farsighted leadership in a shortsighted world," the latest edition of the RAND Corporation's magazine offers commentaries intended to transcend partisan rhetoric and foster policies that both presidential candidates could well accept.

Sep 21, 2012
Periodical

RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 2, Fall 2012

The cover story focuses on nine key issues in the 2012 U.S. presidential election: income inequality, health care costs, immigration reform, energy options, education, al Qaeda, Iraq, democratization in the Middle East, and China.

Sep 21, 2012
Report

United States and Mexico: Ties That Bind, Issues That Divide

This binational reference for U.S. and Mexican policymakers presents the interrelated issues of Mexican immigration to the United States and Mexico's economic and social development.

Apr 11, 2012
Project

Examining the Potential Impact of Alabama's Immigration Law

Alabama's anti-illegal immigration law is regarded as the strictest in the United States and raises several enforcement challenges for police, schools, and other public service providers such as hospitals. RAND research on the costs and benefits of immigration may prove instructive.

Feb 27, 2012
Journal Article

Budgeting for Immigration Enforcement: A Path to Better Performance

Budgeting for Immigration Enforcement addresses how to improve budgeting for the federal immigration enforcement system, specifically focusing on the parts of that system that are operated and funded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Jan 1, 2011
News Release

Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws at the State and Local Levels

Encouraging state and local law enforcement agencies to help enforce federal immigration laws could help identify out-of-status immigrants eligible for deportation, but may also have unintended consequences.

Apr 29, 2010
Report

Enforcing Immigration Law at the State and Local Levels: A Public Policy Dilemma

Encouraging state and local law enforcement agencies to help enforce federal immigration laws could help identify out-of-status immigrants eligible for deportation, but these efforts come with concerns about the potential for racial profiling, strained community relations, and improper resource allocation.

Apr 15, 2010
Journal Article

Supply of and Demand for Skilled Labor in the United States

Skilled immigration into developed countries and competition for talent and professional skills are of major concern among nations today.

Jan 1, 2009
Report

The Cautious Welcome: The Legalization Programs of the Immigration Reform and Control Act

This report chronicles the design, implementation, and outcomes of the legalization provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). These provisions, representing IRCA's inclusionary aspects, allow certain types of undocumented i...

Jan 1, 1990
People

Ingrid Estrada-Darley

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND; Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Education M.S.W. in community organizing, planning & administration; child welfare, University of Southern California; B.S. in psychobiology, University of California, Los Angeles
People

Douglas C. Ligor

Senior Behavioral/Social Scientist
Education J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law; B.S. in economics, United States Military Academy, West Point

RAND Topic:
Immigration Legislation

Topic Synonyms:
Immigration Law;
Migration Law