Policy Analysis

Immigrants Comprise 31 Percent of Workers in New York State Essential Businesses and 70 Percent of the State’s Undocumented Labor Force Works in Essential Businesses

This paper provides estimates on “essential” immigrant workers in New York State. These workers play a central role in safeguarding and sustaining state residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, often at great risk to their health and that of their families. Based on estimates drawn from 2018 US Census data, the Center for Migration Studies (CMS) estimates that 1.8 million immigrants work in jobs in the “essential businesses” identified by New York State. These businesses fall into 10 categories that meet the health, infrastructure, manufacturing, service, food, safety, and other needs of state residents. The majority of the New York foreign-born essential workers – 1.04 million – are naturalized citizens, 458,400 are legal noncitizens (mostly lawful permanent residents or LPRs), and 342,100 are undocumented.

President Trump Issues Executive Order Temporarily Halting the Issuance of Green Cards

On April 22, 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting for 60 days the issuance of green cards to certain immigrants, arguing that foreign workers should not compete with US-citizen workers for jobs at a time of a public health crisis and economic downturn. Public officials and immigration advocates expressed strong opposition to the executive order, citing studies that show that immigrants overall contribute to the health of the US economy and complement, not compete with, US workers.

Global Compact on Migration: Issues at Play

One of the most significant outcomes of the New York Declaration on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, a non-binding international agreement adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September, 2016, was the launching of a two-year process to...

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in Peril

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) faces a November 23, 2017, deadline to determine whether to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haiti, first granted following a devastating earthquake in that country in January 2010. Haiti was extended for six...

President Trump’s Executive Orders on Immigration and Refugees

President Trump signed three executive orders the week of January 23 which offend the dignity and threaten the rights of immigrants and refugees both in the United States and globally. On January 25 at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),...

The Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration: Issues to Consider

The adoption of the New York Declaration on the Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 19 has launched a new process to negotiate two compacts by 2018: the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (hereinafter referred to as the Global Compact on Migration). Agreeing to a new Global Compact on Refugees should be challenging enough, but reaching an agreement on a Global Compact on Migration will require skill, patience, and, above all, compromise…

The Cuban Adjustment Act at Age 50: Model Law or Relic of a Bygone Era?

The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 (CAA) (Public Law 89-732) celebrates its 50th anniversary on November 2, 2016, amidst controversy that the law has led to unintended consequences and should be repealed. The future of the law will be debated...

Border Walls, Deportations and the Final Presidential Debate

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump clashed sharply in their final debate before the November 8th election. Below are responses to three of Trump’s immigration claims and proposals during the debate and throughout his campaign. The answers matter since both candidates...

As President Obama Visits Cuba, Hidden Surge of Cuban Migrants into United States Continues

President Obama will visit Cuba on March 21 and 22 in a historic trip, the first trip by a US president to the island since Calvin Coolidge visited there in 1928. The president is seeking to capitalize on the normalization...

Unaccompanied Minors from Central America: Keeping Them Safe in the United States

Two recent reports have revealed that unaccompanied minors fleeing violence in Central America have been released to “sponsors” who turned out to be human traffickers. How did this occur and what can be done to avoid this kind of error...