April 30th, 2012 at 2:12 pm » Comments (0)

For Immediate Release
April 30, 2012

Washington D.C. - In the past week, news has spread that migration from Mexico has hit net zero. The Pew Hispanic Center reported that the number of Mexicans coming into the United States is equivalent to the number who leave the country. Pew assumes that most Mexicans who leave are doing so as a result of the bad U.S. economy, increased job opportunities at home, and ramped up deportations. However, for the approximately three-fifths of unauthorized immigrants who have been here for more than a decade, and the unauthorized parents of 4.5 million native-born, U.S.-citizen children, the calculation is very different.

Today, the Immigration Policy Center releases, The Myth of Self-Deportation: How Behavioral Economics Reveals the Fallacies behind “Attrition through Enforcement by Alexandra Filindra, Ph.D., a professor of behavioral economics who argues that those unauthorized immigrants who have put down substantial roots in the United States are unlikely to leave. In fact, preliminary evidence from studies conducted in states where strong enforcement laws have been enacted shows that immigration restrictionists have gotten it wrong. Immigrant populations in these states have remained in place and the predicted exodus has never materialized. This report uses important research findings from cognitive psychology and behavioral economics to explain why people do not behave the way that immigration restrictionists expect them to.

To view the report in its entirety, see:

•  The Myth of Self-Deportation: How Behavioral Economics Reveals the Fallacies behind “Attrition through Enforcement by Alexandra Filinda, Ph.D. (IPC Special Report, April, 2012)

•  Study Shows Self-Deportation is Irrational Behavior and a False Premise (Blog Post,ImmigrationImpact.com, April 30, 2012)

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For more information, contact Wendy Sefsaf at wsefsaf@immcouncil.org or 202-507-7524.

April 30th, 2012 at 9:27 am » Comments (0)

Latinos in the United States are a diverse and fast-growing group that is amassing considerable economic and political power. As data from the 2010 Census and other sources demonstrate, Latinos now account for one-sixth of the U.S. population. Most Latinos were born in this country, but over one-third are immigrants. Latinos as a whole (both foreign-born and native-born) are sizeable shares of the population and electorate in New Mexico, California, and Texas, but the fastest growing Latino populations are in South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. Read more..

April 30th, 2012 at 9:25 am » Comments (0)

Almost two years to the day after Arizona enacted the notorious immigration law known as SB 1070, the Supreme Court heard arguments in what could be the first of many cases over the validity of the measure. Although most critics of the law have focused on its potential for civil rights violations, the only question before the Justices was whether federal immigration laws “preempt” four provisions of SB 1070 that were blocked by lower courts. While the ultimate fate of those provisions will not be known until a ruling is announced, a few preliminary observations can be made based on the questions posed by the Justices. Read  more…

April 30th, 2012 at 9:23 am » Comments (0)

In a move that brought together an unusual group of allies, Nebraska’s Republican-controlled legislature recently upheld a bill that allows undocumented pregnant women to access state-funded prenatal care, overriding a veto by Republican Governor Dave Heineman. Nebraska Right to Life, Nebraska Catholic Conference, Planned Parenthood, and Nebraska Appleseed actually came together to support LB599, a bill the governor worked hard to kill. Why would Gov. Heineman, a man who describes himself as the one of the most pro-life governors in America, oppose a bill that helps protect unborn children? Because, as the New York Times put it, he believes “government-financed health care for poor women is an acceptable thing, unless the women were in violation of immigration laws, in which case it was a terrible waste of taxpayer dollars.” Read more..

April 30th, 2012 at 9:21 am » Comments (0)

North Carolina Medical Journal 72:466-470, 2012.

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are essential to North Carolina agriculture, yet they experience major health risks. This commentary describes the characteristics of North Carolina farmworkers, important hazards they face, and the status of regulatory protections. Finally, it presents a summary of policy needed to protect the health of farmworkers. Read more…