21st Century Border Initiative

Stop me if you've heard this one: the border between Mexico and the United States is an open highway for undocumented immigrants and before we fix our broken immigration system we must secure our porous border.

Given all of the progress made along our border, crime is down, trade is up, legal movement of people eclipses undocumented migration, it has become increasingly clear that the prism with which our country views a "secure border" is warped. While there has been progress made of course there is more to do. As such it is unsurprising that Republicans are demanding greater investment in border enforcement as a trade off for supporting a pathway to citizenship. As this debate continues to heat up what is really needed is a better understanding of how our southwest border works and what has occurred there over the last decade.

The border works best when it enhances the legal movement of people and goods, not when it stops things from entering altogether. If Congress is looking to add more resources to our southern border, they are not needed in the areas between our ports of entry, but rather at them.

This was certainly the message Marc R. Rosenblum, Specialist in Immigration Policy at the Congressional Research Service presented in his recent testimony before the Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security:

"Since 2002, far more resources have been devoted to enforcement between ports of entry than to enforcement and trade and travel facilitation at ports of entry or work site enforcement. This comparison appears to hold across several different categories of comparison: personnel, appropriations, technology acquisitions, etc. Little is known about illegal flows through ports of entry, or how such flows are affected by tougher enforcement between the ports."

None other then Arizona Senator John McCain has come out and highlighted success at our border. "There is no question that there has been a significant reduction in illegal crossings over the past five years." ...apprehensions by the border patrol have dropped 70 percent from 2005 to 2012." All one has to do is watch this video to see just how little Senator McCain's own constituents actually believe has occurred. Which is unfortunate, if people understood what has actually occurred both on the U.S. side and perhaps more importantly the Mexican side of the border they would not be so skeptical.

Mexico is not the same country it was during the last great undocumented migration into the U.S. Mexico is now the thirteenth largest economy in the world, our third largest goods trading partner and second largest export market. For the first time ever Mexico has a self sustaining middle class. As such there is no longer the urgent need for low skilled migrants to leave the country. The birth rate per Mexican woman has dropped significantly from 7.3 in 1960 to only 2 today. In the end dramatically reducing the number of undocumented migration into the U.S. from Mexico was a simple case of economics.

On the other side of the border the Obama administration has put significant muscle behind our enforcement apparatus. Since 2004, the Border Patrol has doubled in size, making our borders better staffed today than ever before. In 2011, Customs and Border Patrol increased the number of Border Patrol agents to 21,444, an increase of 886 agents from the previous year. The result of all of these developments is that the net migration of undocumented immigrants from Mexico is now zero and the flow into the U.S. from Mexican migrants we saw over the last decade is unlikely to occur in the future.

At the end of the day the strongest border security measure we can possibly have is fixing our immigration system. Giving undocumented immigrants the legal means to come and contribute to our country is the easiest way to prevent them from coming in without documentation. More border enforcement is undoubtedly coming, but this in and of itself is not a bad thing. With a greater understanding of the region, pragmatic investment at our ports of entry we could further enhance the legal movement of goods and people from all over the world. A direct pathway to citizenship is absolutely the preferred option going forward. However If more border enforcement is the only way to get the GOP to agree to a pathway to citizenship, if they are willing to create finite achievable metrics, given the recent transformation we have seen in the region, that may not be the worst thing. For those currently living in the shadows it could be a good thing.

This was originally posted in the Huffington Post here

Today the Senate released a bi-partisan set of principles on immigration reform that represented a step forward in passing Congressional legislation which includes some form of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

While the process for citizenship outlined here is a long  and arduous, it is worth noting that this blueprint would provide relief for many undocumented immigrants, keep families together and fix many of the problems associated with our current immigration system.

The first part of the bipartisan framework outlines the process and triggers for a pathway to citizenship. From the document: “Our legislation will provide a tough, fair, and practical roadmap to address the status of unauthorized immigrants in the United States that is contingent upon our success in securing our borders and addressing visa overstays.” The principles presented here are indeed tough, creating a long process for eventual citizenship.

The pathway presented in this blue print is divided into three parts legal status, lawful permanent residency and finally citizenship through a green card. Upon the enactment of the legislation all undocumented immigrants seeking citizenship are required to register with the government pass a background check, pay a fine and back taxes, in order to earn probationary legal status. This probationary legal status allows them to live and work legally in the United States but does not mean that they are in line to achieve citizenship. Rather they are now eligible to apply for a lawful permanent residency provided that two enforcement triggers are met. To achieve full on citizenship, the principles outlined require that two enforcement benchmarks - securing our border and addressing the problems around visa overstays- are met. These two triggers present two very distinct and difficult undertakings.

As the Senate principles rightly acknowledge there have been great strides in making the border secure but more must be done. As such the details outlined in the principles are fairly straight forward: more technology, aerial drones, investment between ports of entry, an increase in oversight over the border patrol and the creation of a commission of Governors, attorney generals, and community leaders living along the southwest border to monitor the progress of securing our border.

As Simon noted in his recent statement we have already had significant success on the border with  “additional resources, better strategies, and enhanced cooperation with Mexico have brought about significant improvement in the border region.  Net migration of undocumented immigrants into the US has dropped from 500,000 a year a decade ago to zero today, crime on the US side of the border has plummeted, all while legal trade and tourism with Mexico have grown at very rapid levels.”

The second trigger, fixing the problem of visa overstays is more complicated. The language in the text of the principles focuses solely on the completion of an “entry-exit system that tracks whether all persons entering the United States on temporary visas via airports and seaports have left the country as required by law.” In this regard fixing the Visa Overstay problem is a much larger undertaking then securing our border. Far more people enter the U.S. legally and over stay their visa’s than cross our southwest border illegally. There has been much less emphasis on visa overstays, partly because of the prohibitive cost of monitoring, tracking and removing immigrants who enter the country in this manner.

After these two triggers have been met those undocumented immigrants with probationary legal status will be required to go to the back of the line of current prospective legal immigrants, pass an additional background check, pay taxes, learn English and civics, demonstrate a history of work, and current employment in the U.S. to apply for lawful permanent residency. Those who successfully complete these requirements can eventually earn a green card. There is of course more: individuals who are present without lawful status will only receive a green card after every individual who is already waiting in line for a green card, at the time this legislation is enacted, has received their green card.

Believe it or not all of this is progress; if this outline as legislation is passed, it would bring immediate relief too many undocumented immigrants, keep families together, and address many of the problems currently facing our immigration system. It is likely that these principles will change further once legislation is actually drafted but on its face as a bipartisan legislative frame work for a pathway to citizenship this is more than a good start. It is a reason to hope that this year after so long Congress will finally pass meaningful reform of our immigration system.

Stay tuned for my thoughts from Las Vegas tomorrow, on the Presidents big immigration speech.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include the following, please click here for the full stories

ABC/Univison – Analysis: 6 Things Obama Needs To Do for Immigration Reform - On Sunday, President Barack Obama said that immigration reform is a “top priority” on his agenda and that he would introduce legislation in his first year. To find out what he needs to do to make reform a reality, read our list of important issues the President must address in the coming debates.

Arizona Repulblic – Phoenix: Convention slump tied to SB 1070 - SB 1070 is one of several factors impacting convention business, and not everyone agrees it’s to blame for the decline. But those who book meetings for the city-owned center say it has been a slog.Projected bookings for the Phoenix Convention Center are down by as much as 30 percent for the current fiscal year compared with 2009.

U.S. News and World Report – Republicans Reconsidering Immigration Reform - It’s becoming increasingly clear that immigration will be a breakthrough issue next year. President Obama has been in favor of what he calls comprehensive immigration reform for a long time, which would include creating a “path” to citizenship or legal residency for millions of illegal immigrants.

On Friday, November 16th, NDN and the New Policy Institute were proud to host our latest “Rethinking Immigration Reform” event.

Since John McCain and Ted Kennedy built the framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) in 2005, the policy and political landscape has changed a great deal. CIR is often conceptualized as a three pronged approach to fixing our immigration system, focusing on enforcement, future flow, and how to create a pathway to citizenship for the 11.1 million people living in the U.S. without documentation.

Achievements in border enforcement may be seen in the high level of safety in the southwest border region and in the fact that undocumented migration has fallen to nearly zero. Although President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has ameliorated the circumstance of many young undocumented immigrants, the areas of future flow and the fate of the rest of the 11 million migrants living in the U.S. have yet to be resolved.

This past summer, NDN/NPI launched a series of events called “Rethinking Immigration Reform,” to examine the evolving immigration reform landscape and the opportunities and challenges ahead. The latest event in this series featured a bi-partisan panel, and looked at means of reforming and improving low- and high-skilled immigration visa programs.

Tamar Jacoby, President and CEO of ImmigrationWorks, moderated a lively discussion featuring Alex Nowraseth, Immigration Policy Analyst of the Cato Institute; Josh Bernstein, Director of Immigration Policy at SEIU; and Jeremy Robbins, Policy Director and Special Counsel in the Office of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Director of the Partnership for a New American Economy.

Nowraseth discussed the economic benefits of low-skilled visa reform, and the ways in which an improved system could facilitate a free labor market that will benefit immigrants and employers alike. Bernstein talked about the human rights issues inherent in our current black market labor system, and expressed his faith in the pragmatism of business and labor to overcome potential disagreements on visa reform. Robbins added to the conversation with comments on the high-skilled visa system, and called upon legislators to act upon campaign promises rather than using immigration solely as a “political football.”

Jacoby and the panelists expressed hopes that improving low- and high-skilled visa programs could move in Congress next year. Such reforms are integral to granting greater protection and legal status to undocumented workers, who have already contributed greatly to the growth of our economy’s low-skilled service sector. Moreover, legalizing our low-skilled economic base will allow for worker portability, enabling migrant workers with much-needed skill sets to fill vacant jobs. High-skilled visa reform, while less controversial, is equally important to maintaining our nation’s entrepreneurial and innovative capacity, particularly in STEM fields that many aspiring immigrants specialize in.

For background information on NDN's work in this space please make sure to check out NPI Fellow Rob Shapiro's outstanding report, "The Impact of Immigration and Immigration Reform on the Wages of American Workers." Also be sure to check out our website 21border.com for news and analysis from our team.

This Saturday, I will be facilitating a workshop at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) 26th Annual Conference  “Transformational Leadership in Transformational Times,” at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel at 10 a.m.

My workshop titled “Immigration Policy Update – Dream Act, Obama’s Deferred Action Policy, Arizona Border Issues," will serve as a primer on the changing dynamics of the national immigration debate.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision on Arizona's anti-immigrant law SB 1070, President Obama’s decision to grant deferred action to DREAM Act eligible immigrants, an increase in the overall safety on the U.S - Mexico border, a drop in the number of migrants illegally crossing our southern border and the rise of Mexico's middle class the climate for immigration reform has radically changed over the last year.

This workshop will foster a discussion about where the debate over fixing our broken immigration system is headed in 2013. Here are some more things to consider:

Over the last four years, the Obama Administration has created a better and more equitable immigration system while also making the U.S.-Mexico border safer and more prosperous. As we continue our efforts to fix the broken American immigration system, we must acknowledge that the current debate is occurring in a different strategic context today than it was a year ago.

For background information on NDN's work in this space please make sure to check out NPI Fellow Rob Shapiro's outstanding report, "The Impact of Immigration and Immigration Reform on the Wages of American Workers."

Also be sure to read the following reports by NDN/NPI’s 21st Century Border Initiative: Realizing the Value of Crossborder Trade with Mexico,  examines the rising importance of the export sector and how to strengthen our relationship with Mexico, our nation’s number two export market and Realizing the Full Value of Tourism from Mexico to the United States,  a tourism report that outlines five steps to help unlock the tremendous economic value of Mexican tourism into the United States.

Check back daily for the latest news and reports in the 21st Century Border Initiative’s Daily Border Bulletin, and follow us on Twitter, @21border and be sure to follow me @kramos1841.

Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

Same-sex couples granted protection in deportation cases- The Department of Homeland Security is planning to issue a policy memo making undocumented immigrants with American same-sex partners eligible to have their deportations put on hold under a federal program designed to focus resources away from low-priority cases.

California bill approves licenses for DACA applicants- California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law Sunday that will enable some undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers licenses.

Sheriff says ICE reluctant to enforce "Papers please"- Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher acknowledged the validity of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s recent complaint that federal agents are slow to cooperate in the enforcement of Arizona’s immigration law if the suspect is not apprehended for a serious crime.

Today NDN President Simon Rosenberg and Kristian Ramos, Policy Director of NDN's 21st Century Border Initiative, released the following  statement on Mitt Romney's Immigration Comments at the Univision Forum in Miami:

After last night's Univision Forum appearance, some news outlets are reporting that Mitt Romney has softened his position on immigration reform.  This just isn't true.

Governor Romney had ample opportunity to soften his position last night.  But he stuck to his extreme self-deportation position, defended Jan Brewer's SB1070 approach, and refused to embrace the Administration's "Deferred Action" relief for DREAM eligible youth.  

Some have suggested that Romney's comments about not "rounding" people up somehow illustrated a softening of his position on immigration.  While this approach is supported by many in the Republican Party, Romney's position has never been to round up and deport undocumented immigrants.  Thus the need for "self-deportation," a strategy which calls for making the life of undocumented immigrants so miserable that they voluntarily leave the country. 

In fact when asked about his self-deportation stance, Romney went into extensive detail about the importance of giving undocumented immigrants the choice to leave.

So nothing changed last night.  Mitt Romney confirmed the rightward drift of his party on the issue of immigration reform, and offered a full throated defense of "self-deportation," a policy stance at odds with years of GOP leadership on this issue by Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and John McCain.

Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

Police to enforce Arizona immigration law- A judge has ruled that police in Arizona can immediately begin to enforce the contentious “papers please” section of the state’s immigration law, marking the first time officers can question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally while enforcing other laws.

Integrating immigrants to promote economic growth- In a piece written yesterday for the Huffington Post, University of Southern California Professor of Sociology and American Studies Manuel Pastor recommends immigrant integration as the key to economic growth.

DACA recipients ineligible for health policy- Undocumented immigrants who qualify for the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will not be eligible for subsidies to purchase health insurance after officials ruled that the young immigrants would be excluded from the definition of “lawfully present” residents who qualify for the health care policy, the New York Times reports.

Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

Mexico’s march for peace heads to the U.S.- The 200,000-strong March for Peace protest that began in Mexico City on May 8, 2011 is now headed for the U.S.

Obama administration plans to widen New Mexico border zone- The Obama administration has recently unveiled plans to widen the New Mexico border zone from 25 to 55 miles.

New report shows exodus of Arizona immigrants since 2007- In the wake of economic recession, broad anti-immigrant legislation, and police crackdowns, Arizona may have lost up to one-quarter of its illegal immigrants.

Daily Border Bulletin is up! Today's stories include:

US EPA chief and Mexico environment minister to sign agreement addressing border region environmental concerns- According to the EPA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administration Lisa P. Jackson will meet with Mexico Environmental Minister Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Governor of Baja California José Guadalupe Osuna Millán, Tijuana Mayor Carlos Bustamante and other federal, state, and tribal officials in Tijuana to sign the Border 2020: U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program final framework agreement.

Continued concern over S.B. 1070- Many members of the Latino community remain concerned in light of the June 25th Supreme Court decision to retain the notorious "papers please" provision of Arizona's anti-immigrant law.

Awaiting the Court decision on Arpaio- Last week marked the end of Joe Arpaio's seven-day civil trial to determine whether the sheriff is guilty of racial profiling.