Thread: Tighten policies on immigration

A new Pew Research Center study of illegal immigration offers a useful snapshot of national immigration patterns. It should be required reading for New Jersey lawmakers considering policy changes recommended by a panel appointed by Gov. Jon Corzine to study immigration issues.



The Pew study confirms that illegal immigration is a national problem. But an analysis of the statistical data also shows it is more of a problem in New Jersey than in most other states. We have the highest percentage of undocumented workers in the labor force east of Arizona, and the only states that educate a higher percentage of children of undocumented parents are on or near the Mexican border.

Among the findings that should help shape state policy regarding illegal immigrants:

New Jersey has the fifth largest number of undocumented immigrants in the nation — an estimated 550,000. Of the four states with more, only one — California — has a higher percentage of illegal immigrants to total population. New Jersey's share is 6.3 percent.

New Jersey has the fourth-largest share of undocumented workers in the labor force — a stunning 9.2 percent. That trails only Nevada, California and Arizona, and is nearly double the national average.

Nationally, an estimated 6.8 percent of K-12 students have at least one parent who was undocumented in 2008. In five states, all on or near the Mexican border, 10 percent or more of public school pupils are children of undocumented-immigrant parents. New Jersey is one of just two states where the percentage of schoolchildren with an undocumented parent is estimated at 7.6 percent to 9.9 percent. Most of these children, having been born in the United States, are U.S. citizens.

New Jersey has become a magnet for illegal immigrants. Many of the recommendations of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Immigrant Policy would make this state even more attractive to those considering entering the country through the back door. The panel rightly recognized the valuable contributions made by immigrants, but it failed to differentiate between those who are here legally and those who are not. That distinction should not be lost on the Legislature.

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The state should do what it can, within reason, to smoothe the transition for immigrants who are here legally. It should do nothing that will make New Jersey more accommodating to those who are here illegally or more alluring to those weighing whether to follow the same path. Lawmakers should reject the panel's recommendations to allow children of undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities, to grant driving privileges to illegal immigrants and to expand a variety of social services for immigrants — legal and undocumented.



None of the recommendations has been acted on by the Legislature yet, and may not be until after the November elections, when all 80 Assembly seats are up for grabs. But the Pew Center report offers plenty of ammunition for those willing to take a stand against New Jersey's open-door immigration policy. It debunks the myth that New Jersey workers and taxpayers aren't hurt by the presence of illegal immigrants. And it makes it clear that residents in New Jersey are paying a far higher price for it than those in other states.


The state should do what it can, within reason, to smoothe the transition for immigrants who are here legally. It should do nothing that will make New Jersey more accommodating to those who are here illegally or more alluring to those weighing whether to follow the same path. Lawmakers should reject the panel's recommendations to allow children of undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities, to grant driving privileges to illegal immigrants and to expand a variety of social services for immigrants — legal and undocumented.



None of the recommendations has been acted on by the Legislature yet, and may not be until after the November elections, when all 80 Assembly seats are up for grabs. But the Pew Center report offers plenty of ammunition for those willing to take a stand against New Jersey's open-door immigration policy. It debunks the myth that New Jersey workers and taxpayers aren't hurt by the presence of illegal immigrants. And it makes it clear that residents in New Jersey are paying a far higher price for it than those in other states.


http://www.app.com/article/20090503/SPO ... 002/SPORTS

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