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Immigration
The overriding impact of immigrants is to strengthen and enrich American culture, increase the total output of the economy, and raise the standard of living of American citizens. Immigrants are advantageous to the United States for several reasons: (1) Since they are willing to take a chance in a new land, they are self-selected on the basis on motivation, risk taking, work ethic, and other attributes beneficial to a nation. (2) They tend to come to the United States during their prime working years (the average age is 28), and they contribute to the workforce and make huge net contributions to old-age entitlement programs, primarily Social Security. (3) Immigrants tend to fill niches in the labor market where demand is highest relative to supply, complementing rather than directly competing with American workers. (4) Many immigrants arrive with extremely high skill levels, and virtually all, regardless of skill level, bring a strong desire to work. (5) Their children tend to reach high levels of achievement in American schools and in society at large.
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Books and Book Chapters
"National ID Systems," Chapter 29, Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th Edition (2009).
"Immigration," Chapter 60, Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th Edition (2009).
"Immigration," Chapter 63, Cato Handbook for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 108th Congress (2003).
"Immigration," Chapter 62, Cato Handbook for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 107th Congress (2001).
"Immigration," Chapter 57, Cato Handbook for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 106th Congress (1999).
Cato Studies
"Answering the Critics of Comprehensive Immigration Reform," by Stuart Anderson, Trade Briefing Paper no. 32, May 9, 2011
"Globalization: Curse or Cure? Policies to Harness Global Economic Integration to Solve Our Economic Challenge," by Jagadeesh Gokhale, Policy Analysis no. 659, February 1, 2010
"Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform," by Peter B. Dixon and Maureen T. Rimmer, Trade Policy Analysis no. 40, August 13, 2009
"As Immigrants Move In, Americans Move Up," by Daniel Griswold, Free Trade Bulletin no. 38, July 21, 2009
"Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification: Franz Kafka's Solution to Illegal Immigration," by Jim Harper, Policy Analysis no. 612, March 6, 2008
Articles and Newsletters
"U.S. Immigration Reform Should Focus on Improving the Employment-Based Visa System," by Stuart Anderson, Immigration Reform Bulletin, January 2011.
"Becoming a Citizen: It's Not as Easy as You Think," by Stuart Anderson, Immigration Reform Bulletin, December 2010.
"Immigration in the New Congress," by Stuart Anderson, Immigration Reform Bulletin, November 2010.
"Immigrants and English," by Stuart Anderson, Immigration Reform Bulletin, October 2010.
"Let's Not Blame Immigrants for High Unemployment Rates," by Stuart Anderson, Immigration Reform Bulletin, September 2010.
Opinion and Commentary
"On Immigration, Nice Words -- and Not Much Chance," by Daniel Griswold, CNN.com, May 10, 2011
"Immigration Doesn't Hurt Native-Born Workers," by Daniel Griswold, Daily Caller, March 9, 2011
"Arizona's Latest Immigration Idea Makes Sense," by Will Wilkinson, The Week, July 2, 2010
"Criminalizing Friendship: Immigration Foes Overreach," by Tim Lynch, Huffington Post, May 27, 2010
"Unfounded Fear of Immigrant Crime Grips Arizona," by Daniel Griswold, Washington Times, May 25, 2010
Events
"Birthright Citizenship and the Battle over Illegal Immigration," October 25, 2010 [Capitol Hill Briefing]
"The Politics and Law of Immigration," July 21, 2010 [Policy Forum]
"Using Work Visas to Control the Border," July 1, 2010 [Capitol Hill Briefing]
"Should Immigration Reform Include a National ID?," April 23, 2010 [Capitol Hill Briefing]
"Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform," August 14, 2009 [Capitol Hill Briefing]
Multimedia
Dan Griswold on Bloomberg's speech on immigration on The John Gambling Show (June 16, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 06:42]
Answering the Critics of Comprehensive Immigration Reform featuring Stuart Anderson and Frank Sharry (May 20, 2011) [Events, 01:04:27]
Daniel Griswold discusses Cato's immigration paper and Obama's speech in Texas on WTOP (May 10, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 04:07]
Daniel Griswold discusses immigration reform on HITN's Destination Casa Blanca (May 6, 2011) [Media Highlights - TV, 07:27]
Daniel Griswold discusses the Arizona immigration ruling on WWL's The Think Tank with Garland Robinette (April 12, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 15:46]
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