Washington, DC, April 19, 2004—With about 33 million foreign-born persons living in the United States, government policy regarding immigration cannot be ignored. This is the reason that the American Sociological Association, in collaboration with six co-sponsoring associations—the California Institute for Federal Policy Research, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, National Council of La Raza, Population Association of America, and the Population Resource Center—organized a briefing of three distinguished sociologists who offered a valuable, research-based perspective on immigration in the United States to a packed briefing room of nearly 100 congressional staff, social science association leaders, and federal agency representatives.

The briefing, “A Nation of Immigrants: Current Policy Debates Meet New Social Science Research,” featured Rogelio Saenz, Texas A & M University, and author of Latinos and the Changing Face of America at the Turn of the Century; Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University, and co-author of Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration; and Victor Nee, Cornell University and co-author of Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and the New Immigration. The speakers used social science data on immigrant demographics and stressed that immigration, thought to be a regional issue, is actually a national issue.

Pictured at right: Congressional briefing speakers [left to right] Victor Nee, Rogelio Saenz, and Doug Massey.

Nearly two-thirds of the 33 million immigrants in the United States are either naturalized citizens or legal permanent residents. Another estimated 9 million are undocumented residents. Experts estimate that 6 million undocumented persons are in the workforce. The panel discussed significant research on immigrants in America including where do immigrants settle, and why? How do immigrant workers benefit the United States, and what are potential societal costs? What has research shown about assimilation experiences over the past century?

During her introductory remarks as moderator of the briefing, ASA Executive Officer Sally Hillsman said, “the purpose of this briefing is to bring to policy- and law-making audiences the fruits of basic social science research that reveal the extent and effects of immigration in the United States. Such research holds promise for improving the odds that legislative and other policy efforts are informed by research and thereby more likely to be successful and enhance our lives . . . . President Bush’s recent proposal to establish a temporary worker program has put immigration reform back on the congressional agenda. As Congress debates various proposals, findings from a large body of social science research can help lawmakers make informed, evidence-based decisions related to immigration policy.”

Pictured at left: ASA Executive Officer Sally Hillsman provides background on immigration and introduces the speakers.

Saenz discussed the immigrant population trends of Latino immigrants and more specifically Mexicans. He spoke about demographic features of Latino immigrants, their industrial niches, the historical context surrounding Mexican and Latin American immigration to the United States, and the impact of that immigration on U.S. demographics. His presentation also looked at the new migration destination pattern of Latino immigrants. One surprising demographic trend found that the fastest growing states in terms of Latino population (between 1990 and 2000) were North Carolina (394%), Arkansas (337%), and Georgia (300%). He said, "Historical context is important because while most immigrants come to the United States, the United States has come to the Latinos in one way or another, for example through colonization, employment policy, or involvement in the economy.”

Massey focused on the failure of current immigration policies to deal with the issues of Latino migration. He spoke on the topic of the border patrol and has found that repressing entrance at the U.S. and Mexico border does not work or make sense. His presentation’s purpose was to dispel myths about migration, such as most migrants intend to settle permanently and increasing the costs of entry will decrease migration. Research has shown that neither of those statements is true. He said, “There are consequences for misunderstanding the facts about immigration, including a sharp decline in return migration, nationalization of immigration, decline in wages for legal migrants, a waste of federal and state money, and a loss of lives.” He considers the best solution to solve illegal immigration is to increase the quotas for Mexicans for legal entrance into the United States. He believes that managing their entrance rather than repressing it makes it easier to control.

Nee’s presentation was on “Mexican Immigration in Comparative Perspective: Are Mexican Americans Assimilating?” He argued against Samuel Huntington’s recent Foreign Policy magazine article, "Who Are We: The Challenges to America's National Identity," in which Huntington argues that America, at heart, has been and in many ways should remain a Christian, Anglocentric country. Research shows that past immigrants successfully assimilated and contributed to American society and labor migration experiences a significantly slower intergenerational rate of assimilation and entry into the mainstream than human capital migration. By the second generation most immigrants speak English at home, have greater educational attainment, and have more professional occupations. He concluded by saying, “Mexican immigration continues a familiar pattern of inter-generational assimilation, evidenced in a shift to English-speaking, broad trends of socioeconomic mobility, and a gradual incorporation into the American mainstream.”

View an annotated bibliography of the three speakers' books. The speakers' PowerPoint presentations are accessible here (file size is in parentheses): Rogelio Saenz (339KB), Doug Massey (224KB), (Victor Nee's presentation is too large to post on the webpage, but a copy will be e-mailed to you upon request (see contact below).)

For more information contact Johanna Ebner (public.affairs@asanet.org or 202-383-9005 x332) or Lee Herring (herring@asanet.org).