A February 18 Rasmussen poll found that two-thirds of people believe that states should be permitted to enforce their own immigration laws if the federal government won’t.
A February 15 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office examined border control measures along the Mexican border. It finds that there is operational control over just 129 miles of the 2,000 mile border. That same day, the House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing on this subject.
A February report by the Migration Policy Institute examined the evolution of border controls to prevent illegal immigration. It notes that while technological solutions have been ineffective, the cost of hiring sufficient personnel to significantly reduce illegal immigration is prohibitive.
On January 25, the Center for American Progress published a study on the additional economic costs incurred by states and localities that enact anti-illegal immigration statutes.
On January 24, the Southern Poverty Law Center published a report on anti-immigrant laws at the state and local government level.
On January 18, the Congressional Research Service published a report on the foreign-born population.
On January 13, the Institute for the Study of Labor posted a paper which found that immigrants are attracted to states with high minimum wages.
On January 1, the Urban Institute published a study that examined empirical research on the relationship between immigration and low-skilled workers.
A January working paper by University of Massachusetts economists Robert Pollin and Jeanette Wicks-Lim found that immigrants have not been a significant factor adding to the unemployment rate during the recent recession.
On December 16, the United Nations released the 2010 edition of its World Migration Report. It details emigration and immigration trends around the world.
On December 14, the CRS published a report on unauthorized alien students.
I last posted items on this topic on December 21.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
