Search Results

open access

Unauthorized Aliens' Access to Federal Benefits: Policy and Issues

Description: This report focuses on the policy and legislative debate surrounding unauthorized aliens' access to federal benefits. Federal law bars aliens residing without authorization in the United States from most federal benefits; however, there is a widely held perception that many unauthorized aliens obtain such benefits. The degree to which unauthorized resident aliens should be accorded certain rights and privileges as a result of their residence in the United States, along with the duties owed by s… more
Date: December 9, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues

Description: This report is a brief overview of current policies regarding temporatry protected status (TPS), which is relief from removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It includes information about humanitarian migrants, temporary protected status, other blanket forms of relief, nationalities receiving protections, and issues with TPS, as well as recent legislation.
Date: December 13, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen & Ester, Karma
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Mexican Migration to the United States: Policy and Trends

Description: History and geography have given Mexico a unique status in the U.S. immigration system, and have made the Mexico-U.S. migration flow the largest in the world. Mexicans are the largest group of U.S. migrants across most types of immigration statuses—a fact that may have important implications for how Congress makes U.S. immigration policy. This report reviews the history of immigration policy and migration flows between the countries and the demographics of Mexicans within the United States. It … more
Date: June 7, 2012
Creator: Rosenblum, Marc R.; Kandel, William A.; Ribando Seelke, Clare & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Birthright Citizenship Under the 14th Amendment of Persons Born in the United States to Alien Parents

Description: Background of birthright citizenship to alien parents in the U.S. The report ends with a detail of amendments in the 112th Congress that would amend the Constitution to exclude from citizenship at birth persons born in the United States whose parents are unlawfully present in the United States or are non-immigrant aliens.
Date: January 10, 2012
Creator: Lee, Margaret Mikyung
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

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: January 12, 2012
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Immigration of Temporary Lower-Skilled Workers: Current Policy and Related Issues

Description: U.S. employers in various industries argue that they need to hire foreign workers to perform lower-skilled jobs, while others maintain that many of these positions could be filled by U.S. workers. While the discussion of current guest worker programs in this report focuses on the H-2A and H- 2B visas, it also covers the Summer Work Travel (SWT) program, the largest of several programs under the J-1 visa for participants in work- and study-based exchange visitor programs. The SWT program is part… more
Date: March 20, 2012
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy

Description: Typically, the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year. For FY2012, the worldwide refugee ceiling is 76,000, with 73,000 admissions numbers allocated among the regions of the world and 3,000 numbers comprising an unallocated reserve. Overseas processing of refugees is conducted through a system of th… more
Date: March 7, 2012
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Unauthorized Alien Students: Issues and "DREAM Act" Legislation

Description: The 109th and 110th Congresses considered, but did not enact, comprehensive immigration reform legislation that included large-scale legalization programs for unauthorized aliens. In the aftermath of these unsuccessful efforts, some interested parties have urged the President and Congress to pursue more limited legislation to address the status of unauthorized alien students. Such legislation is commonly referred to as the "DREAM Act."
Date: March 21, 2012
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Immigration Provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Description: This report discusses the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA, P.L. 103-322) that congress passed in 1994. This legislation created new programs within the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services that aimed to both reduce domestic violence and improve response to and recovery from domestic violence incidents.
Date: May 15, 2012
Creator: Kandel, William A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Immigration of Foreign Nationals with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Degrees

Description: Congress is renewing its interest in facilitating the immigration of foreign professional workers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields. The STEM workforce is seen by many as a catalyst of U.S. global economic competitiveness and is likewise considered a key element of the legislative options aimed at stimulating economic growth. "STEM visa" is a shorthand for an expedited immigration avenue that enables foreign nationals with graduate degrees in STEM fields to adjus… more
Date: May 11, 2012
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues

Description: When civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters erupt in spots around the world, concerns arise over the safety of foreign nationals residing in the United States who are from these troubled places. Provisions exist in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to offer temporary protected status (TPS) or relief from removal under specified circumstances. A foreign national who is granted TPS receives a registration document and an employment authorization for the duration of TPS. The Unite… more
Date: April 2, 2012
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen & Ester, Karma
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Immigration-Related Worksite Enforcement: Performance Measures

Description: The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for immigration-related worksite enforcement, or enforcement of the prohibitions on unauthorized employment in Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The INA §274A provisions, sometimes referred to as employer sanctions, make it unlawful for an employer to knowingly hire, recruit or refer for a fee, or continue to employ an alien who is not authorized to be so employed. … more
Date: May 10, 2012
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Immigration Policy on Permanent Admissions

Description: 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 to confining employment-… more
Date: March 13, 2012
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Immigration-Related Detention: Current Legislative Issues

Description: As Congress considers addressing some of the problems in the nation's immigration system, the detention of noncitizens in the United States may be an issue as Congress may choose to reevaluate detention priorities (i.e., who should be detained) and resources. There are many policy issues surrounding detention of aliens. The Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) increased the number of aliens subject to mandatory detention, and raised concerns about the justn… more
Date: January 12, 2012
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

State Efforts to Deter Unauthorized Aliens: Legal Analysis of Arizona's S.B. 1070

Description: This report discusses S.B. 1070 and some of the notable preemption issues raised by some of its provisions. Where relevant, it examines the district court's ruling that the federal government is likely to succeed on the merits of its arguments that certain sections of S.B. 1070 are preempted by federal law. It also discusses other preemption issues potentially raised by S.B. 1070 or similar legislation, including some issues that were not expressly addressed by the district court in its prelimi… more
Date: September 14, 2010
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.; Garcia, Michael John & Eig, Larry M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Numerical Limits on Employment-Based Immigration: Analysis of the Per-Country Ceilings

Description: The report opens with brief explanations of the employment-based preference categories and the per-country ceilings governing annual admissions of LPRs. The focus is on the major employment-based preference categories. The report continues with a statistical analysis of the pending caseload of approved employment-based LPR petitions.
Date: December 6, 2011
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Interior Immigration Enforcement: Programs Targeting Criminal Aliens

Description: This report begins by defining and quantifying the criminal alien population, to the extent possible. The following sections describe current and historical programs designed in whole or in part to target this population, including CAP, Secure Communities, the § 287(g) program, and NFOP. After describing how these programs function and key differences among them, the report reviews their recent appropriations history and enforcement statistics.
Date: October 21, 2011
Creator: Rosenblum, Marc R. & Kandel, William A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry

Description: This report concludes by raising additional questions about future investments at the border, how to weigh such investments against other enforcement strategies, and the relationship between border enforcement and the broader debate about U.S. immigration policy.
Date: January 6, 2012
Creator: Rosenblum, Marc R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Immigration-Related Worksite Enforcement: Performance Measures

Description: Over the past few years, the media have been filled with reports about worksite enforcement operations, commonly referred to as immigration raids. These operations represent the public face of efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to curtail the employment of unauthorized immigrants. According to 2006 estimates, there are some 7.8 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. civilian workforce. Enforcement activity by the Department of Labor (DOL) is also relevant to a discussion of federa… more
Date: December 2, 2008
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

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 2008 estimates, there are some 8.3 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: June 24, 2010
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

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
Back to Top of Screen