In The News

After US Breakthrough, Europe Looks in Mirror

Steven Erlanger November 21, 2008
Minorities all over Europe look to Barack Obama’s election as US president, with hope of one day achieving similar success, but most are skeptical of such change taking place in their respective countries. Nations such as France, Germany, the UK and Italy struggle to handle growing minority populations and their integration into society. There is small, if any, minority representation in Europe’s...

Mortgage Prospects Dim for Illegal Immigrants

Miriam Jordan October 27, 2008
Undocumented immigrants who work hard and save money can no longer easily invest in US businesses and real estate. The US Internal Revenue Service accepts the payment of taxes from undocumented workers who use tax identification numbers. Even as the US Department of Homeland Security attempted to deport undocumented workers, other government agencies encouraged their tax payments and investments...

New Immigration Rules: “A Plan for More Segregation”

Ferda Ataman October 17, 2008
The 27 nations of the European Union formally approved an immigration policy designed to crack down on illegal immigrants but attract qualified guest workers. Europe, hoping to boost flailing public pension programs, seeks a greater share of talented immigrants who now head for the US, Australia or Canada. Only 5 percent now head to Europe, and priority will be given to talented workers who...

Immigrants Facing Deportation by US Hospitals

Deborah Sontag August 11, 2008
It’s no secret that there are serious problems with both the US health-care system and US immigration policy. Less obvious, though, are the ways in which those problems can overlap. The US government requires hospitals to care for all in need of lifesaving medical treatment – including foreign immigrants, but does not cover all costs for that care. Some hospitals, eager to rid themselves of the...

A Self-Inflicted Wound

Jacob F. Kirkegaard July 1, 2008
The US, long home to many of the world’s most highly skilled workers, could soon be scrambling for replacements. Baby boomers are starting to retire, and their high education levels will be missed. Since the baby boomers emerged in the work force, the US became complacent about its public-education system. As a result, young American workers increasingly struggle to compete with skilled foreign...

McCain’s Delicate Immigration Dance

Michael Scherer July 1, 2008
John McCain must walk a fine line between courting up-for-grabs Latino voters who are sympathetic toward illegal immigrants and retaining traditional Republican voters who demand a harsher line toward those same immigrants. McCain has already earned the enmity of many Republicans over his support for comprehensive immigration reform. For now, the anti-immigration voters have no options – the...

Workers of Our World, Legal or Not

Tim Rutten May 27, 2008
The protests and demands by immigrants in the US, both legal and not, have been subdued in 2008, even though this is a presidential election year. “Immigration is one of those campaign issues in which rhetoric and reality continue to move further apart,” writes Tim Rutten for the Los Angeles Times. The US is home for at least 12 million undocumented immigrants and such labor is essential for some...