A June 22 Gallup poll found no significant change in people’s attitudes toward immigration: by and large they think it is good for the country, but nevertheless believe that it would be better if there was less immigration.
A June 21 Gallup poll asked people in other countries if they would like to migrate and where to. About a third of people in Africa would move if they could; about 20 percent in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East; about 15 percent in the former Soviet Union; and about 10 percent in Asia and North America. The U.S. is far and away the most desired location for emigration.
A June 21 Harris poll found that two-thirds of Americans favor amending the Constitution to prevent so-called maternity tourism, whereby pregnant women visit the U.S. just to give birth so that their children have American citizenship.
On June 15, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the “Legal Workforce Act.”
On June 9, the Brookings Institution published a study on the skill level of immigrants. It finds that the immigrant population is becoming better educated.
On June 2, the Congressional Budget Office published an updated description of the foreign-born population.
A May 31 Rasmussen poll found that 61 percent of people would permanently close businesses that hire illegal aliens.
On May 27, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on labor force characteristics of the foreign-born population. In 2010, the foreign-born constituted 15.8 percent of the labor force; about half are Hispanic and 22 percent are Asian.
On May 18, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the immigration court system.
I last posted items on this topic on May 30.
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).
