Immigration Fairytales
New America Media, Commentary, Walter A. Ewing, Ph.D. Posted: Aug 04, 2008
Editor’s Note: A recent report that suggests the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. has declined because of immigration law enforcement ignores some critical factors, says Walter A. Ewing, Senior Researcher at the Immigration Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Immigration Matters regularly features the views of the nation's leading immigrant rights advocates.
It is commonsense that undocumented immigration is driven by economics. Most undocumented immigrants come from nations where economic opportunities are few and far between. Migrants would not leave behind families and homelands to embark upon potentially deadly journeys to the United States if there weren’t a good chance they could find jobs once they got here. And few immigrants would go back to countries that lack job opportunities unless there were no more jobs available in the United States. Not surprisingly, immigrants strive to build better lives in places where they can actually earn livelihoods.
Yet, a report released on July 30 by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) would have us believe that the decisions of undocumented immigrants about where to live are based more on the politics of immigration enforcement than the economics of their own survival. The report, Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population, echoes the findings of other researchers that the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has recently declined. However, the report reaches the dubious conclusion that a decrease in the size of the undocumented population between August 2007 and May 2008 is largely the result of new immigration-enforcement efforts, not the downturn of the U.S. economy. The report not only lacks hard data to back up this claim, but undermines itself with faulty logic and contradictory statements.
Most researchers agree that the pace of undocumented immigration depends primarily on the health of the U.S. economy. In a June 2008 report, Controlling Unauthorized Immigration from Mexico, Wayne Cornelius, Director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California-San Diego, concludes that “undocumented migration clearly responds to changing U.S. economic conditions,” increasing when the economy is expanding and decreasing during economic downturns. But CIS tries to skirt this inconvenient truth by claiming that the number of “likely illegal immigrants” began to fall before their unemployment rate began to rise, suggesting that the decline “was caused by enforcement rather than deterioration in the economy.”
In reaching this conclusion, CIS uses the number of foreign-born Hispanics aged 18 to 40 with no more than a high-school diploma as a very poor “proxy” for the number of “likely undocumented immigrants.” Moreover, the economic timeline the report relies upon is flawed on two counts. First, the industries where many undocumented immigrants work began to experience economic problems before August 2007. The construction industry, for instance, started to shed jobs in the first quarter of 2007. Undocumented immigrants respond to changes in the industries where they work, not to changes in the overall unemployment rate.
Second, the CIS report relies on the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), which asks respondents about their employment status. Undocumented immigrants who leave the United States will not be counted as unemployed in the CPS because they are not in the country. If recently arrived undocumented immigrants are the first to leave during an economic downturn, their departure is not going to register as an increase in the unemployment rate.
The CIS reports claim that immigration enforcement is suddenly succeeding is also undermined by the fact that undocumented immigrants themselves do not view immigration-enforcement measures as much of a deterrent. Wayne Cornelius’ research found that 91 percent of undocumented immigrants know that crossing the border is “very dangerous,” and nearly one-quarter know someone who has died while doing so. When asked what they “fear most” about crossing the border, nearly 43 percent list the “harsh conditions” of the desert, while less than one-quarter list the Border Patrol. Yet they cross anyway out of what they perceive to be economic necessity.
In keeping with its flawed data and faulty analysis, the CIS report offers no real solution to the problem of undocumented immigration. According to the report, if the recent decline in the undocumented population “were sustained, it could cut the illegal population in half within just five years.” Unfortunately, that would require sustained decline in the U.S. economy and the wasting of billions more dollars on deportation-only immigration-enforcement measures. The report also admonishes “both presidential candidates” for having allegedly saying that “their strong desire to legalize those in the country illegally,” might “encourage more illegal immigration.” Presumably, since even talking about comprehensive immigration reform could spark a rush of Mexicans across the border, politicians should ignore the issue.
Undocumented immigration will not be “fixed” by wishful thinking or a vow of silence on the part of presidential candidates. The deportation-only tactics CIS proposes cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year, divide families, destroy communities, and do not address the causes of undocumented immigration. The most practical and humane way to restore order to our broken immigration system is to create realistic and flexible avenues for legal immigration, while allowing undocumented immigrants already living here to come forward and apply for legal status.
Related Articles:
Experts Slam Report Claiming Undocumented Are Leaving America
Editorial Calls CIS Immigration Report Deeply Flawed
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User Comments
Ransome on Aug 06, 2008 at 06:41:20 said:
Unfortunately, natural law often is not humane. Natural law follows logically from the idea that truth and therefore the law is based upon fundamental principles of nature. A fundamental principle of nature is that the present owners of a territory have the right to control their borders because excessive encroachment could threaten their survival. They have the natural right to accept encroachment, defend their borders, or attack the invaders. When resources are plentiful, encroachment is allowed, when limited, it is rebuffed, like during the Depression.
This is a natural law of survival, set by nature, and transcends humanity and compassion. It is our natural, human tendency to protect our rights and resources. The control of territory is the observed behavior of most species and reflects millions of years of evolution. The need to protect borders is inherent and essential to the protection of a human society because throughout history, territory has constantly change hands. Usually, because the intruders sought a better life. Nature is not a Garden of Eden; a group must fight not flee to have a better life; occupier rights dominate intruders rights; and it is traitorous to advocate otherwise.
So.Calf is Done!!!!!!!! on Aug 05, 2008 at 11:58:32 said:
We here in so.california is so over run.so many babies and small children. i"ve been told to my face, that Black and White people you are Done......."we"re taking over" My Solution is mass Deporting.
casiopeia on Aug 05, 2008 at 11:51:36 said:
You missed an important part of this article: The Census Bureau does not produce estimates or counts of illegal immigrants living in the United States.
How can this report from CIS then assert that the illegal population is declining while the legal population continues to grow when the numbers that they are using do not distinguish between the legal or illegal population?? The Census only asks if a person was born in the country or if he/she has been born overseas. This might be news to you and other nativists but guess what, not all who are foreign-born are illegal immigrants! In fact the majority of the immigrant population is legal.
This is just another confirmation that CIS likes to \"play with numbers\" while providing no evidence and it seems that they have forgotten one of the first lessons learned in statistics: correlation does not imply causation
Sam Gregory on Aug 04, 2008 at 18:01:41 said:
Criminals!
By Oliver Hagley
Those arguing on behalf of illegal aliens and their "rights" often play
word games in appealing to the pride of real Americans.
"Immigrants Built America" and "We are all Immigrants" are popular slogans
at pro-illegal alien protests and in jargon used by those who favor open
borders, regardless of the impact on America's homeland security, economy
or culture.
What the anti rule-of-law crowd omits is the crucial word "legal," as in
"legal immigrants." While itўs true that we are all descendants of
immigrants, it is not true that our forefathers came to America illegally.
America was not built by illegal aliens!
Migrating to America legally is, and should be, a long, drawn-out procedure
meant to protect the interests of American citizens. It involves more than
simply jumping a fence and heading north in pursuit of free health care,
education, food stamps, and other handouts paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
Legal immigration means enduring rigorous hurdles like background checks to
detect a criminal background or possible ties to terrorists; medical
examinations to detect diseases still prevalent in third-world nations, but
long since eradicated here; proof of financial solvency so as to prevent
newcomers from becoming a burden on U.S. taxpayers, and testing for
knowledge of American history and English skills.
Those who have jumped a fence into America in order to avoid our
immigration checks are not immigrants. Rather, they are invading criminals,
with no claim whatsoever to the welcome mat extended to legal immigrants.
Such people do not deserve recognition or sanction by the United States,
and should be rounded up and deported as soon as possible, without
exception.
Another word game played by pro-illegal aliens is to call these miscreants
"undocumented." The implication of this term is that the invaders are
simply missing a piece of paper or two, probably some unnecessary
bureaucratic red tape designed to keep brown people out.
In truth, illegal aliens have invaded our nation, leaving America
vulnerable to undetected crime, terrorism, disease, and financial
devastation at the hands of people with no legal or moral justification for
being here.
CalGal1950 on Aug 04, 2008 at 15:50:19 said:
What is wrong with this picture? For every illegal in this nation there is someone waiting patiently in line, doing everything by the book, that isn't able to come to America. Why is it that, this President and all of these idiots that are pushing for the legalization of people already breaking the law, they seem to be dicriminating against the entire rest of this plant? I am fed up with Spanish being pushed down my throat. I am fed up with the legalization of children born out of wedlock being given birthright citizenship. I work in an industry where so many of the Mexican women are pregnant, no spouse, on some form of welfare and speaking Spanish. They are milking our system for all it's worth and refusing to speak English. It absolutely amazes me that our Government, politicians and leaders are allowing this in our country. Everyone of them should be impeached for not upholding the laws of our Nation. Where are our rights to not have to support these illegals witth our taxes. I think we need another Boston Tea Party and a Revolutionary War to shake off the shackles of a government that is no longer of, by and for the citizens of this once Great nation.
Ruth on Aug 04, 2008 at 15:13:00 said:
No legalization for illegal aliens; no amnesty; no legalization for border babies!!! Get out now or we will deport you.
Latin American countries and other countries where illegals come from will never provide health care, education and other services for their citizens as long as they can illegally send them to the U.S. This MUST stop or the U.S. citizen will stop it. Make your own country better, we will not allow this illegal entry to continue.
Brittanicus on Aug 04, 2008 at 14:03:16 said:
Read the undeniable facts that Illegal Immigration for three decades has flooded America with poverty. It looks like it will never stop. Unless the American people demand the exodus of the millions that are already here. Then stop those waiting patiently to slip through the undermanned border fence. Only the enactment of the Federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) enforcement only. Just read the traumatic, severe financial impact of growing issue. Overpopulation, congestion, urban sprawl, pollution, environmental damage, crime, diminishing resources, Diseases, lack of affordable housing, depressed wages, underground economic, fraudulent documents, identity theft, tax evasion, soaring crime rate, increased tax burdens, overcrowded schools, uneducated citizen children, overcrowded prisons, inadequate health care.
The balkanization of our communities and a large and growing population with loyalty to other Nations. Just read this disturbing revelation of costs, (www.eagleforum.org/sources) Read the undeniable economic statistics at www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/taxes.asp) Read hard suppressed facts at (numbersusa. com).
Nezzie on Aug 04, 2008 at 10:39:08 said:
There will be no applying for legal status. If you came across that border, you are a criminal. I don't care who bought you here, or by what mode of transportation. I don't care if you were born here or were bought at a young age. American citizens do not want illegal immigrants, or their anchor babies in our country. They have a plan in Mexico, they tell them what to do and even give out booklets here in Maryland encouraging continued law-breakers to continue with more of the same. Martin O'Malley and Jack Johnson are disgusting. Please, join an anti-illegl immigrant group near you. Help us save our country! HELPSAVEMARYLAND.COM
nativessayno on Aug 04, 2008 at 10:38:00 said:
yes, exactly let lawbreakers make their own laws-great idea. BTW, politicians HAVE been ignoring the issue that's why their are MILLION (MILLIONS) here. Geez, this article used the term "undocumented" far too many times.
This is NOT a fairytale. This IS a vertible nightmare for citizen's and taxpayers.
Best thing is just turn it over to the Latin Americans....all american culture and virtues.....not relevant anymore. If you are illegal by all means; live it up since your struggle means more than any US citizen's from now on.
Sickening!
OneifbyLand on Aug 04, 2008 at 08:04:17 said:
It can no longer be denied that Mexico is doing
everything it can to create an Illegal Mexican Nation
within the borders of the USA! Human waves of
Illegal Aliens from south of the border have
broken,gamed and abused the laws of the USA
and through illegal voting are trying to change U.S. Law
to allow the Invasion! Immigration Laws were put in
place for a GOOD reason!
numbersusa
alipac
ccir
saveourstate
americanpatrol
Funny Truth on Aug 04, 2008 at 07:08:41 said:
The Candidates, The Congress and the senate should read and do this. This is THE SOLUTION .
-->\"The most practical and humane way to restore order to our broken immigration system is to create realistic and flexible avenues for legal immigration, while allowing undocumented immigrants already living here to come forward and apply for legal status.\"