For the first time ever, we are in a position to map the capacity of the immigrants’ rights sector and its ability to respond to new and emerging issues that disproportionately impact the lives of low-immigrants in the United State. For the purposes of this project we propose to focus on one or more of the following areas: 1) low naturalization rates among legal permanent residents, 2) the devastating impact of state and local legislation (such as Arizona’s SB1070) and enforcement activities (like the Secure Communities program) on immigrant communities, and 3) the ability of the immigrants’ rights sector to respond meaningfully to any new federal legislation, including the DREAM Act, Ag Jobs, and Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR).
The Impact of the Availability of Legal Services on Naturalization Rates in the U.S. Nationally, it is estimated that there are 8.5 million lawful permanent residents who are eligible to apply for citizenship. However, less than 1 million naturalize every year. For many immigrants, the complex laws and regulations that govern the process of naturalization are intimidating. Others simply lack the resources to hire an attorney to begin the process. This project would use available data to better understand the relationship between the availability of legal services and naturalization rates using our legal services dataset and recent data compiled by Dr. Manuel Pastor, which includes numbers of naturalization eligible at the county level based on USCIS data.
Mapping Legal Services Organizations Capacity to Respond to State and Local Enforcement Due largely to the failure of Congress to act on comprehensive immigration reform, in the last several years immigrants’ rights advocates have faced a significant increase in state and local immigration enforcement activities, which are being carried out by federal authorities independently, as well as through increased collaboration with state and local law enforcement. While these activities are carried out under the stated objective of removing high priority categories of immigrants, the reality is that these priorities are often not met without violations of due process and adverse consequences for nonpriority immigrants and their families. For this reason, it has remained critical to monitor, report and respond to enforcement activities. This project will focus on mapping the capacity of the immigrants’ rights sector to respond to state and local enforcement activities, including better understanding the various geographic and demographic factors at play.
Understanding the Capacity of the Immigrants’ Rights Sector to Respond to Federal Immigration Reform Measures While some states are passing pro-immigrant measures, such as tuition equity laws, meaningful immigration reform must come at the federal level. Proposals that have gained traction include the DREAM Act, which would provide a meaningful path to citizenship for undocumented youth and military personnel, Ag Jobs, which would provide a legal, stable labor supply and help ensure that farmworkers are treated fairly, and Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), which could include aspects of the DREAM and Ag Jobs bills, as well as provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who pay their taxes, don’t have criminal histories, and are otherwise productive members of our society. Based on the increased demand that they would create, these potential reform measures would put enormous pressure on nonprofit organizations providing legal services to low-income immigrants. By preparing for the passage of these measures, the immigrants’ rights sector will be better positioned to respond more efficiently and effectively to these new demands.
In addition to our recently compiled national immigration legal services directory dataset, these projects will leverage public data available from Unites States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and state and local agencies. Data from the American Community Survey (ACS) and organizations such as the Migration Policy Institute, which maintains a robust data hub, may also be used.
The outputs for each of these projects will be slightly different, but all three will likely require a set of maps that get at the underlying question/analysis, a list of data sources and datasets used to produce the maps, and a narrative report that addresses relevant research and specific findings. We will work with national experts at our partner organizations and other groups to help develop the scope and specific deliverables for each project. Our expectation is that the student would be the geographic data analyst and project lead, but would work with IAN staff and other experts to develop and support each project.
The maps and reports will be used to inform our strategic planning and programmatic activities in each of these areas, as well as distributed to our membership and partners as appropriate (e.g. through a webinar or webinar series for immigrants’ rights groups as well as on our website). We would look to make as much of the work as possible available to the public, with the understanding that there may be reasons why some of the work product may not be made public for strategic/advocacy reasons.
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