Justice For Immigrants: Learn the Issues
This document lists and dispels a number of myths that surround immigrants and how they impact the United States.

Issue Brief: Undocumented Workers Are Taxpayers, Too
Recent public discussion emerging from Oregon’s gubernatorial race focuses on, and at times exaggerates, the costs to Oregon of providing certain public services to undocumented immigrant workers and their families. Relatively little has been mentioned about the contributions undocumented workers make to Oregon.

CIR POLLING RESULTS (PowerPoint)
"Three quarters of American voters support a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform proposal that combines toughness, fairness, a guest worker program, family reunification, and a path to legal residency for undocumented immigrants who are already here."

FROM DENIAL TO ACCEPTANCE: Effectively Regulating Immigration to the United States (PDF) by Walter A. Ewing, Immigration Policy Center, American Immigration Law Foundation.  This report examines the rapid growth of the undocumented immigrant population in the U.S. and proposes comprehensive immigration reform as the only practical solution. Border enforcement as a means of limiting immigration has succeeded only in driving immigration underground, to the detriment of U.S. national security, the U.S. economy, and immigrants themselves.

Unauthorized Aliens in the United States: Estimates Since 1986 (PDF) by Ruth Ellen Wasem, Congressional Research Service.  The estimated unauthorized resident alien population rose from 3.2 million in 1986 to 9.3 million in 2002. Factors contributing to the increase include the ?push-pull? of a prosperous economy, border enforcement policies that have curbed the fluid movement of migrant workers, and the backlogs in processing immigrant petitions.

Building the New American Community: Newcomer Integration and Inclusion Experiences in Non-Traditional Gateway Cities (PDF), Migration Policy Institute.  Report of the Building the New American Community Initiative (BNAC), project of a consortium of organizations in three mid-sized metropolitan areas in the U.S.  Contains valuable findings for policymakers, funders, and organizations collectively approaching the challenges of helping newcomers adapt to their new communities and of local communities welcoming newcomers.

Sending Money Home:  Remittances to Latin America from the US, 2004.  A study on Remittances to Latin America by the Inter-American Development Bank; provides a breakout, state by state, includes maps.

Migrating to Recovery: The Role of Immigration in Urban Renewal by Immigration Policy Center, American Immigration Law Foundation.  Policymakers have realized that immigration is a key source of long-term economic vitality, particularly in urban areas experiencing population loss, shrinking labor pools and growing numbers of retirees.

Mexican Immigrant Workers and the U.S. Economy: An Increasingly Vital Role by American Immigration Law Foundation.  This study found that Mexican workers are integral to U.S. economic growth. The portion of Mexican workers in the U.S. workforce doubled during the past decade.

Immigrants and the Economy by the American Civil Liberties Union.  Addresses the myth that immigrants take jobs from Americans and are a drain on the economy.

Comprehensive Migration Policy Reform in North America: The Key to Sustainable and Equitable Economic Integration by Dr. Raul Hinojosa Ojeda, UCLA North American Integration and Development Center.  Analyzes how the current set of migration policies between the US and Mexico can be jointly reformed in order to provide for greater growth and equity across both countries.  Supports the conclusion that real comprehensive immigration reform based on broad legalization of undocumented migration to the US and targeted economic development investments in immigrant sending regions in Mexico is the best option for generating prosperity and equity in both countries.