Last night, in the State of the Union address, President Obama stressed the need for - and the possibility of - immigration reform for the country. He said:
“Finally, if we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement – and fix our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same. Independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades. And for good reason: when people come here to fulfill their dreams – to study, invent, and contribute to our culture – they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone. So let’s get immigration reform done this year. “
Then, this morning, checking my email I saw a posting from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) on their new publication about lessons learned from the Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) of 1986:
“IRCA in Retrospect: Guideposts for Today’s Immigration Reform, Muzaffar Chishti and Charles Kamasaki trace IRCA’s successes and failures, making the case that its major flaws were rooted in statutory design more so than regulatory challenges and implementation by the administrative agencies. The brief examines the results, intended and otherwise, of key border and interior enforcement provisions in the legislation, as well as gaps regarding the use of fraudulent documents, increased employer outsourcing, inadequate labor protections, and collateral impacts such as on wages and working conditions. The brief also assesses two IRCA legalization programs—a general legalization and Special Agricultural Worker legalization—finding them the most successful part of the law’s implementation.
Today’s policymakers, the authors conclude, “would do well to heed the lessons of 1986—both positive and negative—to maximize the potential promise of immigration reform and avoid repeating past mistakes or sparking consequences that, while unintended, could have been foreseen.” http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/CIRbrief-IRCALessons.pdf
After downloading the brief and scanning it, I saw that another gap cited in the report was the failure of states - possibly due in part to the uncertainty of the continued funding of the program -- to connect immigrants' completion of English and civics content to advanced or vocational instruction and training.
What are your thoughts on immigration reform and language and educational services to be provided to those eligible? What do you think should happen? What educational services would you like to see provided to immigrants?
Miriam Burt