Center For Immigration Studies

Los Angeles police last week joined a growing list of law enforcement agencies across the state in changing policies for impounding vehicles of unlicensed drivers, a shift prompted by complaints that illegal immigrants were being unfairly targeted at DUI checkpoints. For years, activists and some city officials have charged that police are increasingly punishing illegal immigrants who cannot get driver's licenses by towing and sometimes impounding their cars for 30 days. Once a car is impounded, fees to release the vehicles can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The Obama administration said it will review the cases of 300,000 illegal immigrants currently in deportation proceedings to identify "low-priority" offenders — including the elderly, crime victims and people who have lived in the U.S. since childhood — with an eye toward allowing them to stay. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the review as the Obama administration has sought to counter criticism that it has been too harsh in its deportation policies. By launching the case-by-case review, officials said they are refocusing deportation efforts on convicted felons and other "public safety threats.

Welfare payments to children of illegal immigrants in Los Angeles County increased in July to $52 million, prompting renewed calls from one county supervisor to rein in public benefits to such families. The payments, made to illegal immigrants for their U.S. citizen children, included $30 million in food stamps and $22 million from the CalWorks welfare program, according to county figures released Friday by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. The new figure represents an increase of $3.7 million from July 2009 and makes up 23% of all county welfare and food stamp assistance, according to county records.

Los Angeles police last week joined a growing list of law enforcement agencies across the state in changing policies for impounding vehicles of unlicensed drivers, a shift prompted by complaints that illegal immigrants were being unfairly targeted at DUI checkpoints. For years, activists and some city officials have charged that police are increasingly punishing illegal immigrants who cannot get driver's licenses by towing and sometimes impounding their cars for 30 days. Once a car is impounded, fees to release the vehicles can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The Obama administration said it will review the cases of 300,000 illegal immigrants currently in deportation proceedings to identify "low-priority" offenders — including the elderly, crime victims and people who have lived in the U.S. since childhood — with an eye toward allowing them to stay. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the review as the Obama administration has sought to counter criticism that it has been too harsh in its deportation policies. By launching the case-by-case review, officials said they are refocusing deportation efforts on convicted felons and other "public safety threats.

Employers who hire illegal immigrants can be fined, but the Obama administration warned this week that they also can be fined for asking legal immigrants to show their green cards before hiring them. The Justice Department's civil rights division sued the Maricopa County Community Colleges in Arizona, seeking damages from schools for having "intentionally committed document abuse discrimination. " Prior to this year, the local colleges in the Phoenix area asked job applicants who were not U.S. citizens to show a driver's license, a Social Security card and their permanent resident card, commonly called a green card.

Study Finds Immigrants Dominate Certain Professions: Immigrants are obtaining higher-paying jobs than native-born Americans in science, medicine and several other professional fields, and Asians are outdistancing all others in some fields, according to a U.S. Census-based study. The analysis, by the Center for Immigration Studies, found that foreign-born Indian doctors outnumber American-born blacks in medical practice in the United States.

I wholeheartedly agree with your editorial ("Beyond the Welcome Mat: Pricey Politics," Oct. 7) about the costs of immigration legislation before Congress. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed HR 4300, the Family Unity and Employment Opportunity Immigration Act of 1990. This bill will increase the number of visas available annually from 500,000 to roughly 850,000, and stay the deportations of hundreds of thousands of immediate relatives of aliens who obtained permanent resident status under the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Using studies by the Center for Immigration Studies and the Urban Institute, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas)

A controversial new study by a Washington group favoring reduced levels of immigration draws a grim picture of the economic and social consequences of large-scale immigration to the United States from Mexico--especially in California. The continuing influx of poor settlers from Mexico provides marginal economic benefits while burdening public services and schools and creating generations of poverty, according to the report, released Thursday.

The parents of popular Cal State Fresno Student Body President Pedro Ramirez always talked a lot about el sueño Americano ? the American Dream. He was to study hard, get good grades and claim the prize, but it wasn't until that night in their kitchen when the high school valedictorian was filling out university applications that they told him a missing detail ? he wasn't a United States citizen. He was born in Mexico. He came to this country when he was 3 years old. Now, an anonymous tip to the college newspaper has forced Ramirez to publicly expose his secret and has put this son of a maid and a restaurant worker into the thick of a debate on immigration and education that has reached a boiling point in recent weeks.

The parents of popular Cal State Fresno Student Body President Pedro Ramirez always talked a lot about el sueño Americano ? the American Dream. He was to study hard, get good grades and claim the prize, but it wasn't until that night in their kitchen when the high school valedictorian was filling out university applications that they told him a missing detail ? he wasn't a United States citizen. He was born in Mexico. He came to this country when he was 3 years old. Now, an anonymous tip to the college newspaper has forced Ramirez to publicly expose his secret and has put this son of a maid and a restaurant worker into the thick of a debate on immigration and education that has reached a boiling point in recent weeks.

Welfare payments to children of illegal immigrants in Los Angeles County increased in July to $52 million, prompting renewed calls from one county supervisor to rein in public benefits to such families. The payments, made to illegal immigrants for their U.S. citizen children, included $30 million in food stamps and $22 million from the CalWorks welfare program, according to county figures released Friday by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. The new figure represents an increase of $3.7 million from July 2009 and makes up 23% of all county welfare and food stamp assistance, according to county records.

Employers who hire illegal immigrants can be fined, but the Obama administration warned this week that they also can be fined for asking legal immigrants to show their green cards before hiring them. The Justice Department's civil rights division sued the Maricopa County Community Colleges in Arizona, seeking damages from schools for having "intentionally committed document abuse discrimination. " Prior to this year, the local colleges in the Phoenix area asked job applicants who were not U.S. citizens to show a driver's license, a Social Security card and their permanent resident card, commonly called a green card.

A controversial new study by a Washington group favoring reduced levels of immigration draws a grim picture of the economic and social consequences of large-scale immigration to the United States from Mexico--especially in California. The continuing influx of poor settlers from Mexico provides marginal economic benefits while burdening public services and schools and creating generations of poverty, according to the report, released Thursday.

Study Finds Immigrants Dominate Certain Professions: Immigrants are obtaining higher-paying jobs than native-born Americans in science, medicine and several other professional fields, and Asians are outdistancing all others in some fields, according to a U.S. Census-based study. The analysis, by the Center for Immigration Studies, found that foreign-born Indian doctors outnumber American-born blacks in medical practice in the United States.

The Times' series ("The Great Divide") last month on immigration represents a valuable contribution to public understanding of this complex issue. It is important that policy-makers and the public are aware of the difficulties involved in controlling our borders as well as the fact that many illegal immigrants legally enter on temporary visas and then attempt to stay permanently. The series pointed out there is concern also over the level of legal immigration. In light of the 1990 law that opened the door for legal entry by an additional 40%--just as unemployment was soaring--it is hard to see anyone disagreeing with the view that our immigration law is out of touch with reality.

The Times' series ("The Great Divide") last month on immigration represents a valuable contribution to public understanding of this complex issue. It is important that policy-makers and the public are aware of the difficulties involved in controlling our borders as well as the fact that many illegal immigrants legally enter on temporary visas and then attempt to stay permanently. The series pointed out there is concern also over the level of legal immigration. In light of the 1990 law that opened the door for legal entry by an additional 40%--just as unemployment was soaring--it is hard to see anyone disagreeing with the view that our immigration law is out of touch with reality.

David Joyce marched his way to the front of the U.S. immigration line using his pocketbook, sinking half a million dollars into a Vermont ski resort. The British citizen had spent years in a futile effort to secure green cards for himself, his wife and their 9-year-old son so they could relocate to sunny Florida. Then, a fellow emigre tipped him off to a little-known federal program that helps foreigners gain permanent U.S. residency by investing in American businesses. Graphic: Number of investors' visas to U.S. "In six months, we had our green cards," said Joyce, 51. "Considering everything we've been through, this was easy.

I wholeheartedly agree with your editorial ("Beyond the Welcome Mat: Pricey Politics," Oct. 7) about the costs of immigration legislation before Congress. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed HR 4300, the Family Unity and Employment Opportunity Immigration Act of 1990. This bill will increase the number of visas available annually from 500,000 to roughly 850,000, and stay the deportations of hundreds of thousands of immediate relatives of aliens who obtained permanent resident status under the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Using studies by the Center for Immigration Studies and the Urban Institute, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas)