Brookings Immigration Series

Brookings has released a new immigration series of reports.  Experts on each stage of the immigration process—from the broad political view to judicial concerns—are analyzing the immigration debate in an ongoing “Brookings Immigration Series.”

The first four papers released yesterday seek to define the landscape of the upcoming public debate over immigration policy:

 • William Galston sketches the policy outlook for immigration reform. Since crafting a new approach to immigration will be complex and contentious, he divides the problem into the specific issues that new immigration legislation must confront: overall level of new legal permanent residents to be admitted; the role of family reunification; employment and skills; making the new law responsive to economic change; enforcement; coping with past policy failures, and integrating the new arrivals.

• Darrell West and Thomas Mann offer a forecast for immigration reform in the new political climate. New federal policy will require a new immigration narrative, bold and innovative ideas and a determination to overcome major obstacles to action, they write. The nation’s growing Latino factor and some recent shifts in immigration positions suggest that forging a new policy is possible; but the topic still evokes economic, social, political and cultural obstacles that must be overcome if congressional reform is going to effective.

• Audrey Singer describes the new geography of U.S. immigration. The restructuring of the U.S. economy and the accompanying decentralization of cities and growth of suburbs as major employment centers have shifted immigrant settlement to a new class of metropolitan areas. As a result, many more states and municipalities have a stake in the passage of federal immigration reform.

• Russell Wheeler examines seeking fair and effective administration of immigration laws. Largely overlooked in this debate, the immigration courts, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are crucial to the nation’s efforts to enforce its immigration laws fairly and effectively. A lack of consensus and resources for total enforcement of laws governing entry to, and status in, the country creates selective enforcement and debate over how to deploy limited resources.

KJ