Immigration Overview
Rogelio Saenz
Texas A&M University
rsaenz@tamu.edu
Introduction
• The U.S. has long been a country of
immigrants
• Waves of immigration associated with
flows from different parts of the world
• Movement of capital and products across
international borders
– NAFTA
• Movement of people across international
borders
Globalization
Globalization is a process by which money, labor, goods,
and services move easily across international
boundaries. Globalization requires that goods and
services be produced where costs are lowest, and then
sold wherever profits are highest. Capitalists and workers
alike should be free to produce a product (or increase the
value of their labor) wherever they can. They should then
be free to sell this product (or their labor) where it can
bring them the greatest profit. NAFTA allows the free
movement of goods and capital, but obstructs the free
movement of labor. This deviation helps create the
problem of undocumented immigration.
Source: Chad Richardson, University of Texas at Pan American.
Nationalism
Nationalism is an ideology which holds that individuals
owe loyalty to their nation and that each nation
should give preference to its citizens. Nationalism
promotes a strong sense of belonging based on a
shared national culture, glorifying myths, core
values, and a common identity. It is a glue that holds
a people together. But it also inspires many to act out
against “outsiders,” or those considered different.
Today we see nationalism used to attack “illegal
aliens” and to argue that immigrants are ruining “our
way of life” (American culture).
Source: Chad Richardson, University of Texas at Pan American
Increasing Globalization and Nationalism
Globalization is dramatically increasing. Free trade creates
major market changes. To stay competitive, employers
seek for ever cheaper labor. This leads them to take jobs
overseas or to draw immigrants to the U.S. While some
U.S. jobs are eliminated (or replaced by immigrant labor),
new jobs are created at increasingly higher levels of skill
and education.
Nationalism is also increasing. The changes brought by
globalization (job loss and new waves of immigrant labor)
lead to fears and resentment against “outsiders.” These
fears are being exploited by politicians and media outlets
who promote immigrant bashing and alarmist legislation.
Source: Chad Richardson, University of Texas at Pan American
The Current Environment
•
•
•
•
•
Militarization of the Border
Walls and Fences
Worksite Raids
Detentions and Deportations
Hate and Violence
Source: http://www.afa.org/magazine/Dec2006/theater04.jpg
Source: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/414685019_30c6abeb79.jpg
Source:
http://bp1.blogger.com/_t5CFZhL40BE/R8BQUUHu1dI/AAAAAAAAAqY/fKVyT5i7YiI/s1600-h/US_Mexican_Border_Wall%2Bconstruction%2B(web).jpg
Source: http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/04/24/gall.texmex.gi.jpg
Source: http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/01Ny0hY1FL9jK/610x.jpg
Source:
http://fairimmigration.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/242_cartoon_border_fence_hurwitt_large.gif
Source: http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/84.pdf
Source: http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/84.pdf
ICE Raid Litigations
2007
http://www.nilc.org/DC_Conf/dc-conf2007/wrkshp_materials/2-5_ICEraidslitigation2007.JPG
2006-2007
http://www.nilc.org/DC_Conf/dc-conf2007/wrkshp_materials/2-5_USraidmap_2006-10-22.JPG
Source: http://static.flickr.com/143/321540194_a545dd69f6_o.jpg
Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2546989172_2c46dfe848_m.jpg
Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/12-06/1213cactushp.jpg
Source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2368/2516691728_c078399551_m.jpg
The T. Don Hutto Family Detention Center
Source: http://subtopia.blogspot.com/2007/02/circus-of-detention.html
Hutto Family Detention Center in Taylor,
Texas (Photo by Jay Johnson-Castro)
Source: http://latinalista.blogspot.com/2006/12/privatized-immigrant-detention.html
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,253699,00.html
Source: http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/84.pdf
Southern Poverty Law Center
14 Hate Groups Against Immigrants
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/type.jsp?DT=27
Origen: http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=cb1ac6666cf80f87fd61e4cec5421342
“Inmigrante Mexicano Golpeado a
Muerte en Pennsylvania”
Source:
http://americanhumanity.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/mexican-immigrant-beaten-to-death-in-pennsylvania/
Effects of Globalization vs. Nationalism on the USMexico Borderlands [Source: Chad Richardson]
Borderlands
Maximizing the Good—and Minimizing the
Pain of this Conflict
Globalization produces both winners and losers
•Globalization pushes Mexican workers off “ejidos” and pulls them to
the U.S. where they can earn money for their families;
•Globalization takes away some U.S. jobs. But many jobs are also
created for those with the needed education & skills.
Immigration also produces winners and losers
•Though some workers are displaced by immigrants, evidence strongly
suggests that they create more jobs than they displace;
•Immigrants can also keep many U.S. industries competitive and keep
some companies from taking jobs outside the U.S.
Source: Chad Richardson, University of Texas at Pan American.
Current Trends
Jeffrey S. Passel and D’Vera Cohn. Trends
in Unauthorized Immigration:
Undocumented Inflow Now Trails Legal
Inflow. Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic
Center, October 2008.
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/94.pdf
Estimates of the Undocumented Immigrant
Population in the U.S., 2000-2008
14
12.4
12
11.9
11.5
11.1
10.2
10
9.8
9.4
9.2
8.4
Millions
8
6
4
2
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Source: Pew Hispanic Center estimates based on March supplements of the Current Population Survey.
2008
2009
Key Trends
• Decline in the undocumented population since 2007
• The 2005-2008 period has seen the slowest growth in
the undocumented population during the decade
– Average of 800,000/yr. in 2000-2004
– Average of 500,000/yr. in 2005-2008
• In 2005-2008, legal permanent residents outnumber
undocumented immigrants, a reversal of a trend that
started a decade ago
• Still, undocumented immigrant population has increased
more than 40% since 2000
• Undocumented immigrants account for 4% of total U.S.
population
Possible Reasons for Changes
• Slowdown in U.S. economy
• Stabilization of Mexican and Latin
American economies
• Heightened enforcement and security of
the border and beyond
Percentage Distribution of U.S. Undocumented Immigrant
Population by Region and Country of Birth, 2008
Source: Pew Hispanic Center estimates based on March supplements of Current Population Survey.
4%
4%
12%
Mexico
Other Latin America
Asia
Europe & Canada
Africa & Other
58%
22%
Other Key Findings
• Undocumented immigrants account for
30% of nation’s foreign-born population of
more than 39 million.
• 2 of every 5 undocumented immigrants
have arrived since 2000
• 4 of 5 undocumented from Latin America
(9.6 million with 7 million coming from
Mexico alone)
Rakesh Kochhar. Sharp Decline in Income
for Non-Citizen Immigrant Households,
2006-2007. Washington, DC: Pew
Hispanic Center, October 2008.
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/95.pdf
Mark Hugo Lopez and Susan Minushkin.
Hispanics See Their Situation in U.S.
Deteriorating; Oppose Key Immigration
Enforcement Measures. Washington, DC:
Pew Hispanic Center, September 2008.
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/93.pdf
Workplace Raids
“High-profile workplace raids to detain immigrants who are
working without authorization have become more
common in recent years (Bazar 2008). Some of the
largest raids this year include that of Pilgrim’s Pride in
which over 300 immigrants were detained in five states,
AgriProcessors in Postville, Iowa, where more than 300
immigrants were detained, and Howard Industries of
Laurel, Miss. in which nearly 600 were detained.”
Source: Lopez and Minushkin (2008).
Prosecuting Employers
“Employment-based immigration violations involve two parties, the
employee who is not authorized to work in the United States and the
employer who is not permitted to hire undocumented workers. The
federal government has stepped up its actions against employers in
recent years (Pew Hispanic Center 2007). Some recent enforcement
actions couple workplace raids with the criminal prosecution of
employers who are alleged to have knowingly hired undocumented
immigrants. Among the high-profile actions of this sort are the filing
of charges this year against the owners and managers of
AgriProcessors, a meatpacker based in Postville, Iowa, and in 2006
against the managers of IFCO Systems, a wood pallet maker with
corporate headquarters in Houston.”
Source: Lopez and Minushkin (2008).
A Demographic Profile of Latinos in the
South (Excluding Texas) from the 2007
American Community Survey
Age-Sex Pyramid of the Latino Population in
the South, 2007
85+
80 to 84
75 to 79
70 to 74
65 to 69
60 to 64
Age Group
55 to 59
50 to 54
Females
45 to 49
Males
40 to 44
35 to 39
30 to 34
25 to 29
20 to 24
15 to 19
10 to 14
5 to 9
0 to 4
8
6
4
2
0
2
Pct. of U.S. Total Latino Population in the South
4
6
8
Age-Sex Pyramid of the White Population in
the South, 2007
85+
80 to 84
75 to 79
70 to 74
65 to 69
60 to 64
Age Group
55 to 59
50 to 54
Females
45 to 49
Males
40 to 44
35 to 39
30 to 34
25 to 29
20 to 24
15 to 19
10 to 14
5 to 9
0 to 4
8
6
4
2
0
2
Pct. of U.S. Total White Population in the South
4
6
8
Age-Sex Pyramid of the Black Population in
the South, 2007
85+
80 to 84
75 to 79
70 to 74
65 to 69
60 to 64
Age Group
55 to 59
50 to 54
Females
45 to 49
Males
40 to 44
35 to 39
30 to 34
25 to 29
20 to 24
15 to 19
10 to 14
5 to 9
0 to 4
8
6
4
2
0
2
Pct. of U.S. Total Black Population in the South
4
6
8
Percentage of Population Foreign-Born in
the South by Race, 2007
Latinos
Whites
Blacks
51.6%
2.6%
5.6%
Occupations Where Higher Percentages of Foreign-Born
Latinos Work Compared to Other Selected Groups, 2007
FB
NB
Occupation
Latino Latino White Black
____________________________________________________
Food Preparation & Service
7.8%
7.3%
5.3%
7.6%
Bldg. & Grounds Cleaning & Maint. 11.7%
4.5%
3.1%
6.3%
Farming, Fisheries, and Forestry
3.4%
0.7%
0.6%
0.5%
21.2%
6.7%
6.4%
4.7%
Construction
Production
10.0%
5.1%
6.0%
8.5%
__________________________________________________________
State Variations in the Foreign-Born Latino
Population in the South
(Excluding Delaware, District of Columbia,
Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, and
West Virginia)
Percentage of Latinos Who are ForeignBorn in Selected States in the South, 2007
60
55.3
51.8
54.9
51.5
52.3
51.4
51.4
49.9
50
47.7
43.1
Pct. Foreign-Born
40
30
20
10
0
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
SC
TN
Sex Ratios for Foreign-Born Latinos in
Selected States in the South, 2007
250.0
206.4
200.0
Males Per 100 Females
163.0
150.0
143.0
166.3
159.9
152.2
150.5
SC
TN
138.5
129.9
105.4
100.0
50.0
0.0
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
Median Year in Which Foreign-Born Latinos Immigrated to
the U.S. in Selected States in the South, 2007
2004
2002
2002
2000
2000
2000
2000
Mdn. Year of U.S. Immig.
1999
1999
1999
NC
SC
1998
1998
1996
1996
1994
1993
1992
1990
1988
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
TN
Percentage of Foreign-Born Latinos Who Speak Only
Spanish in Selected States in the South, 2007
70
63.9
60
55.7
52.0
50
Pct. Speaking Span. Only
51.0
49.7
48.8
48.2
SC
TN
44.8
44.5
40
33.5
30
20
10
0
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
Note: Spanish-only speakers are those who speak English not at all or not well.
Median Hourly Wages of Foreign-Born Latino
Males in Selected States in the South, 2006
14
12.16
11.67
12
10.54
10.11
9.73
10
10.00
10.12
NC
SC
9.73
9.17
Mdn. Hourly Wage
8.54
8
6
4
2
0
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
TN
Percentage of Foreign-Born Latinos in Poverty in
Selected States in the South, 2006
35
30.3
30
28.8
28.2
26.4
24.9
25
24.7
Pct. in Poverty
22.7
20
18.5
18.3
14.6
15
10
5
0
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
SC
TN
Combating Some Common Misperceptions
in the Anti-Immigrant Backlash
[Source: Chad Richardson, University of
Texas at Pan American]
Misconception 1: “They Only want welfare
and we simply can’t afford it.”
Francisco Rivera-Batiz: Survey research showed that most
undocumented workers do not come here seeking welfare payments,
health care, or other government handouts. They come to work to
earn money that they can then use to supplement their meager
incomes in Mexico. [Journal of International Affairs 53, no. 2 (Spring 2000): 485-501]
A University of Illinois at Chicago study of 1,653 documented and
undocumented immigrants in metro Chicago found that only a very
small number of them were receiving government benefits.
Conclusion: Undocumented immigrants support thousands of other
workers in the local economy, pay taxes, and demonstrate little
reliance on government benefits. [Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of
Illinois at Chicago, “Chicago's Undocumented Immigrants: (2002): iv]
At the national level, almost no evidence indicates that immigrants
impose net burdens on taxpayers at the federal level. In fact,
Espenshade shows that immigrants provide a substantial fiscal
surplus (e.g., $30 Billion “surplus” account of the Social Security
Administration. [Thomas J. Espenshade, “Unauthorized immigration to the United States, Annual Review of
Sociology, 21, (1995): 195]
A Look at Public Expenditures for
the Undocumented in Texas
Comptroller of Public Accounts in Texas, 2005
The Comptroller’s office estimates the absence of the estimated 1.4
million undocumented immigrants in Texas in fiscal 2005 would have
been a loss to our Gross State Product of $17.7 billion.
Also, the Comptroller’s office estimates that state revenues collected
from undocumented immigrants exceed what the state spent on
services, with the difference being $424.7 million.
The Comptroller estimates that undocumented immigrants paid more
than $513 million in fiscal 2005 in local taxes, including city, county
and special district sales and property taxes.
While state revenues exceed state expenditures for undocumented
immigrants, local governments and hospitals experience the
opposite, with outlays exceeding tax revenues in 2005.
Source: www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/undocumented/
Misconception 2: “They Commit More Crimes”
Rebecca Clark and Scott Anderson found
that almost half (47 percent) of illegal
alien federal prisoners are in prison for an
offense that only applies to them
(unlawfully entering the United States).
This “crime” is generally seen as an
administrative, not a criminal, violation.
Source: Rebecca L. Clark and Scott A. Anderson, Urban Institute, (June
30, 2000): 3
Crime by Aliens in Texas
• Only 7.5% of TDCJ
inmates are foreign
born (11,514 out of
151,852), though
foreign born are
estimated to be
14% of total Texas
population.
14
12
10
TDCJ inmates who
are foreign born
8
6
Texans who are
foreign born
4
2
0
Percentage
Source: Undocumented Immigrants in Texas,
December 2006. Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller of
Public Accounts. Section V. Incarceration
http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/undocume
nted/5incarceration.html
Misconception 3: “They steal our jobs”
An extensive body of research shows that while
the undocumented do take some jobs desired by
U.S. workers, they also create many jobs.
A University of Illinois at Chicago study, for
example, found that undocumented workers
spend almost $3 billion a year in the Chicago
region as consumers, which provides jobs to
those who provide these goods or services.
The contribution of all Latino immigrants, of
course, is much greater. In 2004 the InterAmerican Development Bank, based on survey
and census data, reported that Latin American
immigrants (legal and undocumented) in 2004
contributed an estimated $450 billion to the U.S.
economy, often doing jobs spurned by others.
[Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois at
Chicago, “Chicago's Undocumented Immigrants: 
An Analysis of Wages,
Working Conditions, and Economic Contributions”, (2002): iv]
Conclusions
• Immigration from Latin American to the U.S. has a long
history, particularly in the case of Mexico
• NAFTA solidified the interdependent relationship
between Mexico and the U.S.
• Human migration is part of the forces of globalization
• Rise of nationalism and its negative impact on Latino
immigrants and native-born alike
• Mexico, Latin America, and the U.S. have gained from
immigration
• Latino immigrants represent a net benefit for the U.S.
• Investment in Latino immigrants reaps even more
benefits
– The Dalton, Georgia story
El Fin