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Immigration Research and Policy
The history of immigration in America is one of contradictions and paradoxes. On the one hand, we take great pride in our identity as a “nation of immigrants” where individuals can arrive in this country, work hard, thrive and fully assimilate into American society. On the other hand, we exhibit equally strong patterns of discrimination, persecution, and marginalization of immigrants, particularly those that are non-white, and particularly during periods
when the country feels threatened from abroad. Despite this shameful legacy, immigrants continue to arrive in search of economic opportunity and a better way of life. American has experienced unprecedented growth through immigration over the last two decades, not seen since the 1900's. One in nine persons currently living in the Unites States is foreign-born.
Immigration law and policy has not kept abreast of the changes on the ground and as a result the system is badly broken. As Congress and other policymakers attempt to move toward comprehensive legislative reform, there is a need for high quality research to fill the gaps. The Warren Institute's immigration initiative is taking the lead in asking the difficult and complex questions regarding worker protections, employment verification, and low-wage worker displacement. We are also researching immigrant children's access to education (an issue that straddles our immigration and educational equity work). We aim to provide high caliber research that will inform advocacy efforts and persuade both policymakers and the public of the need for equitable, forward-thinking new policies.
The Working Papers Series on Immigration
In 2006, the Warren Institute disseminated a call for research paper proposals with a focus on the following six thematic areas:
1. Competition with Domestic Workers: The Impact of Immigration on Low-Wage Workers/African Americans/Professionals
2. Employer Verification Systems
3. The Detention of Non-citizens and Asylum Seekers/Administration of Justice
4. State and Local Law Enforcement of Immigration Laws
5. Immigrant Integration: Naturalization and Civic Participation/Access to English Instruction/Language Rights
6. Family Reunification
With the generous support of the Atlantic Philanthropies, a series of research studies were selected for publication in our newly launched Working Papers Series. We are pleased to be able to publish these research studies online as a resource for scholars, advocates, and policymakers. The series will be an important feature in our immigration reform initiative, as the Warren Institute continues to produce and disseminate gap-filling research and policy analysis that will inform the ongoing debate and provide the intellectual capital needed to provide research-based policy prescriptions.
The 25th Anniversary of Plyler v. Doe: Access to Education and Undocumented Children
Request for Proposals
In 1982, in a case that profoundly affected the lives of undocumented families, the Supreme Court ruled that undocumented children had a constitutional right to a free public education. As a result of Plyler v. Doe, thousands of undocumented children have had access to the American school system for the past two decades. This extremely close decision (5-4) has, however, repeatedly been challenged at the state and local levels. Given the recent appointments to the Supreme Court, along with the very contentious debate taking place throughout the country regarding immigrant rights, it is entirely possible –maybe even likely—that this decision will be revisited at some point during the next decade. Significant gaps exist in our knowledge about the educational attainment and experiences of undocumented children in this country. To help address this need, the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Diversity (the Warren Institute) is commissioning a series of papers examining the social, political and legal underpinnings of Plyler v. Doe. These papers will be presented at an academic roundtable in the Spring of 2007, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Plyler decision.
The Education of of All of Our Children: The 25th Anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, May 7, 2007
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