Embassy of the United States

Social Affairs

Demographics & Population Issues Archive

AMERICA’S FAMILIES AND LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: 2008. U.S. U.S. Census Bureau. February 25, 2009.
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With declining fertility rates and the aging of baby boomers, the percentage of families with their own child living at home decreased to 46 percent in 2008, from 52 percent in 1950, according to new data. The findings are based on statistics on family and nonfamily households, characteristics of single-parent families, living arrangements of children and data on married and unmarried couples. “Decreases in the percentage of families with their own child under 18 at home reflect the aging of the population and changing fertility patterns,” said Rose Kreider, family demographer at the U.S. Census Bureau.
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THE SKILL COMPOSITION OF MIGRATION AND THE GENEROSITY OF THE WELFARE STATE. National Bureau of Economic Research. Alon Cohen et al. February 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 21 pages]
Skilled migrants typically contribute to the welfare state more than they draw in benefits from it. The opposite holds for unskilled migrants. It suggests that a host country is likely to boost, respectively, curtail, its welfare system when absorbing high-skill, respectively, low-skill, migration. The paper examines this hypothesis in a politico-economic setup. [Note: contains copyrighted material]

CENSUS BUREAU DATA SHOW CHARACTERISTICS OF THE U.S. FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION. U.S. Census Bureau. February 19, 2009.
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Charts [PDF format, 6 pages]
According to the analysis of data about the U.S. foreign-born population, a higher percentage of people born in India have a bachelor’s degree or higher (74 percent) than people born in any other foreign country. Egypt and Nigeria had rates above 60 percent.
Meanwhile, among the nation’s foreign-born, Somalis and Kenyans living in the United States are the most likely to be newcomers, and Somalis are among the youngest and poorest. “These new ‘selected population profiles’ highlight the diversity among the many different foreign-born groups in the United States,” said Elizabeth Grieco, chief of the Census Bureau’s Immigration Statistics Staff.

WOMEN, MINORITIES, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. National Science Foundation. Web posted February 16, 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 295 pages]
The report provides information about the participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering education and employment.
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RESETTLING IRAQ’S FOUR MILLION DISPLACED. Brookings Institution. Michael E. O’Hanlon and Raid Juhi Hamadi al Saedi. February 9, 2009.
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Iraq has come a very long way in recent times. Provincial elections have been impressive; the civil war has effectively ended; violence rates are down by more than 80 percent; and the political system is beginning to function. However, according to the report, its progress is fragile and several major unresolved issues could threaten the country's future stability. Nothing is more fundamental than the effort to help more than 4 million individuals displaced by violence to return home safely without sectarian killings and cleansings as they do so.
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WORKING HARD FOR THE MONEY: TRENDS IN WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT 1970 TO 2007. Reports on Rural America, Carsey Institute. Kristin Smith. Web posted January 30, 2009.
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Rural married women, mothers and not, are clocking in at work more often today than even their urban counterparts, and since 2000, more married than single women are in the workforce in rural areas, a first. In 2006, 70 percent of married women with children under age 6 in rural areas worked for pay compared with 64 percent in urban areas. The report cites the reasons for this difference.
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WHO ADOPTS? CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO HAVE ADOPTED CHILDREN. National Center for Health Statistics. Jo Jones. Web posted January 28, 2009.
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The report presents data from the National Survey of Family Growth concerning the characteristics of those who have adopted children in the United States.
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IMMIGRANTS AND THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS: RESEARCH EVIDENCE, POLICY CHALLENGES, AND IMPLICATIONS. Migration Policy Institute. Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Aaron Terrazas. January 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 35 pages]
The report finds that the recession may produce differing results for legal and illegal immigration flows. It cites a growing body of evidence suggesting there has been a measurable slowdown in the historic growth of immigration in the United States, largely because there has been no significant growth in the unauthorized immigrant population since 2006. The report examines the effects of the economic crisis and factors such as immigration enforcement on the immigrant population already in the United States.
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IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS: 2007. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. December 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 4 pages]
The report presents information on the apprehension, detention, return and removal of foreign nationals during fiscal year 2007.

MIGRANT WOMEN IN THE EU LABOUR FORCE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS. RAND Corporation. Jennifer Rubin et al. Web posted November 17, 2008. Full Text [PDF format, 16 pages]
Given the European economic and social agendas for growth, equality and social cohesion, the study aims to contribute to understanding migrant women’s participation in the European labor force. Labor force participation, unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, temporary-contract employment, and degree of concentration in low-skill occupations are used in evaluating the labor market outcomes of third-country migrant women relative to native-born women, relative to other EU-born women and relative to third-country migrant men.
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INTELLIGENT DIALOGUE: CRADLE AND GRAVE. Porter Novelli. Fall 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 32 pages]
The study examines global shifts in birth, health and death trends that will have profound implications for businesses and consumers. It challenges key assumptions that previous generations have held about life and death. How can employers adapt to the increasing age of women having children? Can corporate wellness programs actually save the company money, while at the same time help solve health concerns such as obesity? These and other issues will affect businesses far beyond the health care and pharmaceutical industries.
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AA08384
Boyd, E.B. TOMORROWLAND: AN ECO-SMART DESIGN COMPETITION TURNS "WHAT IFS" INTO "WHAT IS" (Utne Reader, vol. 149, September/October 2008, pp. 38-41)
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The non-profit "Conscious Choice" sponsored a design competitions for forward-thinking ideas in the energy, transportation, commerce, community and "city block" categories. 70% of the competition entries came from students and included playgrounds which convert “kid power” into electricity for LED lights, a farm park which allows commuters to buy local food as they connect to public transportation, green building, and recyclable housing. The competition's goal is to inspire real-world designers to think about new ways to make city life healthier and more sustainable.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. Global Migration Group. Web posted November 2, 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 144 pages]
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in its sixtieth anniversary, remains the primary international articulation of the fundamental rights of all members of the human family. Among its main findings is the assessment that despite the many positive contributions migration makes to the development of countries of origin and destination, it is essential that migrants are seen not solely as agents of development. They are human beings with rights that States have an obligation to protect even when they exercise their sovereign right to determine who enters and remains in their territory. Cooperation between governments in countries of origin, transit and destination, and among non-governmental organizations, civil society and migrants themselves, is vital for ensuring that international human rights instruments are implemented and that migrants are aware of their rights and obligations.
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UNEVEN PROGRESS: THE EMPLOYMENT PATHWAYS OF SKILLED IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES. Migration Policy Institute. Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix. Web posted October 25, 2008.
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More than 1.3 million college-educated immigrants living in the United States are unemployed or working as taxi drivers, dishwashers, security guards or in other unskilled jobs because they are unable to make full use of their academic and professional credentials, according to the report. The report quantifies the scope of the ‘brain waste’ problem that affects 22 percent of the 6.1 million immigrants with a bachelor’s degree or higher who are in the U.S. labor market. It analyzes and offers possible solutions for the credentialing and language-barrier hurdles that deprive the U.S. economy of a rich source of human capital at a time of increasing competition globally for skilled talent.
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CONTROLLING UNAUTHORIZED IMMIGRATION FROM MEXICO: THE FAILURE OF “PREVENTION THROUGH DETERRENCE” AND THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE REFORM.
Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, UC-San Diego. Wayne Cornelius et al. June 10, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 10 pages]

Experts featured recently in a program by the Public Broadcasting System interviewed thousands of long-term and potential migrants to the U.S. They studied U.S. immigration enforcement up close at the border and reached important conclusions about border-enforcement efforts. Their findings point to the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Without tough workplace enforcement, a well functioning guest worker program, and a more realistic supply of permanent resident visas, border enforcement is not keeping undocumented migrants out of the U.S. labor market, and yet, producing a host of unintended consequences.

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MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE SINCE WORLD WAR II: ANALYZING THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS ON THE FORMATION OF HOUSEHOLDS.
Population Studies Center. Jeremy Greenwood and Nezih Guner. May 23, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 67 pages]

Since World War II there has been a rise in the time that married households allocate to work, an increase in the rate of divorce, and a decline in the rate of marriage. The study argues that labor-saving technological progress in the household sector can explain these facts. This makes it more feasible for singles to maintain their own home, and for married women to work.

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“SANCTUARY CITIES”: LEGAL ISSUES.
Congressional Research Services, RS22773, Library of Congress. Web posted May 19, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 6 pages]

The term "sanctuary city" is not defined by federal law, but it is often used to refer to those localities which limit their assistance to federal immigration authorities seeking to apprehend and remove unauthorized aliens. Supporters of such policies argue that many cities have higher priorities and that local efforts to deter the presence of unauthorized aliens would undermine community relations, disrupt municipal services, interfere with local law enforcement, or violate humanitarian principles. Opponents argue that sanctuary policies encourage illegal immigration and undermine federal enforcement efforts. Several bills have been introduced that attempt to limit formal or informal sanctuary policies and induce greater sharing of immigration information by state and local authorities.

A GENDERED ASSESSMENT OF THE BRAIN DRAIN.
Policy Research Working Paper, World Bank. Frederic Docquier et al. May 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 34 pages]

The authors use homogenized definitions of what a migrant is and compute gender-disaggregated indicators of the brain drain. Emigration stocks and rates are provided by level of education and gender for 195 countries in 1990 and 2000. The data set is used to capture the recent trend in women’s skilled migration and to analyze its causes and consequences for developing countries. The findings show that women represent an increasing share of the OECD immigration stock and exhibit higher rates of brain drain than men. The gender gap in skilled migration is strongly correlated with the gender gap in educational level.

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MEASURING IMMIGRATION ASSIMILATION IN THE UNITED STATES.
Center for Civic Innovation. The Manhattan Institute. Jacob L. Vigdor. May 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 56 pages]

The report, using census and other data, introduces a quantitative index that measures the degree of similarity between the United States' foreign-born and native-born populations. These included civic factors, economic factors, and cultural factors, such as English ability and degree of intermarriage with U.S. citizens. The higher the number on a 100-point index, the more an immigrant resembled a U.S. citizen. Overall, the longer an immigrant lives in the United States, the more characteristics of native citizens he or she tends to take on. However, the speed with which new arrivals take on native-born traits has increased since the 1990s. As a result, even though the foreign population doubled during that period, the newcomers did not drive down the overall assimilation index of the foreign-born population. Instead, it held relatively steady from 1990 to 2006.

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LOS ANGELES ON THE LEADING EDGE.
National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy: Migration Policy Institute. Michael Fix et al. April 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 74 pages]

This report is one of the first reports which comprehensively details the need for development and implementation of integration strategies and policies that will benefit immigrants and the broader U.S. society. With more than one-third of its 9.9 million residents comprised of immigrants, Los Angeles County stands at the leading edge of national immigration trends because of demography, geography and history. Over 40% of all students in Los Angeles schools are English Language Learners with the great majority of them U.S. citizens. The report concludes that increased access to English language and civics instruction would speed and improve their integration into the fabric of the broader society and economy.

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U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY ON TEMPORARY ADMISSIONS.
Congressional Research Service, RL31381, Library of Congress. Chad Haddal, et. al. Web posted April 6, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 38 pages]

U.S. law provides for the temporary admission of various categories of foreign nationals, who are known as non-immigrants. Non-immigrants are admitted for a designated period of time and a specific purpose. They include tourists, foreign students, diplomats, and temporary workers, among others. There are 24 major non-immigrant visa categories, and 72 specific types of non-immigrant visas issued. This paper explains the details of this aspect of U.S. immigration policy.

MANAGING MIGRATION: THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE.
Population Reference Bureau; Population Bulletin. Phillip Martin, et. al. Web posted March 4, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 24 pages]

The number of international migrants is at an all-time high. There were 191 million migrants in 2005, which means that 3 percent of the world’s people left their country of birth or citizenship for a year or more. The international community believes that international migration should be voluntary but that the right to EMIGRATE does not give migrants a right to IMMIGRATE, and, in fact, most migrants are not welcomed unconditionally into the countries to which they move.

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WORLD WIDE WEBS: DIASPORAS AND THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM.
Lowy Institute for International Policy, Lowy Paper No. 22. Michael Fullilove. February 20, 2008.
Full Text [click on this link to reach direct link to PDF version, 107 pages]

Diasporas – communities which live outside, but maintain links with, their homelands – are getting larger, thicker and stronger. They are the human face of globalisation. Diaspora consciousness is on the rise: diasporans are becoming more interested in their origins, and organising themselves more effectively; homelands are revising their opinions of their diasporas as the stigma attached to emigration declines, and stepping up their engagement efforts; meanwhile, host countries are witnessing more assertive diasporic groups within their own national communities and are becoming concerned with possible “fifth columns” and foreign influence.

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AA08040
Judis, John B. PHANTOM MENACE (New Republic, vol. 238, no. 4829, February 13, 2008, pp. 20-25)
Full Text (EbscoHost; password required)

In this article, the author tries to explore the psychology behind America’s immigration hysteria. There have been periodic bursts of anti-immigration fervor in the U.S. since the mid-nineteenth century, mostly directed at immigrants from Eastern Europe or religious groups such as Catholics and Jews. Anti-immigration sentiment against Muslims grew after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; however, much of the current anti-immigration sentiment today is propelled by native-born Americans who feel threatened by the new global capitalism, as businesses that once flourished in small American towns have cut back or closed entirely and jobs have gone overseas. Anti-immigration fear is expected to play a large role in the in the 2008 presidential elections.

EXIT POLLS: REFUGEE ASSESSMENTS OF NORTH KOREA’S TRANSITION.
Yoonuk Chang, et. al., Working Paper Series, Peterson Institute for International Economics. Web posted January 9, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 22 pages]

Results from a survey of more than 1,300 North Korean refugees in China provide insight into changing economic conditions in North Korea.

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MISSING LINKS: POVERTY, POPULATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN ETHIOPIA.
Mogues Worku. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). October 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 8 pages]

Ethiopia’s high population growth, unsustainable land use, and ambiguous land ownership policies have caused a loss of biomass, soil erosion, and desertification. Additionally, climate change has brought drought and famine that caused displacement or death to millions of Ethiopians.

This report describes links between Ethiopia’s population and environment and offers recommendations to programs to help the Ethiopian people.

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2007 NATIONAL SURVEY OF LATINOS: AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ISSUE HEATS UP, HISPANICS FEEL A CHILL.
Pew Hispanic Center. December 13, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 53 pages]

This survey focuses on Hispanics’ views of the immigration debate, immigration enforcement, attitudes towards illegal immigrants, and perceptions of discrimination. This survey of 2,003 Hispanic adults was conducted by telephone from October 3 to November 9, 2007.

The findings show that over 50 percent of those surveyed worry that a family member or a close friend might be deported; two-thirds say that the failure of Congress to pass an immigration reform bill has made life more difficult; and one-in-eight to one-in-four believe that the heightened attention to immigration issues has had a negative effect.

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AA08035
Clausen, Christopher MOVING ON (Wilson Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 1, Winter 2008, pp. 22-26)
Full Text available from your nearest American Library

Whether in covered wagons or station wagons, Americans have always hit the road, driven by the belief that a better life exists somewhere else. Whether moving to a new house in the same neighborhood or going across the country, moving is a stressful, time-consuming and expensive proposition. It is also a sacred American rite, the modern-day equivalent of our immigrant ancestors on the frontier. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American moves 11.7 times in a lifetime. Better-educated and more affluent Americans move longer distances, while approximately 60% of native-born Americans still live in the state where they were born. Between 2005 and 2006, some forty million people changed addresses, almost fourteen percent of the entire population, which is considered below the historical average for the period since the government started keeping records in 1948.

THE IMPACT OF UNAUTHORIZED IMMIGRANTS ON THE BUDGETS OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
Melissa Merrell. State and Local Government Cost Estimates Unit, Congressional Budget Office (CBO), U.S. Congress. Web posted December 9, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 24 pages]

This paper presents facts and research on unauthorized immigration and focuses on the estimated costs incurred by state and local governments for services to these unauthorized immigrants. Some of the services investigated are education, health care, and law enforcement. This report also looks at the types of federal assistance provided to states for these services. Finally, it studies the estimated taxes paid by the unauthorized immigrants.

BETWEEN HERE AND THERE: HOW ATTACHED ARE LATINO IMMIGRANTS TO THEIR NATIVE COUNTRY?
Roger Waldinger. Pew Hispanic Center, Pew Charitable Trusts. October 25, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 29 pages]

Most Latino immigrants in the U.S. maintain some connection to their native country, but only nine percent are considered “highly attached.” The extent of the connection varies considerably by those immigrants who have been in the U.S. for decades and those who came to the U.S. as children. There are also significant differences by country of origin.

The data for this report are from the 2006 National Survey of Latinos.

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IMMIGRATION: TERRORIST GROUNDS FOR EXCLUSION AND REMOVAL OF ALIENS.
Michael John Garcia and Ruth Ellen Wasem. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress. Updated October 12, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 22 pages]

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) set strict admissions criteria for all foreign nationals who come to the U.S. After September 11, 2001, the INA broadened its inadmissibility based on foreign policy concerns. This report provides an overview of the inadmissibility rules and summarizes legislation recently enacted.

PERSPECTIVES OF EMPLOYERS, WORKERS AND POLICYMAKERS IN THE G7 COUNTRIES ON THE NEW DEMOGRAPHIC REALITIES: A REPORT FOR AARP.
Chris Charman, Roselyn Feinsod, and Rich Arthurs. Towers Perrin. September, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 124 pages]

This report is based on a comprehensive study of aging workforce issues in the Group of Seven countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and United Kingdom, and the U.S. The study is a combination of an analysis of the workforce and population demographics. The report also includes a review of public policies and new research of the views and concerns of employers and employees.

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DIVISION AND DISLOCATION: REGULATING IMMIGRATION THROUGH LOCAL HOUSING ORDINANCES.
Jill Esbenshade, Barbara Obrzut, Benjamin Wright, Soo Mee Kim, Jessica Thompson, and Edward O’Conner. Special Report, Immigration Policy Center, American Immigration Law Foundation. Web posted September 13, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 20 pages]

Over the last two years, Congress and the White House have failed to enact immigration reform legislation to address the problem of undocumented immigrants. This inaction has lead to frustration at the local level where policymakers and activists have passed ordinances that target undocumented immigrants. These ordinances have been proposed, debated, or adopted in at least 104 cities and counties in 28 states. So far judges have declared these ordinances unconstitutional because immigration falls under the exclusive purview of the federal government.

This paper suggests that these local ordinances against undocumented immigrants also have a negative impact on the entire community and undermine the economic prosperity and sense of community.

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MANAGING THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROBLEM.
Christopher Bronk. Technology, Society, and Public Policy, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University. August 17, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 4 pages]

Legislation for migration reform and an international guest worker program has probably been tabled for the balance of the Bush administration, and projects to monitor the U.S.-Mexican border are being considered. Under current federal programs, the Department of Homeland Security uses military surveillance methods such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to police the Mexican border; but the author points out that “we share this border not with a potential aggressor, but rather with a key political and commercial partner. This program sends a clear and confrontational message to Mexico.” The author believes that we need to strengthen our partnership with Mexico City rather than build fences.

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100 MILLION MORE: PROJECTING THE IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION ON THE U.S. POPULATION, 2007 TO 2060.
Steven A. Camarota. Backgrounder, Center for Immigration Studies. Web posted August 30, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 16 pages]

The aim of this study was to see how immigration impacts the U.S.’s total population size and its age structure. The findings show that at current levels of net immigration, 105 million people will be added to the nation’s population by 2060, but this increase has a very small effect on the aging of society.

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WORLD POPULATION DATA SHEET 2007.
Population Reference Bureau. Web posted August 16, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 16 pages]

This report provides up-to-date demographic, heath, and environment data for all countries and major regions of the world. Some of the observations are:

• The world population will continue to grow;
• Fertility rates will rise in some European countries and hold steady at high levels in some developing nations; and
• HIV prevalence will be lower than earlier estimates.

The report also offers detailed information about malnutrition worldwide and provides cost-effective solutions to improve global nutrition.

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AA07389
Hussain, Aysha FROM INDIA TO ISELIN (DiversityInc, vol. 6, no. 8, September 2007, pp. 41-49)
Full Text available from your nearest American Library

Immigrants from Southeast Asia, most of them Indian, have transformed a New Jersey suburb from a collection of rundown, empty storefronts and desolate main streets 30 years ago into a vibrant community today. The Indians who came to Iselin, just south of New York City, beginning in the 1970s had a wide range of socioeconomic, educational and occupational backgrounds. Despite some initial backlash from the mostly white (Irish, Polish, Italian, German) and elderly residents of the community, Indians taught the longtime residents of Iselin the business benefits of embracing other cultures. Indians are now almost one-fifth of the town's 16,700 residents. Before the influx of Indians, many of the town's European immigrants owned family-run shops, but as retail trends changed in the 1970s when malls and chain stores began to proliferate, Iselin's small shops went out of business, and the town spiraled into an economic depression. At first Indian businesses owners experienced tension because the locals felt they were being driven out of the community. Soon the town welcomed the Indian businesses and community because as Indians persisted as merchants, the streets became safer and real estate values soared. Now the town's current dilemma is managing its growth.

THE IMMIGRANT POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES IN 2006.
Jack Martin. Federation for American Immigration Reform. August 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 4 pages]

Since 1970, the foreign-born population of the U.S. has increased by 27.8 million or 289 percent. There is also an indirect effect on population growth from the children born to immigrants after their arrival to the U.S. This report estimates the foreign-born population in 2006 in each state and the District of Columbia. The states are also “identified by rank order using several different measures of the impact on the locality’s populations.”

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POPULATION AGING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: DEMOGRAPHIC DIMENSIONS 2006.
Victoria A. Velkoff and Paul R. Kowal. Current Population Reports, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. Web posted August 20, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 47 pages]

In 2006, 64 percent of the world’s population was aged 60 or older and lived in developing countries. This group will increase to 73 percent by 2030. In 2006, there were 35 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa who were aged 60 or older. This report focuses on the demographic aspects of aging in this region. There is also a special section that examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on the aging population.

SURVEY OF MEXICAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), Inter-American Development Bank. August 8, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 28 pages]

According to this survey, a lower percentage of Mexican immigrants are sending money home—64% in the first half of 2007 versus 71% last year. After years of double-digit growth, remittances to Mexico were flat while money transfers to Central American countries continued to grow.

This survey is based on 900 interviews of Mexican and Central American immigrants.

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ECONOMIC MOBILITY OF IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Economic Mobility Project, Pew Charitable Trusts. Web posted July 25, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 14 pages]

“Economic mobility describes the ability of people to move up or down the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next.” This report, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, describes the experiences of post-World War II immigrants. The findings show that immigrants continue to make significant gains in upward mobility between the first and second generations, but those gains have increased more slowly over the past thirty years.

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POPULATION ISSUES IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE ROLE OF THE WORLD BANK.
Technical Discussion Paper, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Bank. Web posted July 19, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 83 pages]

Since fertility has declined in most low- and middle-income countries, donor and development agency priorities have changed; and funds and initiatives have “passed by” family planning and high fertility. This paper focuses on the “determinants and consequences of demographic change and on policies and interventions that pertain to fertility and family planning.”

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STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2007: UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF URBAN GROWTH.
United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), United Nations. Web posted June 27, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 108 pages]

In 2008, 3.3 billion people will be living in urban areas. By 2030, it is expected there will be 5 billion. Many of these new urbanites will be poor. Over the next few decades, experts predict that urban growth in the developing world will increase at an unprecedented rate especially in Africa and Asia.

Experts and policymakers recognize the potential value of cities to long-term sustainability, and a pre-emptive approach is needed to solve social and environmental problems in the developing world. This report “tries to grasp the implications of imminent doubling of the developing world’s urban population and discusses what needs to be done to prepare for this massive increase.” The report looks at the demographic processes of urban growth and their policy implications. Lastly, it examines the consequences of urban transition for poverty reduction and sustainability.

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FROM RED TO GRAY: THE “THIRD TRANSITION” OF AGING POPULATIONS IN EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.
Mukesh Chawla, Gordon Betcherman, and Arup Banerji. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Bank. Web posted June 20, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 298 pages]

The populations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are going through a “third transition”—a conjunction of rapidly aging but relatively poor populations. By 2025, one-fifth of the Bulgarians will be 65 years old or older, Ukraine’s population will shrink by a fifth, and the average Slovene will be 47.4 years old.

This report examines the impact of this “third transition,” analyzes projects and policy outlooks, and concludes with recommendations to countries to avoid severe economic consequences by accelerating economic transition and undertaking longer-term policies.

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IMMIGRATION’S ECONOMIC IMPACT.
Council of Economic Advisers, Executive Office of the President. June 20, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 8 pages]

“This white paper assesses immigration’s economic impact based on the professional literature and concludes that immigration has a positive effect on the American economy as a whole and on the income of native-born American workers.” The findings of this paper are:

• U.S. natives benefit from immigration in both productivity and income;
• Immigration’s long-run fiscal effects are likely to be modest and positive; and
• Skilled immigrants are more likely to benefit native-born Americans.
• “That immigration has fueled U.S. macroeconomic growth is both uncontroversial and unsurprising . . .”

WHY DID THEY COME TO THE UNITED STATES? A PROFILE OF IMMIGRANT SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS.
Nirmala Kannankutty and Joan Burrelli. InfoBrief, Science Resources Statistics, National Science Foundation. June 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 8 pages]

Both the U.S. college-educated workforce and the science and engineering workforce have grown dramatically over the past decade. One of the growth factors has been immigration. In 2003, there were 21.6 million science and engineers, and 16% were immigrants. This report describes the major characteristics of this group, and presents an analysis of the reasons they immigrated to the U.S.

IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. HEALTH CARE SYSTEM: FIVE MYTHS THAT MISINFORM THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
Meredith L. King. Center for American Progress. June 7, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 14 pages]

Many Americans believe that immigrants are a burden to the health care system. This paper examines the five most popular myths of immigrants and health care. These myths are: (1) the public health care system is overburdened with documented and undocumented immigrants; (2) immigrants use large quantities of limited health care resources; (3) immigrants come to the U.S. for its health care services; (4) restricting health care access to immigrants will have no affect on Americans; and (5) undocumented immigrants are “free-riders.”

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

POINT SYSTEMS FOR IMMIGRANT SELECTION: OPTIONS AND ISSUES.
Ruth Ellen Wasem and Chad C. Haddal. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress. June 5, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 35 pages]

Replacing or amending the current preference legal permanent resident (LPR) system with a point system is gathering considerable interest for the first time in ten years. The point system assigns prospective immigrants credits for specific attributes such as education, skills, work experience, language proficiency, and age. Proponents of the point system maintain that a merit-based approach provides clearly defined criteria and is based on the nation’s economic needs and the labor market objectives. Opponents, on the other hand, state that individual employers are the best indicator of market needs.

This report will be updated as needed.

IMMIGRATION FRAUD: POLICIES, INVESTIGATIONS, AND ISSUES.
Ruth Ellen Wasem. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress. May 17, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 20 pages]

Immigration fraud is reportedly widespread. Since there are approximately 12 million illegal aliens in the U.S., it is assumed that many are committing document fraud. There are two types of immigration fraud—immigration-related “document fraud” and immigration “benefit fraud.”

This report provides an overview of the integrity of immigration documents, and the ability to reduce immigration fraud “that underlie the bigger issue of comprehensive immigration reform legislation.”

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR MIGRATION: RECENT ESTIMATES AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS.
Howard F. Chang. Scholarship at Penn Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School. May 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 21 pages]

In this survey, the author reviewed the economic theory and empirical evidence of the economic impact of international labor migration. His research shows that the “magnitude of the gains that the world could enjoy by liberalizing international migration indicate that even partial liberalization would not only produce substantial increases in the world’s real income but also improve its distribution.” These gains have a positive effect on natives in the countries of immigration, on the migrants, and those left behind in the countries of emigration. The author argues that economic efficiency and distributive justice favor liberalized immigration policies.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

IMMIGRATION REFORM: BRIEF SYNTHESIS OF ISSUE.
Ruth Ellen Wasem. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress. Updated May 10, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 6 pages]

U.S. immigration policy is a highly contentious issue in the 110th Congress. The population of foreign-born residents in the U.S. is at its highest level in U.S. history. There is a broad consensus that the immigration system is broken; however, this consensus breaks-down when reform of the immigration system is discussed. This report analyzes the major elements of immigration reform and examines the pending immigration legislation.

FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR-FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IN 2006.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. April 25, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 12 pages]

This report compares the U.S. labor force characteristics of the foreign born. For this report “foreign-born” includes legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as students, and undocumented immigrants.

The share of the U.S. workforce by foreign-born workers continued to grow. In 2006, 15.3 percent of the civilian labor force were foreign-born, which is up from 14.8 percent in 2005. The unemployment rate for this population fell for the third straight year to 4.0 percent.

THE ECONOMIC LOGIC OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
Gordon H. Hanson. The Bernard and Irene Schwartz Series on American Competitiveness, Council on Foreign Relations. Web posted April 11, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 52 pages]

Immigration reform is one of the most divisive issues in the U.S. This paper looks at the economic costs and benefits of legal and illegal immigration. The author’s conclusion is that stemming illegal immigration would likely lead to a net drain on the U.S. economy. He also argues that the guest worker program being considered by Congress does not account for the economic incentives that “drive illegal immigration, which benefits both the undocumented workers who desire to work and live in the United States and employers who want flexible, low-cost labor.” Lastly, the author offers some guidelines for the redesign of immigration laws and policies.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

GETTING IMMIGRATION REFORM RIGHT.
Ray Marshall. Briefing Paper, Economic Policy Institute. March 15, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 10 pages]

“The United States is and will remain a nation of immigrants, who have contributed greatly to the vitality, diversity, and creativity of American Life.” This paper looks at the present federal legislative activity on immigration reform as well as the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. The author states that “diverse economic interests, personal biases, and political ideologies make it hard to build consensus for effective immigration policies,” but with immigrants accounting for over half of the workforce growth during 2000 and 2005, the strength of the U.S. economy could depend on its immigration policy.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

GROWING SHARE OF IMMIGRANTS CHOOSING NATURALIZATION.
Jeffrey S. Passel. Pew Hispanic Center, Pew Research Center. March 28, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 39 pages]

This paper is based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s March Supplement and is an analysis prepared by the Pew Hispanic Center. The paper shows that the population of naturalized citizens reached 12.8 million in 2005, and that the percent of legal foreign-born residents who become naturalized citizens rose to 52% in 2005. This is the highest level in a quarter of a century and is a 14 % increase since 1990. According to this survey, Mexicans have a lower tendency to become U.S. citizens; however, the number of naturalized citizens from Mexico rose by 144% from 1995 to 2005, the sharpest increase of immigrants from any major sending country.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

IMMIGRATION OF FOREIGN WORKERS: LABOR MARKET TESTS AND PROTECTIONS.
Ruth Ellen Wasem. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress. April 24, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 24 pages]

Many businesses are concerned that there is a scarcity of labor in certain sectors that might curtail economic growth. The demand for more skilled and highly-trained foreign workers has gotten much attention in recent years, but there has also been a demand for unskilled, temporary foreign workers. Those opposing increases in foreign workers assert that there is no evidence of a labor shortage.

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) “bars the admission of any alien who seeks to enter the U.S. to perform skilled or unskilled labor, unless” there is not sufficient qualified U.S. workers and if the employment of the foreign worker does not adversely affect wages or working conditions. The President has proposed a comprehensive immigration reform that includes a major overhaul of temporary worker visas, expands permanent legal immigration, and revises the process of determining whether foreign workers are needed.

THE AGING OF KOREA: DEMOGRAPHICS AND RETIREMENT POLICY IN THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM.
Neil Howe, Richard Jackson and Keisuke Nakashima. Global Aging Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). March 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 58 pages]

The developed and developing worlds have changed significantly due to advances in medicine, diet, and living standard. Where governments had been focused on productive workers dying too young, they are now concerned about retirement years and the ability of family and government systems to provide care for the elderly. Korea’s meteoric economic growth and health-care advances make it a microcosm of these demographic challenges. This report explores these challenges and provides recommendations and ideas to meet them.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

AMERICA’S EMIGRANTS: US RETIREMENT MIGRATION TO MEXICO AND PANAMA.
David Dixon, Julie Murray, and Julia Gelatt. The Migration Policy Institute (MPI). Web posted February 26, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 72 pages]

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) investigated and examined the U.S. retirees who have moved to Latin America. The researchers analyzed census and administrative data to determine the size and demographic characteristics of the Americans who now live in Mexico and Panama. The key findings of this analysis are:

• The size of the U.S.-born population in Mexico and Panama grew significantly between 1990 and 2000;
• Retirees bring human and financial capital to the host countries;
• State policies of the destination countries can promote or deter migration;
• Economic factors weigh heavily on retirees’ decision to move to the destination countries and whether or not to leave the U.S.;
• Language is the primary challenge to integrating in the host country; and
• Retirees create jobs and opportunities for the local population.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

WHY POPULATION AGING MATTERS: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.
National Institute of Aging, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Department of State. Web posted March 15, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 32 pages]

“This report, using data from the United Nations, US Census Bureau, and the Statistical Office of the European Communities as well as regional surveys, identifies nine emerging trends in global aging. These trends present a snapshot of challenges and opportunities that will stimulate a cross-national scientific and policy dialogue.”

THE MYTH OF IMMIGRANT CRIMINALITY AND THE PARADOX OF ASSIMILATION: INCARCERATION RATES AMONG NATIVE AND FOREIGN-BORN MEN.
Rubén G. Rumbaut and Walter A. Ewing. Immigration Policy Center, American Immigration Law Foundation. Web posted February 25, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 20 pages]

Many of the recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America are young men with low levels of formal education. Popular stereotypes suggest that unauthorized immigration leads to criminality, but “in fact, data from the census and other sources show that for every ethnic group without exception, incarceration rates among young men are lowest for immigrants, even those who are the least educated. This holds true especially for the Mexican, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans who make up the bulk of the undocumented population. What is more, these patterns have been observed consistently over the last three decennial censuses.” This paper provides an overview of these facts and findings.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

AA07094
Bloom, Stephen G. THE NEW PIONEERS (Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 3, Summer 2006, pp. 60-69)
Full Text (ProQuest: password required)

Immigration, much of it illegal, is changing the face of rural America. Bloom, a University of Iowa journalism professor, sees these new immigrants as pioneers solidly in the American pioneering tradition. They come to Iowa’s slaughterhouse boomtowns, casinos, and revivalist communities seeking opportunity in the form of low-paying, menial jobs locals refuse to take. He focuses particularly on Iowa’s meat-packing industry, where a recent wave of illegal Mexican and Central American pioneers has replaced a 1990s wave of Hasidic immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe in the kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, straining the town’s educational system and social fabric. “The dirty secret in rural states about undocumented workers is that, politicians’ and industry leaders’ comments to the contrary, it is very much in their best interest to keep things the way they are. Without undocumented workers, the U.S. meat-processing industry would grind to a halt.” Bloom notes that wages in meat production have dropped from $19 per hour plus benefits in 1980 to $6.25 per hour with few or no benefits. While only some of these pioneers stay -– many return home after a few months, never to return, and others come and go as itinerant workers -– their numbers, combined with the exodus of educated young people, mean that rural America is becoming an increasingly heterogeneous place.

POPULATION AGING, ENTITLEMENT GROWTH, AND THE ECONOMY.
John R. Gist. AARP Public Policy Institute, AARP. January 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 64 pages]

Demographic aging is changing the age structure of the U.S population. The age 65 and older group will increase from 12 percent to nearly 20 percent of the population. This change will have a profound effect on the federal budget, American families, and economic growth. This report takes a long-term perspective of the aging population; examines the historical experience of the entitlement programs, and compiles projections to 2050. The paper also offers some policy solutions to achieve economic security for the aging population while maintaining a strong economy.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY: IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS HAVE EMERGED AS KEY ENGINES OF GROWTH FOR CITIES FROM NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES--AND WITH A LITTLE PLANNING AND SUPPORT, THEY COULD PROVIDE AN EVEN BIGGER ECONOMIC BOOST IN THE FUTURE.
Jonathan Bowles and Tara Colton. Center for an Urban Future. Web posted February 6, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 60 pages]

This paper looks at the impact of immigrant entrepreneurship, how to encourage its growth, and some of the obstacles it faces. During the past ten years, immigrants have become the entrepreneurial sparkplugs of the nation--starting more new businesses than native born residents and stimulating growth in economic sectors as diverse as food manufacturers and heath care providers. Immigrant entrepreneurs will become more important to city economies because (1) immigration continues to grow, and (2) companies are moving out of cities.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

AMERICA’S NEW IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS.
Master of Engineering Management Program, Duke University and School of Information, U.C. Berkeley. Web posted January 4, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 41 pages]

This research documents the economic and intellectual contribution of immigrants in technology and engineering at a national level. The study looked at a large sample of engineering and technology companies founded in the last ten years. The key characteristics of these companies are as follows:

• At least one of the founders is foreign-born in 25.3% of these companies;
• Immigrant-founded companies produce $52 billion in sales and employ 450,000 workers;
• Companies found by Indians have been concentrated in the engineering and technology sectors in the past 10 years;
• Chinese entrepreneurs are concentrated in California; Indian entrepreneurs have a sizable concentration in California and New Jersey; and the British are centered in California and Georgia;
• 80% of the immigrant-founded companies are in software and innovation/manufacturing-related services; and
• Immigrants were least likely to start companies in defense/aerospace and environmental fields.

The authors concluded that immigration is a driving force in the creation of new businesses in the U.S.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

BORDER SECURITY: BARRIERS ALONG THE U.S. INTERNATIONAL BORDER [RL33659]
Blas Nuñez-Neto and Stephen Viña. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Updated December 12, 2006.
Full Text [pdf format, 45 pages]

Currently the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) uses fencing and vehicle barriers to deter illegal entries and drug smuggling. In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act which gave the Attorney General (responsibility transferred to the Secretary of Homeland Security) authority to construct barriers along the borders. In 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act which gave the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to waive all legal requirements to expedite construction of border barriers.

The Border Patrol is currently erecting a 150 mile vehicle barrier near Yuma, Arizona.

This report will be updated as needed.

IMMIGRATION BENEFITS: ADDITIONAL EFFORTS NEEDED TO HELP ENSURE ALIEN FILES ARE LOCATED WHEN NEEDED.
General Accountability Office. October 27, 2006.
Highlights [pdf format, 1 page]

Full Report [pdf format, 29 pages]

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for processing noncitizens’ applications to live and work in the United States on a permanent or temporary basis. For certain noncitizens, such as immigrants, USCIS creates an alien file, called an A-file. When A-files are not available (occurring in approximately 4 percent of the files) to adjudicate naturalization applications, time is spent trying to locate the file, and USCIS is hindered in its ability to uncover immigration fraud. Steps have been taken to reduce the risk of adjudicating a naturalization application without an A-file. These steps include verifying the applicant’s lawful admission to the United States and conducting supervisory reviews to ensure that the naturalization procedures have been followed.

AA06413
Jacoby, Tamar IMMIGRATION NATION (Foreign Affairs, vol. 85, no. 6, November/December 2006)
View article on publisher's website

In this essay Jacoby, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, argues that the overwhelming majority of Americans want a combination of tougher enforcement and “earned citizenship” for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country. He says the best way to regain control is not to crack down on illegal immigrants, but to liberalize U.S. laws by expanding quotas and establishing a guest-worker program more in line with the half-million new workers now needed each year to keep the U.S. economy growing. Jacoby also calls for “a national, mandatory, electronic employment-verification system” that informs employers in a timely way whether job applicants are authorized to work in the United States. Acknowledging the serious fears that immigrants will not or cannot assimilate, Jacoby says that eliminating “the vast illegal world of second-class noncitizens” would remove barriers to Americanization.

IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION AND ISSUES IN THE 109TH CONGRESS [RL33125]
Bruno, Andorra et al. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Updated December 7, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 41 pages]

"Security concerns have figured prominently in the development of and debate on immigration legislation in the 109th Congress. In May 2005, the REAL ID Act became law as Division B of P.L. 109-13. It contains a number of immigration and identification document-related provisions intended to improve homeland security. Among these are provisions: to make changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) with respect to asylum and other forms of relief from removal; to expand the terrorism-related grounds for alien inadmissibility and deportation; and to set standards for state-issued drivers’ licenses and personal identification cards, if such documents are to be accepted for federal purposes." -- from the Summary

FROM 'THERE' TO 'HERE': REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN METROPOLITAN AMERICA.
Audrey Singer and Jill H. Wilson. Brookings Institution. September 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 32 pages]

Though comprising only 10 percent of annual immigration to the U.S., refugees are a distinct component of the foreign-born population in many metropolitan areas. Using data from the Census and the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, this report examines where refugees come from-documenting significant region-specific flows tied to various overseas conflicts-and where they stay in the U.S., finding that refugee destinations have shifted away from typical immigrant gateways housing large foreign-born populations to newer, often smaller, places.

The authors report these specific findings, among others:

• The leading refugee destination areas have shifted away from traditional immigrant gateways over the past two decades, while newer gateways are resettling proportionally more refugees. While New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago still accommodated large numbers of refugees in the 1990s, other metropolitan areas such as Seattle, Atlanta, and Portland, Oregon have taken in increasing numbers. Furthermore, different groups of refugees have become associated with different metropolitan areas: Nearly half of Iranian refugees were resettled in metropolitan Los Angeles, one in five Iraqi refugees arrived in Detroit, and nearly one-third of refugees from the former Soviet Union were resettled in New York.
• In medium-sized and smaller metropolitan areas, refugees can have considerable impact on the local population, especially if the total foreign-born population is small. Refugees dominate the overall foreign-born population in smaller places such as Utica, New York; Fargo, North Dakota; Erie, Pennsylvania; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Binghamton, New York. Medium-sized metropolitan areas like Fresno, California; Des Moines, Iowa; Springfield, Massachusetts, and Spokane, Washington also have a strong refugee presence. Refugee inflows have helped to stem overall population decline or stagnation in some smaller and medium-sized metropolitan areas.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

ESTIMATING THE UNDOCUMENTED POPULATION: A "GROUPED ANSWERS" APPROACH TO SURVEYING FOREIGN-BORN RESPONDENTS. United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). September 29, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 102 pages]

Immigration to the U.S. of both legal and undocumented persons continues to grow. Policymakers need more information - particularly on the undocumented population, its size, characteristics, costs, and contributions. This report reviews the ongoing development of a potential method for obtaining such information: the "grouped answers" approach. This self-reporting, personal-interview approach groups answers so that no respondent is ever asked whether he, she, or anyone else is undocumented. In fact, no individual respondent is ever categorized as undocumented.

Logically, however, grouped answers data can provide indirect estimates of the undocumented population. Generally, grouped answers questions on immigration status would be asked as part of a larger survey that includes direct questions on demographic characteristics and employment and might include questions on school attendance, use of medical facilities, and so forth; some surveys also ask specific questions that can help estimate taxes paid. Potentially, combining the answers to such questions with grouped answers data can provide further information on the characteristics, costs, and contributions of the undocumented population.

This report fully explains the development and methods of the grouped answers approach to conducting surveys. In addition to ample treatment of the methodology, GAO answers these questions: (1) Is the grouped answers approach acceptable for use in a national survey of the foreign-born? (2) What further research may be needed? (3) How large a survey is needed to obtain valid results?

IMMIGRATION AND CHILD AND FAMILY POLICY.
Randy Capps and Karina Fortuny. Urban Institute. Web-posted September 14, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 36 pages]

This report assesses how the changing demographics of the low-income child population are affecting child and family policies in the United States. More specifically, the authors look at the effects of immigration on child and family policies. The number of immigrants to the U.S. has more than tripled over the past 35 years, as has the number of children with immigrant parents. The share of children under age 18 with at least one immigrant parent was only 6 percent in 1970; today it is over 20 percent.

Many U.S. child and family policies were designed during the 1960s-the Great Society era and a time of relatively low immigration. The characteristics of low-income families today are markedly different than they were when Great Society programs were enacted. A large and growing share of low-income children lives in immigrant families. These families are mostly two-parent families and generally have at least one working parent; a significant share of immigrant parents, however, is undocumented with limited formal education and English skills. While low-income immigrant families with children are mostly working families, the low-skilled jobs in which the parents work result in high poverty and hardship rates for these children.

Children's circumstances vary greatly depending on where their parents were born, and some of these variations are discussed in this report. But there are also great similarities among children from immigrant backgrounds, particularly within the low-income population. In these analyses, low-income children are those living in families with incomes below twice the federal poverty level (FPL), or about $38,000 for a family of four in 2004. Many public programs have eligibility levels between 100 and 200 percent of FPL, including the Food Stamp Program, Medicaid, the Women Infants and Children Program, and the National School Lunch Program.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2006. A PASSAGE TO HOPE: WOMEN AND INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Web-posted September 6, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 116 pages]

This year's State of World Population report examines the scope and breadth of female migration, the impact of the funds they send home to support families and communities, and their disproportionate vulnerability to trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

The report notes that domestic work is one of the largest sectors driving international female labor migration. Millions of women migrate from Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and increasingly from Africa, to Europe and North America, the Gulf States and the industrializing nations of Asia. But there are few labor laws to protect domestic workers. This means that millions of women are dependent on employers for their continued legal presence in the host country, in addition to housing, food, and wages. These factors, combined with the isolated nature of domestic work can relegate domestic workers to virtual slavery.

Besides those who migrate under legal conditions, many women are trafficked illegally. Human rights violations of trafficked women are well documented. Desperation drives millions of women and girls to entrust their well-being and, in some cases, their very lives to unscrupulous traffickers who misrepresent themselves as legitimate labor recruiters.

Today, human trafficking represents the third largest illicit trade after drugs and gun smuggling. Trafficking victims remain an ongoing source of revenue to be exploited over and over again until they are too ill or too worn out to continue. Many die as a result of their servitude-either as a direct result of violence or from contracting the many diseases, including HIV, to which they are susceptible. The report calls for greater cooperation between and within countries to bring traffickers to justice and to provide services and human rights protection for trafficking victims.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

2006 WORLD POPULATION DATA SHEET.
Population Reference Bureau (PRB). August 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 13 pages]

This most recent World Population Data Sheet provides current demographic, health and environmental data for all the countries and major regions of the world. Among the highlights in this year's document are these:

• World population growth will continue. World population has reached 6.6 billion in 2006, up from 6 billion in 1999, and is heading toward 8 billion by 2025. Ninety-nine percent of that growth will be in developing countries.
• Globally, HIV/AIDS prevalence is lower than previously estimated. But prevalence remains catastrophically high in many countries, such as a 24 percent rate in Botswana, and 20 percent in Zimbabwe.
• Too many people still lack access to improved sanitation. Around 2.5 billion people do not have access to improved sanitation. Countries are behind in meeting the targets of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce by one-half, by 2015, the proportion of people without access to sanitation and to safe drinking water.
• Fertility declines have stalled in some countries. In countries such as Kenya and Ghana, fertility rates have hit plateaus after earlier substantial declines.
• U.S. population continues to diversify. The number of foreign-born in the United States has reached an all-time high, even though the percent foreign-born is lower than it was in 1910.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

U.S. NATIONAL REPORT ON POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
Victoria D. Markham. Center for Environment and Population (CEP). Web-posted August 30, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 69 pages]

This report documents existing scientific evidence of how the nation's dramatic population changes (such as rapid growth, suburbanization, and coastal concentrations) are linked to equally remarkable environmental changes (such as rapid land development, habitat and species loss, water pollution, and climate change).

The report highlights a number of developments, including the following:

• The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world experiencing significant population growth. This fact, combined in a new way in this report with data on America's high rates of resource consumption, shows how the nation has the largest per-capita environmental impact in the world.
• The U.S. has become a "metropolitan nation," shifting from being primarily rural to a primarily urban and suburban nation. Today, 4 out of 5 Americans live in metro areas, resulting in "sprawl" being the most predominant form of land-use change in the country. Overall, land is developed twice as fast as population growth.
• The South and West, the nation's fastest growing and most populous regions (home to over half of all Americans today), are the nation's first "Population & Environment Hot Spots." Half of the nation's fastest growing states are in vulnerable coastal ecosystems in the South, and another four are in the driest Western areas.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

AA06348
Skerry, Peter HOW NOT TO BUILD A FENCE (Foreign Policy, no. 156, September-October 2006, pp. 64-67)
View article on publisher's website

The current intense political debate about immigration to the U.S. from Mexico has focused attention on extending and fortifying the physical barrier between the two countries. The author, a political science professor at Boston College, describes how the current 125-mile fence developed over time and how it evolved to address different, and sometimes competing, interests, including free movement of wildlife and other environmental concerns, issues of sovereignty where the border structures cross tribal lands, and even insurance liability. Skerry compares the efficacy of fences and other types of border barriers in other countries. Accompanying graphics illustrate the design, placement, and materials features of the fence.

AA06371
Florida, Richard WHERE THE BRAINS ARE (Atlantic Monthly, vol. 298, no. 3, October 2006, pp. 34-36)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

The author notes that America's educated elite is clustering in a few major metropolitan areas, leaving the rest of the country behind -- a demographic realignment that is every bit as significant as previous migrations in U.S. history. Calling it "means migration", Florida writes that the growing concentration of affluent, educated and talented people to areas such as San Francisco, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Seattle and Denver has a multiplier effect on local economic growth. The growing wealth disparity between these magnet regions and the rest of the country will continue to grow, predicts the author, a phenomenon that "will be one of the great political and cultural challenges of the next generation."

FACTS FOR FEATURES, SPECIAL EDITION: 300 MILLION.
United States Census Bureau. August 9, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 6 printed pages]

This year the total population of the United States will reach 300 million. This selected collection of facts illustrates the differences between that milestone and earlier ones - when the population reached 100 million in 1915, and then 200 million in 1967. Examples of such contrasts include the following:

• Life Expectancy: 2006 -- 77.8 years; 1967 -- 70.5 years; 1915 -- 54.5 years.
• Percentage of the population, age 25 and older, who had at least a high school diploma: 2006 -- 85.2 percent; 1967 -- 51.1 percent; 1915 -- 13.5 percent.

INTERNATIONAL POPULATION ASSISTANCE AND FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS: ISSUES FOR CONGRESS.
Larry Nowels and Connie Veillette. Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service. Updated June 6, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 23 pages]

[Note: Concerning the FY2007 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, H.R. 5522, this CRS report says that the House of Representatives "will consider the bill on June 8." In fact, the House approved the measure on June 9, 2006. It was placed on the Senate Calendar on July 10, 2006. For details on the provisions in both the House and Senate versions, see House Report 109-486 ; Senate Report 277.] 

Throughout the debate on family planning - at times the most contentious foreign aid issue considered by Congress - the cornerstone of U.S. policy has remained a commitment to international family planning programs based on principles of volunteerism and informed choice that give participants access to information on all major methods of birth control.

At present, USAID maintains family planning projects in more than 60 countries that include counseling and services, training of health workers, contraceptive supplies and distribution, financial management, public education and marketing, and biomedical and contraceptive research and development. USAID applies a broad reproductive health approach to its family planning programs, increasingly integrating it with other interventions regarding maternal and child health, the enhancement of the status of women, and HIV prevention and transmission.

Various family planning issues are in contention. In addition to differences of opinion over how population growth affects economic development in developing countries, family planning assistance has become a source of substantial controversy among U.S. policymakers on two other issues. These are: the use of federal funds to perform or promote abortions abroad, and how to deal with evidence of coercion in some foreign national family planning programs, especially in China; and setting the appropriate, effective, and affordable funding levels for family planning assistance.

This report provides a history of U.S. international family planning aid, as well as more recent developments.

2006 NATIONAL SURVEY OF LATINOS: THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE.
Roberto Suro and Gabriel Escobar. Pew Hispanic Center. July 13, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 32 pages]

The first major survey of Latinos in the wake of the pro-immigration marches and the debate in Congress, reveals how the battle over immigration reform has affected Hispanic public opinion. More than half of Latinos believe the debate has increased discrimination. Almost two-thirds think the pro-immigrant marches signal the beginning of a new and lasting social movement. In marked contrast to prior surveys, a majority now believes Hispanics are working together to achieve common goals.

GENDER AND MIGRATION.
Richard Fry. Pew Hispanic Center. July 5, 2006.
Report [pdf format, 42 pages]

Fact Sheets [sections in pdf and html formats, various pagings]

The author examines the gender composition of migration to the U.S. While in recent decades, females have comprised an increasing share of migrants worldwide, the U.S. has experienced a different trend. Legal migration to the U.S. is in fact more female -- as it is elsewhere. However, the effects of a growing and largely male, unauthorized migration, has meant that women are a slightly smaller share of the foreign-born population than they were 25 years ago.

The report also shows that the profile of the female immigrant to the U.S. has changed considerably over the past quarter century. In 2004, recently arrived female migrants were better educated, older and less likely to have children than their counterparts in 1980.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

2005 GLOBAL REFUGEE TRENDS: STATISTICAL OVERVIEW OF POPULATIONS OF REFUGEES, ASYLUM-SEEKERS, INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS, STATELESS PERSONS, AND OTHER PERSONS OF CONCERN TO UNHCR.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Web-posted June 9, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 105 pages]

In this annual report, UNHCR places the total of global refugees at a 26-year low, while the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) increased. The report states that although the number of trans-border refugees dropped from 9.5 million in 2004 to 8.4 million last year, the overall number of concern to UNHCR increased by 1.3 million - from 19.5 million to 20.8 million. Much of the increase is due to a rise in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), people living in refugee-like situations within their own countries. UNHCR now counts 6.6 million conflict-generated internally displaced people in 16 countries as being "of concern," compared to 5.4 million in 13 countries at the end of 2004.

The vast majority of the world's uprooted people remain in developing nations. The 2005 statistics show five nationalities accounting for nearly half of the total population of concern to UNHCR: Afghans (2.9 million); Colombians (2.5 million); Iraqis (1.8 million); Sudanese (1.6 million); and Somalis (839,000).

IMMIGRATION LAW SANCTIONS AND ENFORCEMENT IN SELECTED FOREIGN COUNTRIES. BRAZIL, EGYPT, JAPAN, MEXICO, SWEDEN, AND SWITZERLAND.
Law Library of Congress, Directorate of Legal Research. April 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 40 pages]

This survey of the immigration laws and practices of Brazil, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and Switzerland reveals that Japan and Switzerland are most effective in enforcing their immigration laws. Illegal immigration is viewed as harmful in these countries and enforcement mechanisms include the registration of aliens by the local authorities. Mexico also has a register of aliens that is maintained by the federal authorities. Switzerland and Sweden rely on the fingerprinting of visa applicants, and Japan plans on introducing it. Most surveyed countries use border controls and labor inspections, albeit with varying intensity and results. Mexico and Switzerland concentrate on the avoidance and discovery of fraudulent marriages. Enforcement of immigration laws is lax in Brazil and Egypt.

All countries except for Brazil have criminal penalties for illegal entry and presence, and all countries have substantial criminal sanctions for various forms of fraud and forgery relating to immigration. In Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and Switzerland human trafficking is severely punished. The highest punishment frames for immigration offenses are found in Mexico, and these aim at coping with the problem of transient migration en route to the United States.

PROJECTIONS OF NET MIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES.
David A. Brauer. Congress of the United States. Congressional Budget Office (CBO). June 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 18 pages]

Estimates of the medium- and long-term economic and budget outlook rely on projections of the size and composition of the nation's population. One challenge to such projections is forecasting how many immigrants will come to and stay in the United States. Because most immigrants are of working age when they arrive, rates of net migration are critical in determining the growth of the labor force. Indeed, over the past decade, foreign-born workers accounted for more than half of the growth of the labor force.

Two federal entities, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Census Bureau, currently generate projections of net migration as a component of their population projections. Analysis of historical data implies an 80 percent probability that over the next decade, net migration will average between about 500,000 and 1.5 million people annually, with the range of possible outcomes narrowing somewhat over a longer horizon. This report examines the projection methodologies and outlines the most recent projections of the Social Security Administration and the Census Bureau. The SSA projections are higher than those of the Census Bureau in the near term but lower after 2025.

BORDER SECURITY AND MILITARY SUPPORT: LEGAL AUTHORIZATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS.
Stephen R. Viña. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Updated May 23, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 6 pages]

The military generally provides only support to law enforcement and immigration authorities along the southern border. Reported escalations in criminal activity and illegal immigration, however, have prompted some lawmakers to reevaluate the extent and type of military support that occurs in the border region. On May 15, 2006, President Bush announced that up to 6,000 National Guard troops would be sent to the border to support the Border Patrol. Addressing domestic laws and activities with the military, however, might run afoul of the Posse Comitatus Act which prohibits use of the armed forces to perform the tasks of civilian law enforcement unless explicitly authorized. There are alternative legal authorities for deploying the National Guard, and the precise scope of permitted activities and funds may vary with the authority exercised. This report briefly reviews these legal authorities and their potential legal scope.

THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE UNITED STATES [RL32701]
Shrestha, Laura B., Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Updated May 5, 2006
Download the document [pdf format, 31 pages]

The United States is the third most populous country in the world, accounting for 4.6% of the world's population. In 1950, the U.S. population was 152 million; this has changed not only quantitatively (300 million is likely in a few years) but also qualitatively. Notably, the United States is getting older, and more racially and ethnically diverse.

FINANCIAL ACCESS FOR IMMIGRANTS: LESSONS FROM DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES.
Anna Paulson, Audrey Singer, Robin Newberger, and Jeremy Smith. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Brookings Institution. May 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 106 pages]

As immigrant settlement has become a widespread phenomenon across the United States, more communities are concerned with the prospects for their full social and economic integration. Strategies that help immigrants participate fully in the financial mainstream benefit not just immigrants, but all residents of the communities where they live. This monograph presents new research on the financial practices of immigrants, and describes both industry approaches to reaching the immigrant market and community innovations in moving immigrants into the financial mainstream.

Many institutions and communities are taking action to expand financial access among low- and moderate-income individuals, including immigrants.

Priorities for improving the connections between immigrants and banking services include:

• Making the services immigrants demand (for example, check cashing) available at banks.
• Targeting services for immigrant neighborhoods.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. [RL33351]
Alison Siskin, Andorra Bruno, Blas Nunez-Neto, Lisa M. Seghetti, and Ruth Ellen Wasem. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. April 6, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 82 pages]

Alternative URL [pdf format, 82 pages]

This report provides an analysis of immigration enforcement within the United States. The report opens with a definition of immigration enforcement, a discussion of the statutory authority to conduct immigration enforcement, and an overview of immigration enforcement related legislation since 1986. It follows with an exposition on the dichotomy of interior and border enforcement. The report then details different aspects of immigration enforcement in the United States including detention and removal, alien smuggling and trafficking, document and benefit fraud, worksite enforcement, inspections at ports of entry, and patrolling the border between ports of entry. The authors continue with a discussion of the role of state and local law enforcement in the enforcement of immigration laws. The report then presents a comparative analysis of the resources devoted to divergent immigration enforcement activities. It concludes with a discussion of crosscutting immigration enforcement issues related to the structure of the Department of Homeland Security. The appendix contains a glossary of acronyms.

CIVILIAN PATROLS ALONG THE BORDER: LEGAL AND POLICY ISSUES.
Stephen R. Vina, Blas Nunez-Neto, Alyssa Bartlett Weir. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. April 7, 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 27 pages]

Civilian patrols along the international border have existed in a wide variety of forms for at least 150 years. Over the past 15 years, civilian border patrol groups appear to have proliferated along the U.S.-Mexico border, partly due to the increasing numbers of aliens entering the country illegally. In the spring of 2005, attention focused on these civilian patrols, when the "Minuteman Project" mobilized hundreds of volunteers along the Arizona-Mexico border to observe and report the movement of illegal aliens to the U.S. Border Patrol. Although some participants were armed, Minutemen volunteers were instructed not to engage in hostile confrontations with any illegal alien. Organizers of the Minuteman Project have expanded the Project to the other southwestern border states and Canada and have split the mission into a border defense corps and an internal vigilance operation that monitors businesses and government. A new nationwide Minuteman Project began in April 2006.

This report provides a history of civilian border patrol groups, with a focus on those groups operating along the southwest border, including most particularly, the "Minuteman Project." It also addresses some of the legal and policy issues that have surfaced from civilian activities at the border. The report concludes with summaries of legislative proposals that have been introduced in the 109th Congress that address the issue of civilian border patrol groups.

AA06150
Keefe, Patrick Radden THE SNAKEHEAD: THE CRIMINAL ODYSSEY OF CHINATOWN'S SISTER PING (New Yorker, April 24, 2006, pg. 68-85)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

Illegal migration from China to the U.S. burst into public view in 1993 with the wreck of the tramp steamer Golden Venture; at least ten people died. This was not an isolated incident but part of a large human smuggling business run by "snakehead" Ping Jia, known in the U.S. as Sister Ping. The article details the nearly twenty year saga of Chinese criminal networks, operating in the U.S. and in China, that illegally transport people, at great personal risk, hardship, and expense, from China to the United States. Today Sister Ping is serving a 35-year prison sentence, and several of her associates are dead, murdered by rival gang members. There is, however, "no evidence to indicate that the total number of [Chinese migrants] entering the country illegally has diminished in the years since the Golden Venture incident."

AMERICA'S IMMIGRATION QUANDARY: NO CONSENSUS ON IMMIGRATION PROBLEM OR PROPOSED FIXES.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Hispanic Center. March 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 84 pages]

This report provides detailed analysis and discussion of findings from a national poll and five U.S. metropolitan-area surveys. It describes how immigration ranks as a problem nationally and in the respondents' communities, and addresses the public's distinction between legal and illegal immigration. It reviews concerns about immigration's impact on America's culture and economy.

The report looks at the broad range of immigration policy proposals being considered and the public's opinion of them. It examines trends in views regarding immigrants from Asian and Latin American nations and their willingness to assimilate. Public perceptions about the size of the legal and illegal immigrant populations are also described.

The report's final section summarizes survey results from each of the five metropolitan areas, and highlights notable differences among the cities, and between each region and the nation as a whole. The survey's questionnaire and results for the nation and the five metropolitan areas are available at the end of the report.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

IMMIGRATION STATISTICS ON THE WEB [RS22423]
Mangan, LaVonne M. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. April 19, 2006
Download the document [pdf format, 4 pages]

A useful selection of web-based statistical resources, both governmental and non-governmental, relating to immigration issues.

U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY ON PERMANENT ADMISSIONS [RL32235]
Wasem, Ruth Ellen. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Updated: April 17, 2006
Download the document [pdf format, 30 pages]

"When President George W. Bush announced his principles for immigration reform in January 2004, he included an increase in permanent immigration as a key component. President Bush has stated that immigration reform is a top priority of his second term and has prompted a lively debate on the issue....Four major principles underlie U.S. policy on permanent immigration: the reunification of families, the admission of immigrants with needed skills, the protection of refugees, and the diversity of admissions by country of origin. These principles are embodied in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)." — from the Summary

LIVING LONG IN FRAGILE HEALTH: THE NEW DEMOGRAPHICS SHAPE END OF LIFE CARE
Joanne Lynn, RAND Corporation, Nov-Dec 2005
Summary
Full report [pdf format, 6 pages]

Not long ago, the author notes, people generally got sick and died. Nowadays, one hears comments such as "He's not dying yet" of a person living with fatal lung cancer. Our social understanding has yet to accommodate this new social reality. Lynn proposes a framework for reforming how our society deals with the final phase of life, so that this time can be as comfortable and meaningful as possible, at a cost that the community can sustain.

Baum, Dan THE LOTTERY (New Yorker, vol. 81, no. 44, January 23 & 30, 2006, pp. 46-51)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

Despite earning almost 10 times the minimum wage in Peru, mining engineer Raul Jara took up an unskilled job in a supermarket in Yorktown Heights, New York, after receiving an immigrant visa through the Green Card Lottery, as the Diversity Visa Program is popularly known. Raul's main disadvantage is shared by many lottery winners: no English. Many winners show up in the US with no place to live, no idea of how to find work, and no family waiting to help. Another problem is that the lottery is one way a potential terrorist could gain access to the country. Representative Bob Goodlatte told Baum, "If you're Al Qaeda and want to plant someone in the U.S., this is the way." The House recently passed a border enforcement and immigration bill that included an amendment to abolish the Green Card Lottery; the bill will be considered by the Senate later this year.

AA06094
Longman, Phillip THE RETURN OF PATRIARCHY (Foreign Policy, No. 153, March/April 2006, pp. 56-65)
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The author, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and author of THE EMPTY CRADLE: HOW FALLING BIRTHRATES THREATEN WORLD PROSPERITY AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT, notes that across the globe, people are choosing to have fewer children or none at all. Governments are desperate to halt the trend, but their influence seems to stop at the bedroom door. If this trend continues, it would seem that some societies might become extinct; however, Longman believes that this is unlikely to occur. Instead, he predicts a growing proportion of the next generation will be born into conservative households. As governments hand back functions they once appropriated from the family, notably support in old age, people will find that they need more children to insure their golden years, and they will seek to bind their children to them through inculcating traditional religious values.

INTERNATIONAL POPULATION ASSISTANCE AND FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS: ISSUES FOR CONGRESS [RL33250]
Larry Nowels & Connie Veillette. Congressional Research Service. January 26, 2006
Download the document [pdf format, 21 pages]

This report examines U.S. population planning policy since 1965, looking at controversial initiatives such Reagan administration's "Mexico City policy", which was repealed by President Clinton but re-applied by President George W. Bush. Pending legislation is reviewed.

AA05367
Stokes, Bruce IMMIGRATION TESTS HOLLAND'S TOLERANCE (National Journal, Vol. 37, No. 45, November 5, 2005, pp. 3466-3468)
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Stokes, international economics columnist for the National Journal, notes that the Netherlands, long a haven for refugees from around the world, including the Pilgrims, is now reappraising its attitude concerning immigration. The major concerns are that immigrants from non-Western countries outnumber those from Western countries by more than eight to one, and that the newcomers are not integrating into Dutch society; rates of intermarriage between migrants and native Dutch have been declining. In response to voters' concerns, the government has begun requiring everyone to carry government-issued identification for the first time since World War II and is considering a requirement that all applicants for residence visas pass a test on Dutch language and culture before entering the country. They are also considering banning dual citizenship. Questions about the nature of the welfare state, retirement age, and the role of women have also surfaced in what the author calls a Pandora's box of issues, which "may foreshadow similar wide-ranging debates throughout Europe, and possibly the United States as well."

AA05416
Stokes, Bruce TRADE TALKS TAKE ON IMMIGRATION (National Journal, October 1, 2005, pp. 3044-3045)
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Immigration, a hot political issue in the U.S., is now complicating efforts to strike a deal in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations, says Stokes. Possible agreements on cutting farm supports and opening markets to more merchandise trade could be stymied by congressional opposition to raising the number of foreign professionals and skilled service workers allowed to temporarily work in the U.S. Currently, he explains, no international trade rules regulate labor migration; most nations set their own rules, using programs like the U.S. H-1B visa for professionals with specific occupations. American and European multinational companies complain that obtaining approval for intra-corporate transfers, business visits, or overseas assignments is too arbitrary and time-consuming, but Congress fears that trade deals will be used as a backdoor for opening U.S. borders to terrorists and other illegal immigrants. The business community disagrees, but their arguments have been ignored. Meanwhile, developing countries want to move additional skilled workers across borders while poorer countries argue that unskilled labor may be the only service they can export advantageously. Stokes says that migration of temporary workers is an issue U.S. trade negotiators can no longer ignore.

AA05386
Delson, Jennifer DIVIDED OVER IMMIGRATION (Hispanic, October 2005, pp. 18-24)
View article on publisher's website

The author notes that a recent survey by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that the Hispanic population in the U.S. is no longer the monolith many assume it to be - and Hispanics are increasingly divided over the issue of illegal immigration. Some believe that the continuing influx of illegal Hispanic immigrants "brings down the status of the group" by worsening the atmosphere in established Hispanic communities and draining funds for public services. Still, the majority of Hispanics favor some kind of legal status that would allow undocumented immigrants to work openly, and not have to make the dangerous trip through the Southwest desert. Many favor beefing up the U.S. Border Patrol, but are opposed to private-citizen vigilante groups. Delson notes that this survey is a sign of the complexity of views among the Latino population across the U.S.

AA05365
Cohen, Joel E. HUMAN POPULATION GROWS UP (Scientific American, vol. 293, no. 3, September 2005, pp. 48-55)
Full Text available from your nearest IRC

Cohen, Professor of Populations at Rockefeller and Columbia universities, writes that the global human population will grow to about 9 billion people by the middle of this century, and will undergo unprecedented changes in the balance between young and old, and rich and poor. He notes that virtually all of the growth will occur in urban areas of developing countries. Falling fertility rates and increased longevity will expand the proportion of elderly people. Migrants from countries with traditionally high fertility rates who go to developed regions where fertility rates are lower, such as Europe or North America, often adopt the low-fertility patterns of those countries. Cohen notes that the growing urban populations in the developing world will put more farmland out of production, because most cities grew up in prime agricultural regions. This article is one of a special series, CROSSROADS FOR PLANET EARTH, in the September issue of Scientific American.

AA05349
Magnusson, Paul WHIPSAWED ON THE BORDER Business Week (No. 3954, October 10, 2005, pp. 64-67)
Full Text available from your nearest IRC

The author notes that illegal immigrants now outnumber the legal ones along the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly in the Sonora Desert area in Arizona, estimating that three illegal aliens get through for every one that is caught. Patrolling the border has become more difficult, because of lack of equipment, reduced Congressional funding and increased violence from organized criminal smuggling rings. Real-estate developers are pushing for fewer border checkpoints, which make property less attractive to potential buyers. The U.S. border patrol has to operate in an environment of competing interests. On the one hand are ranchers and other local residents who want illegals caught and returned because of vandalism, crime and increased burden on public services; on the other hand are business lobbies from industries such as tourism, construction and landscaping that rely heavily on immigrant labor.

THE ROLE OF IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. LABOR MARKET.
Nabeel A. Alsalam and Ralph E. Smith. Congressional Budget Office. November 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 35 pages]

The role of immigrants in the U.S. labor market has long generated substantial interest among policymakers. Lawmakers have considered a broad range of issues concerning foreign-born workers -- from the number of immigrants permitted to enter the United States and the criteria for determining who is admitted, to the rules governing their employment, and myriad questions related to undocumented workers.

This paper, requested by the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, is the third of several reports by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that present facts and research on immigration to help inform the agency's federal budget and economic projections. The paper focuses on the role of immigrants in the labor market -- the skills they bring to that market; the types of jobs they hold; their compensation; and their impact on the native-born workforce. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective, nonpartisan analysis, this paper makes no recommendations.

IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION AND ISSUES IN THE 109TH CONGRESS [RL33125]
Andorra Bruno, Coordinator. Congressional Research Service. Library of Congress. October 17, 2005
Full Text available from your nearest IRC

"As in the past several years, security concerns are figuring prominently in the development of and debate on immigration legislation in the 109th Congress. In May 2005, the REAL ID Act became law as Division B of the FY2005 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and T sunami Relief (P.L. 109-13). It contains a number of immigration and identification document-related provisions intended to improve homeland security. Among these are provisions to make changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) with respect to asylum and other forms of relief from removal; to expand the terrorism related grounds for alien inadmissibility and deportation; and to set standards for state-issued drivers' licenses and personal identification cards, if such documents areto be accepted for federal purposes." — from the report.

RISE, PEAK AND DECLINE: TRENDS IN U.S. IMMIGRATION 1992 - 2004
Jeffrey S. Passel, Roberto Suro. Pew Hispanic Center. September 2005
Download the document [pdf format, 64 pages]

The number of legal and illegal migrants to the U.S. peaked at the end of the nineties, and then declined significantly in 2001. The report notes that this coincides with the downturn in the U.S. economy that year. The report also examines factors such as the origins and types of immigrants and the destination of new immigrants.

AA05255
Grow, Brian EMBRACING ILLEGALS (Business Week, No. 3943, July 18, 2005, pg. 56-64)
Full Text available from your nearest IRC

Much of the debate over the presence of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has centered on pushing down wages or on the demands they put on public services such as schools and hospitals. However, the author points out that there is another side to the illegal alien debate: they are a growth engine for the U.S. economy. Although the official numbers of illegal immigrants are from 10 to 11 million, other indications are that the actual number may be closer to 20 million, and it's a population that American business finds too lucrative to ignore. Although it is unlawful for employers to hire illegal immigrants, it is perfectly legal to sell to them; businesses are realizing that not only do they depend on illegal immigrants for cheaper labor, they also are beginning to depend on illegal immigrants' buying power, from housing goods to mortgages. Says one bank manager, illegals are "bringing us all the money that has been under the mattress." Even some South American companies have set up shop in the U.S. to follow their customers. The author notes that this growing interdependence further blurs border and population distinctions.

POPULATION CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Population Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. September 2005
Full report [pdf format, 70 pages]

Press release [pdf format, 3 pages]

The report notes that while world population reached 6.5 billion in 2005, “considerable diversity in population size and growth lies behind this number”. Population is declining in developed countries, unlike many countries in Africa and Asia. As the press release comments, “High fertility levels characterize the majority of the least developed countries. In addition, they exhibit high levels of extreme poverty, with 20 per cent of their combined population living on less than one dollar a day. In 10 of those countries, extreme poverty levels are higher than 40 per cent.”

The second part of the report examines the relationship between these population trends and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the overriding goal of which is to improve human welfare and promote sustainable development.

2005 WORLD POPULATION DATA SHEET
Population Reference Bureau. August 2005
Highlights [html format]

Data sheet [pdf format, 17 pages]

FAQ [pdf format, 4 pages]

Even though the world's rates of infant mortality and population growth have been declining, more than one-half of the world's people live on less than $2 a day. Another chilling statistic is that Africa's infant mortality rate is nearly 15 times that of the developed world.

AA05245
Kandell, Jonathan CROSS PURPOSES: MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS ARE DEFYING EXPECTATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY -- AND CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE BACK HOME (Smithsonian, vol. 36, no. 3, June 2005, pp. 90-96)
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Mexicans account for roughly 60 percent of the 12 million or so undocumented foreigners living in the United States. For decades, Mexicans have taken the menial jobs that few Americans wanted; they are often vilified as "invaders", pouring across the 1,951-mile-long border with the United States, depriving Americans of gainful employment and lowering the wages of blue-collar jobs. The surprising reality, however, is that Mexicans have not only raised their standard of living and that of their families, they've also created a flow of capital back to villages across Mexico. That transfer of wealth--around $17 billion last year--has transformed life across the border, where new housing, medical clinics and schools are under construction. The newly prosperous Mexican Americans are exemplified by success stories like that of Jaime Lucero, 48, who arrived in the US illegally when he was 17 to work as a dishwasher in a Queens restaurant. Today, he is the millionaire owner of a women's apparel company in New Jersey and a factory in his home state of Puebla.

POPULATION ASSISTANCE AND FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS: ISSUES FOR CONGRESS [IB96026]
Larry Nowels. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Updated July 22, 2005
Full Text available from your nearest IRC

Since 1965, United States policy has supported international population planning based on principles of volunteerism and informed choice that gives participants access to information on all methods of birth control.

This policy, however, has generated contentious debate for over two decades, resulting in frequent clarification and modification of U.S. international family planning programs.

IMMIGRATION: ANALYSIS OF THE MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE REAL ID ACT OF 2005 [RL32754]
Michael John Garcia, Margaret Mikyung Lee, and Todd Tatelman. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Updated May 25, 2005
Full Text available from your nearest IRC

The REAL ID Act of May 11, 2005 modified the eligibility criteria for asylum and withholding of removal; limited judicial review of certain immigration decisions; and expanded the scope of terror-related activity making an alien inadmissible or deportable.

BIRTHS TO IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICA: 1970 TO 2002
Steven A. Camarota. Center for Immigration Studies. Web posted July 7, 2005
Download the document [html format]

According to the Center, almost one-quarter of births in the U.S. in 2002 were to immigrant mothers (legal and illegal), the "highest level in American history".

TEMPORARY ADMISSIONS OF NONIMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES IN 2004.
Elizabeth M. Grieco. United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Office of Immigration Statistics. May 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 9 pages]

This Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Flow Report examines the number and characteristics of nonimmigrant admissions to the United States in 2004 recorded by the Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS) of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

In 2004, NIIS recorded 30.8 million nonimmigrant arrivals. Most non-immigrants enter as tourists or business travelers on short-term trips, while others, such as students, temporary workers, and foreign diplomats, stay for longer periods of time, ranging from a few months to several years.

This report describes nonimmigrant arrivals by class of admission and country of citizenship, as well as other characteristics, including sex, age, state of destination, month of arrival, and port of entry. In summary, of the 30.8 million temporary admissions included in NIIS, most entered as short-term visitors, either as tourists (74 percent) or business travelers (15 percent). One-half of all arrivals were by citizens of just four countries: the United Kingdom (16 percent), Mexico (14 percent), Japan (14 percent), and Germany (5 percent).

PROJECTING IMMIGRATION: A SURVEY OF THE CURRENT STATE OF PRACTICE AND THEORY.
Richard Jackson and Neil Howe. Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). April 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 45 pages]

This report notes that most short-term projections of immigration statistics are rather unreliable. Unanticipated events can have major impacts on when and where groups of immigrants will go in the near-term. The authors urge demographers to refine their methodologies and to extend their projections: “Looking at the very long term, it may be possible to identify connections between immigration and other social, economic, and political variables that can be projected with some confidence. The difference is analogous to forecasting waves versus forecasting the tides. Much progress might be achievable if the abundance of available explanatory insights about immigration could somehow be consolidated and integrated into a useable projection method. The stakes are high given the growing importance of immigration in the population projection equation and the high degree of uncertainty surrounding it.”

The report reviews the projection methods used by two major projection-making agencies in the United States: the U.S. Census Bureau and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Other agencies concerned with population trends use the projections published by one or the other. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' labor-force projections, for instance, are based on the Census Bureau middle series, while the Congressional Budget Office and Office of Management and Budget use SSA's long-term demographic scenarios. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, does not make immigration projections. The authors also look at Eurostat's latest projections, as well as the latest projections of three EU countries: Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. "All are significant immigration countries-and all are paying increasing attention to projection method", according to this report. There are also summaries of immigration statistics methods in Canada and Japan.

Note: Contains copyrighted material.

2004 WORLD SURVEY ON THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT: WOMEN AND INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION.
United Nations (UN), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (ESA). Division for the Advancement of Women. March 3, 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 100 pages]

The World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Women and International Migration acknowledges that women have traditionally constituted a significant portion of the world's migrants. What is different today, according to the authors, is the scale of the migration and the entry of women into migration streams that had previously been predominantly male. Ninety million women currently reside outside their countries of origin, representing almost half of the world's international migrants. In many cases, these women are now the principal wage-earners in their families. But in the search for economic gain, they are also becoming more vulnerable to trafficking, according to this report.

The proportion of legal women immigrants is particularly high in the traditional large-scale receiving countries of Australia, Canada and the United States. Europe had the highest proportion of incoming female migrants in 2000, while Western Asia and Southern Africa had the lowest. The Philippines has a very high proportion of female migrants living abroad (approximately 60 per cent, according to data collected during the 1990s). Mexico has many more male emigrants - 69 per cent, according to a 1995 census.

The difference between the smuggling of undocumented workers and trafficking is that undocumented people might pay to be transported across borders in search of better life prospects, while the trafficked, also looking for legitimate occupations, find themselves trapped into prostitution, forced marriage, domestic work, sweatshops and other forms of contemporary slavery, the report says.