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CRS Unauthorized Aliens Estimates and Immigration Reform Recently, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) made a report to the Congress about the unauthorized aliens in the United States. Here are the main points of the report. I. Estimates Estimates derived from the March Supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey indicate that the unauthorized resident alien population (commonly referred to as illegal aliens) has risen from 3.2 million in 1986 to 10.3 million in 2004. The estimated number of unauthorized aliens had dropped to 1.9 million in 1988 following passage of a law that legalized many unauthorized aliens. Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 is the last major law that allowed unauthorized aliens living in the US to legalize their status. Generally, legislation such as IRCA is referred to as an “amnesty” or a legalization program because it provides “legal permanent resident” (LPR) status to aliens who are otherwise residing illegally in the US. Despite to the growth in overall numbers from 3.2 million in 1986 to 10.3 million in 2004, the distribution by region of origin of 2004 and 1986 are quite similar. In 1986, 69% of the unauthorized aliens residing in the United States were estimated to be from Mexico compared to 57% in 2004. Asia’s share of the unauthorized alien residents appears to have grown over this period (from 6% to 9%). II. Contributing Factors and Solutions Some observers maintain that lax enforcement of employer sanctions for hiring unauthorized aliens has facilitated the increase of unauthorized aliens for the economy purpose. Although staying in the US illegally, many of the illegal workers are favorable for the development of the economy. The “Guest Worker Program” which allows those unauthorized alien workers to stay and work in the US in certain circumstance will keep enough labors for the economic development of the US as well as reduce the population of unauthorized aliens. In addition, the wait-times for immigrant petitions to be processed and visas to become available have also contributed to the increase of the illegal residents. There are statutory ceilings that limit the number of immigrant visas issued each year. There are also significant backlogs in processing petitions due to the high volume of aliens eligible to immigrate to the United States and the large number eligible to become U.S. citizens. Of the pending cases, reportedly almost 2 millions are immediate relative and family preference petitions. Many observe that these family members sometimes risk residing without legal status with their family in the United States while they wait for the petitions to be processed or visas to become available. To resolve this problem, the USCIS has made many reforms last year, such as specify the duties of different departments, balance the work loads of the service centers and local offices and apply more and more online service system to shorten the process time etc. Furthermore, it is reported that the US government was proposed to increase the quotas of immigrants and other non-immigration visas. Historically, the US is an immigration country. The immigrants’ great efforts have contributed to the economic and social developments of the US generation by generation. It is of significant importance of a comprehensive immigration reform and to make use of all the power of the people in the US. (04/12/2007) For more immigration news, please click here |
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