This week’s immigration blog roundup will cover a number of new studies on immigration issues, some upcoming immigration-related events, and more.
A new survey of low-wage legal immigrant, undocumented immigrant and native-born American workers found that they are consistently paid less than the minimum wage and are not compensated for overtime work. The study was conducted in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
A new report on Suffolk County, New York, where an Ecuadorian immigrant was killed, found that immigrants “are routinely the target of violent attacks, harassment and abuse driven by a virulent anti-immigrant climate that spans a decade.” The survey of over 70 Latino immigrants was conducted by Southern Poverty Law Center.
A Government Office of Accountability report found that the U.S. Border Patrol overstated its checkpoint results over the last two years and that its data is insufficient to determine the agency’s efficiency or effectiveness.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced that state-subsidized health insurance for its 31,000 legal immigrants has been scaled back. The state legislature cut the $130 million immigrant health insurance budget to help close a budget deficit. The program will now cost $40 million. Massachusetts has the lowest percentage of uninsured residents in the country, at 2.6 percent.
Last week, over 500 immigrant and human rights organizations demanded that the Obama Administration terminate the 287(g) program. Migra Matters has the letter to the President and the list of signatories here.
There will be a town hall meeting today in Greensboro, North Carolina with Senator Hagan to discuss immigration reform.
A two-day immigration workshop will be held on September 12 and 13 in Austin, Minnesota to discuss immigration in southern Minnesota and the nation, generate ideas to create welcoming communities, and organize for immigration reform.
A conference on Migration during an Era of Restriction will be held on November 4-6 in Austin, Texas. Topics include immigration policy issues and migration research findings from Europe and U.S.A.
Lastly, a field office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will open in Long Island City in Queens, New York next year. Queens, home to a large variety of immigrants, is one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the United States.
Read more at The Opportunity Agenda website.
