Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University, ISIM, Susan Martin, Andrew Schoenholtz, B. Lindsay Lowell, Elzbieta Gozdziak, Patricia Weiss Fagen, Charles Keely, Micah Bump, Monica Hincken, Ioan Suciu

Applying the best in social science, legal and policy expertise to the complex and controversial issues raised by international migration.

ISIM Research/Projects

Controlling Irregular Migration: The Challenge of Worksite Enforcement

Principals

B. Lindsay Lowell and Susan Martin

Project Description

Employment opportunities remain the most important factor drawing illegal aliens to the
United States. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) cleared the labor market
of existing unauthorized workers, required that employers verify the eligibility of new hires,
and created sanctions for those who fail to do so. Yet, the failure to effectively implement the
provisions on work authorization, combined with strong demand for low-skilled workers, has
been associated with two decades of increasing unauthorized migration. Congress has primarily
channeled resources towards securing the southern border which has proven ineffective in
curbing unauthorized migration. Worksite enforcement as a necessary complement to border
strategies merits a renewed analysis.

The Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM) has undertaken a two year study. We interviewed stakeholders in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Phoenix/Tucson, and Des Moines;a nd convened a meeting of experts on electronic worksite verification. We have also undertaken quantitative analyses of census data to assess trends in unauthorized migration.

Meetings
Reports

Meetings

1. Immigration, Technology, and the Worksite, April 2007

Summary Report
Micah N. Bump

In the interest of furthering our understanding of immigration and the worksite and developing concrete steps for comprehensive reforms, ISIM hosted a roundtable meeting with experts to discuss the technical issues and policy implications surrounding an electronic worksite employment verification system. The meeting was held on April 9, 2007 and brought together representatives from government, business, non-governmental organizations, and academia.

Reports

1. Synthesis and policy recommendations

Worksite Solutions to Unauthorized Migration

B. Lindsay Lowell, Susan F. Martin, Micah N. Bump

This paper includes synopses of the project reports on the demographics of labor demand and Mexican migration, as well as the evolution of the legislative debate and federal, state, and local enforcement efforts. It gives recommendations on immigration reform and elements to address interior enforcement including verification issues, federal jurisdiction, and the management of temporary work programs.

2. Legislative and policy history

Unauthorized Migration: US Policy Responses in Comparative Perspective

Susan F. Martin

This paper was presented at the annual conference of the International Studies Association, Chicago, Illinois, on March 2, 2007. It outlines current trends in unauthorized migration, forms of unauthorized migration, reasons for improving control of unauthorized migration, and the strategies adopted in the US and Europe.

Policy Developments: Addressing Unauthorized Migration

Susan F. Martin

This paper describes the evolving Congressional legislation of the recent past. The paper was delivered at the 2007 annual conference of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois.

3. Trends in unauthorized Mexican migration

The Demography of Mexico/U.S. Migration

B. Lindsay Lowell, Carla Perderzini and Jeffrey Passel

This paper presents the most recent data on the number, trends, and changing patterns of Mexican migration. The work effort was funded by the Smith Richardson Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation of Mexico; it was written for a binational team on Mexico-US Migration Management.

4. Past and future immigrant supply

Immigrants and Labor Force Trends: The Future, Past, and Present

B. Lindsay Lowell, Julia Gelatt and Jeanne Batalova

This paper is a detailed statistical history of immigration into the US labor force since the 1970s with an eye toward differences in skill composition, as well as projections into the future. The work effort was funded by the Smith Richardson Foundation and it was written for the Migration Policy Institute’s Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future which made its recommendations to Congress in late Fall of 2006.

5. Worksite enforcement: national and local issues

Controlling Irregular Migration: The Challenge of Worksite Enforcement

Micah Bump, Andy Schoenholtz, Susan F. Martin, and B. Lindsay Lowell

This paper draws upon interviews with stakeholders and administration experts in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as interested parties and employers in Los Angeles, Iowa, and Arizona. It reviews the relevant literature, trends in addressing discrimination and labor law enforcement; changes in worksite enforcement at the federal level and local efforts to fill in the gaps; and the local context affecting the unauthorized workforce.

6. Comparative worksite regimes

Revisiting Employer Sanctions in the United States and Europe

Bernard Ryan

This paper was written by Professor Ryan, a lawyer at the University of Kent, and it compares the worksite regimes of the United States and the United Kingdom with those of the major nations of the continent.

7. Annotated Bibliography: Worksite and Interior Enforcement Issues

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