State Dept. Made the Right Call on FY2020 Refugee Admissions

By Eric Ruark

The State Department last week released its ceiling for refugee admissions for FY2020. Set at 18,000, the ceiling is just above half of the 30,000 admissions in FY2019 and well below the ten-year admission average of 58,900. Criticism of the FY2020 ceiling, including the outcry by refugee resettlement organizations, are largely predicated on the idea … Continued

Opportunity Cost: Pricing Americans Out of the Market for Educational Opportunity

By Christy Shaw

You can hate it, you can love it, or be asking yourself where you stand right now on the idea of free college education for all. But regardless of how the actual accounting of such a national policy would ultimately succeed or fail, one thing is proving true for an already socialized education system that … Continued

Plenty of Evidence Reveals There Are Benefits AND Costs to Immigration

By Eric Ruark

Last month, the Center for Immigration Studies published a blog by Jason Richwine. Richwine, who knows well the debate over the economics of immigration, wrote: No fair reading of the literature could conclude that economists believe immigration has only costs or only benefits. Nevertheless, just about everything the American people are told by the corporate … Continued

We regard all U.S. citizens — foreign-born & natives — the same. THIS is home.

By Roy Beck

Shouts such as “holocaust” from one side and I want to urge all who seek a restored order at the border and a reduction in immigration numbers to avoid even a hint of nativism in response to the challenges at hand. {text} NUMBERSUSA OPPOSESnativist policies that favor native‐born U.S. citizens over foreign‐born U.S. citizens.”– From … Continued

Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act Only ‘Fair’ for a Handful of Countries

By Chris Chmielenski

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, 365-to-65. While the bill’s title includes the word “fair”, the bill, should it become law, would all but eliminate employment-based green cards for nationals from all but a handful of countries. The House passed the bill despite massive resistance from high-tech … Continued

Roberts Court Throws Census Citizenship Question in Doubt

By Eric Ruark

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that it was constitutional to include a question about citizenship on the census, and that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision to do so was “reasonable and reasonably explained.” The majority in a 5-4 decision, however, blocked the Commerce Department, the agency that conducts the decennial census, from asking about citizenship … Continued

Job Incentives That Kill

By Jeremy Beck

Pictures can move us in ways that words cannot and it is hard to find the right words for the photograph of Óscar Ramírez and his 23-month old daughter that went viral this week. Ramirez and his daughter, Valeria, drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande. Ramirez’s wife, who successfully crossed before them, reportedly watched … Continued

43’s 44% in 2004 – Zombie Exit Polling

By Andrew Good

Now that we are entering another presidential election cycle, the unfortunate recycling of dubious narratives is also beginning anew. The latest example is the Lazarushian claim that George W. Bush received 44% of the Hispanic vote in the 2004 election. Witness this week’s The Wall Street Journal print story (available online) by Alex Leary: Trump … Continued

NPR’s Chain Migration Error

By Jeremy Beck

In her interview with Jose Antonio Vargas this week, NPR’s Rachel Martin mischaracterized separate proposals from David Frum and President Trump to reduce immigration. MARTIN: David Frum, who is a vocal Trump critic, agrees with President Trump on this idea of getting rid of a rule that says one member of the family who immigrates … Continued