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Asylum and “Credible Fear” Issues in U.S. Immigration Policy

Description: This report defines asylum seekers and looks at the background of asylum seekers in the U.S. since the 1980s. It discusses current issues, including inconsistent approval rates for asylum seekers across different regions and jurisdictions. It ends with a discussion of whether or not the policy (created during the Cold War) has adapted to the 21st century, and ways in directions that current law/new legislation could move to mitigate this issue.
Date: April 6, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Issues

Description: This report looks at controversies surrounding the diversity immigrant visa lottery, which encourages legal immigration from countries other than the major sending countries of current immigrants to the U.S.
Date: April 1, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Treatment of Noncitizens Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Description: This report discusses alien eligibility for the provisions in PPACA that have restrictions based on immigration status: participation in high-risk pools, the requirement to maintain health insurance, the ability to purchase insurance through an exchange, and eligibility for premium credits and cost-sharing subsidies. The report concludes with an analysis of data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) that illuminate some of the possible effects of PPACA on the health insurance coverage of the… more
Date: March 22, 2011
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of Immigration Issues in the 112th Congress

Description: This report synthesizes immigration issues as a multi-tiered debate. It breaks down the U.S. immigration law and policy into key elements: border control and visa security; legal immigration; documentation and verification; interior immigration enforcement; integration, status, and benefits; and refugees and other humanitarian populations. This report also delineates the debate in the 112th Congress for a range of issues, including border security, criminal aliens, and worksite enforcement.
Date: March 21, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration-Related Worksite Enforcement: Performance Measures

Description: In the spring of 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued new guidance on immigration-related worksite enforcement. According to 2010 estimates, there are some 8.0 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. civilian labor force. Enforcement activity by the Department of Labor (DOL) is also relevant to a discussion of federal efforts to curtail unauthorized employment.
Date: March 1, 2011
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Immigration Policy on Temporary Admissions

Description: This report begins with a discussion of the policy tensions surrounding temporary admissions. It follows with a synthesis of the nonimmigrant categories according to the purpose of the visa. It discusses the periods of admission and length of stay and then summarizes grounds for inadmissibility and removal as well as reasons for termination of status. It also describes the circumstances under which nonimmigrants may work in the United States. The second portion of the report analyzes trends in … more
Date: February 28, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Immigration Policy on Haitian Migrants

Description: This report discusses whether the balance should tip more toward humanitarian immigration policies as a consequence of the humanitarian crises that resulted from the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Date: January 21, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 111th Congress

Description: This report synthesizes the multi-tiered debate over immigration reform into key elements: legal immigration; legalization; immigration control; refugees, asylees, and humanitarian migrants; and alien rights, benefits, and responsibilities. It delineates the issues for the 111th Congress on permanent residence, temporary admissions, border security, worksite enforcement, employment eligibility verification, document fraud, criminal aliens, and the grounds for inadmissibility.
Date: January 18, 2011
Creator: Bruno, Andorra; Ester, Karma; Lee, Margaret Mikyung; Siskin, Alison & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Foreign-Born Population: Trends and Selected Characteristics

Description: This report offers context for consideration of immigration policy options by presenting data on key geographic, demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the foreign-born population residing in the United States. Interest in the U.S. foreign-born population stems in part from the changing demographic profile of the United States as well as the rapidity of such change, and how both of these trends correspond to U.S. immigration policy.
Date: January 18, 2011
Creator: Kandel, William A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Policies and Issues on Health-Related Grounds for Exclusion

Description: This report discusses the criteria that foreign nationals must meet before admission to the United States, including the reasons why a foreign national might be denied admission, most particularly on health-related grounds. This report discusses such issues in relation to the recent outbreak of the 2009 H1N1 ("swine flu") virus, and how the outbreak has affected various government agencies, such as the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). … more
Date: January 6, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Refugee Resettlement Assistance

Description: In recent years, the United States has admitted an increasingly diverse group of refugees and other humanitarian cases with a diverse set of needs. There seems to be broad consensus that the U.S. refugee resettlement assistance system is not adequately meeting the needs of these new arrivals and is ripe for reform. The National Security Council is leading an interagency review of refugee resettlement, the forthcoming results of which may further energize reform efforts. To help inform possible … more
Date: January 4, 2011
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Visa Waiver Program

Description: Report that discusses the visa waiver program (VWP), which allows for a bypass of the first step by which foreign visitors are screened for admissibility to enter the United States. Some policymakers are concerned that this waiver allows terrorists to more easily enter the country. The report provides waiver-related statistics and related legislation.
Date: January 4, 2011
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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State and Local Restrictions on Employing, Renting Property to, or Providing Services for Unauthorized Aliens: Legal Issues and Recent Judicial Developments

Description: This report discusses the constitutional issues raised by state and local laws intended to deter the presence of unauthorized aliens by limiting their access to housing, employment, and public benefits, as well as the implications that federal civil rights statutes might have for the implementation and enforcement of these laws. It also discusses recent federal court cases addressing the constitutionality of such measures.
Date: December 20, 2010
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.; Feder, Jody & Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Immigration Policy on Permanent Admissions

Description: This report discusses the four major principles underlie current 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. Against competing priorities for increased immigration are those who offer options to scale back immigration levels, with options ranging from limiting family-based legal permanent residents to the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens … more
Date: December 20, 2010
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement

Description: Sudan, geographically the largest country in Africa, has been ravaged by civil war intermittently for four decades, resulting in catastrophic civilian casualties and displacements. This report discusses the history of Sudan's civil unrest and the subsequent crisis in Darfur, as well as United Nations and United States aid and peacekeeping efforts and current related policy under the Obama Administration.
Date: December 16, 2010
Creator: Dagne, Ted
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Public Assistance: Policy Overview and Trends

Description: This report deals with the four major federal means-tested benefit programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant programs, and Medicaid. It is organized into four main parts: an overview of existing eligibility law for the four programs and the policies that preceded the 1996 act; an overview of related immigrant policies affecting eligibility (speci… more
Date: December 14, 2010
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Unauthorized Alien Students: Issues and "DREAM Act" Legislation

Description: In recent years, multiple bills have been introduced in Congress to provide relief to unauthorized alien students. In most cases, these bills have proposed to repeal the 1996 provision and enable certain unauthorized alien students to adjust to legal permanent resident (LPR) status in the United States. These bills have often been entitled the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or the DREAM Act. This report discusses the background and debate surrounding "Dream Act" legisl… more
Date: December 14, 2010
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Securing America's Borders: The Role of the Intelligence Community

Description: Maintaining the security of U.S. borders is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government. This report discusses the contribution of intelligence agencies to the border security efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies that work in cooperation with state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. Much of the intelligence community's border security-related efforts are classified, however.
Date: December 7, 2010
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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