Inclusive Approach to Immigrants Who Are Undocumented Can Help Families and States Prosper

This report begins by reviewing the contributions that undocumented immigrants make to their communities, including volunteering, mentoring young people, and paying taxes. The report also highlights federal and state policies that marginalize and harm undocumented residents, covering in some detail a number of Trump administration initiatives (e.g., ending DACA, limiting housing assistance, etc.). The authors suggest that although changes at the federal level are unlikely in the short-term, states can take steps now to better integrate undocumented immigrants into mainstream society. Four recommended policy changes are: 1) Expanding access to driver’s licenses, 2) Allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition for public colleges, 3) Strengthening and enforcing labor laws, particularly with regards to wage theft, and 4) Expanding access to health care to all children, regardless of immigration status. The authors suggest that the benefits of each policy initiative extend to the non-immigrant population as well. For example, more effective enforcement of labor laws raise standards for all workers. The authors acknowledge that the presence of more undocumented workers tends to reduce the average pay of some populations, such as people with less than a high school education, but that the benefits to working people overall from undocumented immigration outweigh these negative effects. (Erik Jacobson, Montclair State University)

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