U.S. Immigration Reform in the State of the Union Address: MPI Resources and Experts

President George W. Bush is expected to return to U.S. immigration policy reform in the State of the Union address February 2, with the divisive issue a likely focal point for his second term. The Migration Policy Institute has the data and expertise to provide reliable information and analysis on the impact of Administration and Congressional immigration policy proposals. 

In anticipation of the President's address, the February issue of the Migration Information Source, MPI's online resource, contains several articles and current data on U.S. immigration. The articles are available at www.migrationinformation.org and include: 

Feature Story on Immigrants and Language Assimilation
"Virtually all children and grandchildren of immigrants accept the necessity of learning English well," writes noted scholar Richard Alba in his examination of current trends in English-language usage among U.S. immigrants and their descendants. 

The Foreign Born from Europe in the United States 
As a group, the nearly 5 million European born in the United States are more likely than the overall foreign-born population to be proficient in English, work in higher level occupations, and have higher earnings, and they are less likely to live in poverty. This is the first article in David Dixon's series on the social and economic characteristics of the foreign born in the United States. 

Spotlight on College-Educated Foreign Born in the United States 
More than a third of the 4.3 million college-educated foreign born have arrived in the United States since 1990. Jeanne Batalova provides an overview of their characteristics, role and performance in the U.S. economy. 

An Updated U.S. Country Profile
Kevin Jernegan outlines immigration's impact on social, political, and economic processes in the past and provides insight into how national security and political concerns will affect the country's newest members in the future. 

Policy Beat
Recent Supreme Court cases, changes in DHS oversight and leadership, and other developments are shaping U.S. immigration policy. 

-more- 

Migration Policy Institute experts regularly provide analysis and context on unfolding events and policy decisions at local, national and global levels. Analysts available for comment include: 

Michael Fix
Vice President and Director of Studies 
Michael Fix's work focuses on immigrant integration, citizenship policy, immigrant children and families, the education of immigrant students, the effect of welfare reform on immigrants, and the impact of immigrants on the U.S. labor force. Mr. Fix, who is an attorney, previously served as a Principal Research Associate at the Urban Institute, where he directed the Immigration Studies Program from 1998 through 2004. Throughout the course of his career, his research has focused on immigrants and integration, regulatory reform, federalism, race, and the measurement of discrimination. 

David Martin
Non-resident Fellow David Martin's work at MPI focuses on the legal aspects of migration management at the national and global levels. He is the Warner-Booker Distinguished Professor of International Law at the University of Virginia, and his research and teaching focus on immigration law, citizenship, refugees and asylum, resettlement, international human rights, immigration services, enforcement of immigration law, and constitutional law. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Martin served as General Counsel of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He was involved in drafting the Refugee Act of 1980 through his work at the U.S. Department of State. 

Deborah Meyers
Policy Analyst Deborah Meyers is an expert on U.S., Canada, and Mexico border management issues, temporary worker programs, and U.S. immigration policy and process within the Department of Homeland Security. She is the author of MPI's Insight "Does Smarter Lead to Safer: An Assessment of the Border Accords with Canada and Mexico." She was also the principal author of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations report "Keeping the Promise: Immigration Proposals from the Heartland." 

To arrange an interview or for more information, please contact Colleen Coffey in the Communications Department at 202/266-1910 or [email protected]. 

The Migration Policy Institute is a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to the study of the movement of people worldwide.