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Just the Facts

Immigration Fact Checks provide up-to-date information on the most current issues involving immigration today.

Fewer Job Openings Equals Fewer Immigrants:Undocumented Immigration Slows Along With the U.S. Economy

According to new estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center, the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States did not increase between 2007 and 2008, and may actually have fallen. These findings should come as no surprise given the current state of the economy.

Published On: Wed, Oct 01, 2008 | Download File

Record-Breaking Number of Immigrants Seek Integration, U.S. Citizenship

September 17th is Citizenship Day—a day to recognize and celebrate all of the immigrants who have chosen to integrate fully and become U.S. citizens.  While some fear that demographic shifts threaten American identity, research and experience have shown that today’s immigrants integrate into American society just like generations of immigrants before them.  Citizenship Day is a time to celebrate the many immigrants who have taken a step toward full integration and participation in U.S. civic life. 

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Published On: Tue, Sep 16, 2008 | Download File

From Anecdotes to Evidence: Setting the Record Straight on Immigrants and Crime

Anti-immigrant activists and politicians are fond of relying upon anecdotes to support their oft-repeated claim that immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, are dangerous criminals.  This mythical claim is usually based on rhetorical sleight of hand in which individual stories of heinous crimes committed by immigrants are presented as “proof” that we must restrict immigration or “get tough” on the undocumented in order to save the lives of U.S. citizens.  While these kinds of arguments are emotionally powerful, they are intellectually dishonest.  There is no doubt that dangerous criminals must be punished, and that immigrants who are dangerous criminals should not be allowed to enter the United States or should be deported if they already are here.  But harsh immigration policies are not effective in fighting crime because—as numerous studies over the past 100 years have shown—immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be behind bars than the native-born, and high rates of immigration are not associated with higher rates of crime.  This holds true for both legal immigrants and the undocumented, regardless of their country of origin or level of education.

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Published On: Wed, Sep 10, 2008 | Download File

Recapture of Unused Immigrant Visas: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Critics of H.R. 5882, a bill that would would allow visas that have gone unused due to bureaucratic delays to be "recaptured" and issued to family- or employment-based legal immigrants, claim it will needlesly create new visas. The fact is that "recapturing" lost visas would not authorize any new green cards; it would allow the government to issue green cards that Congress has already authorized.

Published On: Tue, Sep 09, 2008 | Download File

Separating Fact from Fiction: Refugees, Immigrants and Public Benefits

Anti-immigrant activists like to stir up anger by distorting the facts with dishonest claims.

Published On: Mon, Sep 08, 2008 | Download File

Dangerous Business: Implications of an EEVS for Latinos and the U.S. Workforce

Covers the effects of a national employment eligibility verification system on Latinos and the U.S. workforce more generally.

Published On: Sun, Aug 31, 2008 | Download File

What Happens When Local Cops Become Immigration Agents? Arizona Sheriff

Over the past year and a half, County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has transformed his police department into an immigration-enforcement agency, gaining international notoriety in the process.  The East Valley Tribune of metro-Phoenix, Arizona, recently ran a series of articles chronicling its investigation of the immigration-enforcement activities of MCSO. Using MCSO case files, interviews with top-ranking officers, and other sources of data, reporters uncovered startling facts about the enormous price tag—both financial and social—of the Sheriff’s antics. 

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Published On: Wed, Aug 06, 2008 | Download File

Attrition Through Recession: CIS Report Marred by Inaccuracies, Contradictions, and Wishful Thinking

Most researchers agree that undocumented immigration to the United States is driven largely by economics. Yet, in a new report entitled "Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population," CIS

Published On: Wed, Jul 30, 2008 | Download File

Not Ready for Prime Time: New Order Requires Federal Contractors to Use Basic Pilot

Many who support deportation-only immigration measures are advocating for a universal electronic employment verification system (EEVS). Bills such as the “Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act” (H.R. 4088) and the “New Employee Verification Act of 2008” (H.R. 5515) would place enormous additional responsibilities on the Social Security Administration (SSA)—a critical but overburdened agency. In fact, H.R. 5515, authored by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), would saddle the SSA with the job of administering the new mandatory and massive employment verification system.

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Published On: Tue, Jul 15, 2008 | Download File

Money for Nothing: Immigration Enforcement without Immigration Reform Doesn

While the U.S. government has poured billions upon billions of dollars into immigration enforcement, the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has increased dramatically. Rather than reducing undocumented immigration, this enforcement-without-reform strategy has diverted the resources and attention of federal authorities to the pursuit of undocumented immigrants who are drawn here by the labor needs of our own economy.

Published On: Thu, May 22, 2008 | Download File