Information Resources for Immigration Reform
U.S. Constitution What does the Constitution say about citizenship?
The United States Constitution speaks of "citizens of the States" and a "citizen of the United States." The 14th Amendment to the Constitution (1868) made "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." The 14th Amendment made it clear that citizens had national rights that could not be violated by state action. It was adopted to guarantee certain protections to African-Americans freed from slavery after the Civil War (13th Amendment, 1865). Laws enacted since then have placed additional restrictions on the original guarantee of citizenship by birth. Today, children are granted automatic citizenship only if both parents are American citizens and one has lived in the United States for at least ten years.
State Constitutions
General Information about Immigration in the United States U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Government agency that provides information on laws, regulations and interpretations controlling immigration and the work of the immigration-related bureaus of the Department of Homeland Security. You can learn how immigration laws are made and how regulations are developed. You can explore agency and judicial interpretations of those laws. You can also find handbooks and guides used by immigration officers in performing their mission as well as guides created to help you through the immigration process.
"Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-born Population of the United States: 1850-1990" Fact Sheet on Immigration from the Bureau of Census Department of Homeland Security – Unauthorized Immigrant Estimates
Estimates published in 2003 of illegal immigrants in the United States
Wikipedia – Imigration to the United States
Wikipedia is an on-line encyclopedia that is constructed and edited by readers. Although very readable, some of the information provided may not be factually correct.
Legislative Histories and Proposals
U.S. Immigration: A Legislative History at the Population Resource Center.
Poor economic conditions overseas, a relative abundance of opportunity here, flight from persecution and upheaval, and revolutions in communication and transportation are often cited as the major factors explaining the historic waves of immigrants to U.S. shores. But U.S. immigration laws are also a key factor in shaping the numbers and composition of America‟s new residents. This overview highlights the history of U.S. immigration legislation and the parallel rise and fall in numbers and changing ethnic makeup.
Overview of the legislative history of immigration to the United States 1790 through 1996 Official compilation record of federal immigration and
naturalization legislation statutes in the United States. Information from the Statistics Yearbook (at www.uscic.gov)
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
News releases, photos and details on the White House/Bush vision of immigration reform and border security (at www.whitehouse.gov)
Library of Congress Thomas website
Search for bills and trace their histories. The drawback of this site is that it tends to provide too much information. For example, a search for “immigration” bills in the 109th Congress yields 702 bills! To be used effectively, it helps to know the title or name of the bill. For example, searching for S. 2611 in the 109 th Congress yields this page, which provides additional links to the bill‟s history, including amendments (about 150 of them in the Senate!), votes, and relevant sections of the Congressional Record. The advanced search option on Thomas is more useful for searching for bills in a subject area. The subject terms are listed here. Browse the very long list, or use the edit/find option at the top of your browser to check whether a specific subject of interest (e.g. human rights) is on the list. Return to the advanced search page and enter that term. The result are the bills that a researcher has deemed are most relevant to the subject.
Immigration in the States
Information and Perspectives provided by the National Council of State Legislatures
Senate Hearing on Border Security
You are looking for video 26607 or go here and scan the list. Legal Cases and Issues
OYEZ Supreme Court decisions by topic. Some include audio of Supreme
Court arguments. Immigration cases can be found under „Civil Rights‟ (e.g. Deportation)
Findlaw
Allows you to search for information about current law on a wide range of immigration topics (for example asylum, marriage fraud, or habeas corpus). A great place to get the legal facts about specific issues.
Tour the Supreme Court! Parties, Interest Groups and Think Tanks American Civil Liberties Union Century Foundation Democratic National Committee Heritage Foundation Population Resource Center Republican National Committee The Economics of Immigration Budget of the United States
Organized by government agency. Historical and detailed tables are also available at the bottom
Department of Homeland Security Budget
Includes descriptions of spending priorities that the Administration chooses to highlight.
The Immigration Equation
New York Times article examining the economic consequences of legal and illegal immigration. We should emphasize that there is no consensu regarding the estimates of the economic costs and benefits of immigration, as well as the costs of enforcing various proposals.