About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

2 J. on Migration & Hum. Sec. 1 (2014)

handle is hein.journals/jmighs2 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal on Migration and Human Security Legalization Programs and the Integration of Unauthorized Immigrants: A Comparison of S. 744 and IRCA Maria E. Enchautegui Urban Institute Executive Summary Experiences under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) may prove to be a poor guide for understanding how smoothly today's unauthorized immigrants will integrate into the economy under reform proposals such as the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744). While IRCA provided a relatively quick path to legal permanent resident status, S. 744 proposes a decade- long process with much attendant uncertainty. This and other provisions in S. 744 may adversely affect immigrants' integration and economic mobility. The legalization of undocumented immigrants is one of the most contentious issues in immigration reform discussions. One proposal emblematic of these discussions is contained in the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, passed by the Senate in June 2013 (S. 744). If this bill were to become law, unauthorized immigrants would be placed on a 10-year pathway to legalization with citizenship three years after that. In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) provided a pathway to legalization and citizenship to unauthorized immigrants. IRCA was the first and most comprehensive legislation to address the issue of unauthorized immigration in the United States, with 2.7 million immigrants becoming legal residents under it (Kerwin 2010). Not surprisingly, TRCA is commonly used as a point of reference in current immigration reform discussions. Research on the potential economic and fiscal effects of the legalization provision of S. 744 draws heavily from the 1986 IRCA experience, particularly concerning the expected earnings growth and occupational mobility of the would-be legalized. Earnings growth and upward occupational mobility mean larger benefits for immigrant families as well as larger benefits for the economy, larger tax revenues, and less reliance on government programs (Enchautegui et al. 2013; Institute of Taxation 2013; Lynch and Oakford 2013; Kossoudji and Cobb-Clark 2002). The IRCA experience can be used as a guide to the effects of the Reproduced with permission of T he Urban Institute, JMLS Volume 2 Number 1 (2014): 1-13

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most