Vernon M. Briggs

Methods of analysis of illegal immigration into the United States.

A major barrier to the discussion of the scope and impact of illegal immigration on the American economy has been the inadequacy of existing data. Although data problems are not unique to this topic, the limited availablity of macro-data on the size of the annual flows and of the accumulated stock of individuals as well as of micro-data on their influences on selected labor markets has been effectively used to forestall policy reform efforts.

The economic well-being of black Americans: The overarching influence of U.S. immigration policies

Excerpt] Of the myriad public policies that have impinged on the economic well being of black Americans over the years, none has had more overarching and continuous effects than those pertaining to immigration. Immigration policies and trends have set the stage that has allowed other outcomes to happen. From the beginning, when blacks were introduced into the British colonies that would later become the United States, to contemporary times, when the nation finds itself in the throes of the largest and longest period of mass immigration in its history, immigration policy has significantly influenced the geographical, occupational, and industrial employment patterns of black Americans. Given the harrowing experiences of black Americans as the only racial or ethnic group to have ever been collectively subjected to both enforced slavery and de jure segregation, no form of public policy should be allowed to do harm to their quest to overcome these imposed handicaps. Unfortunately, U.S. immigration policy has not held to that standard. The burden of this neglect continues to this day.

The "albatross" of immigration reform: temporary worker policy in the United States.

Temporary worker policy in the United States traditionally has been advocated as a means to meet shortages for labor — a demand problem. Over the past decade, however, there has been support for the use of such policies as a means of addressing illegal immigration — a supply problem. Despite the fact that experiences show that such endeavors actually foster illegal immigration, the drive for immigration reform in the 1980s was seriously encumbered with a variety of attempts both to expand existing and to add new temporary worker programs. This article reviews the evolution of temporary worker policy and indicates how efforts to admit more temporary workers complicated the immigration reform process. Indeed, it was not until the major temporary worker proposals were finally removed from the Simpson-Rodino Act — by the adoption of a highly controversial “second amnesty” program (i.e., the Schumer Amendment) — that passage of legislation was achieved. Because this program functioned as a bargaining chip in the effort to establish a system of employer sanctions, it is unlikely that this expedient measure will set a precedent for future replication. Hence, it can be anticipated that efforts will eventually be made to revive temporary worker policy and, in the process, rekindle the debate over this contentious issue.

Immigrant Labor and the Issue of “Dirty Work” in Advanced Industrial Societies

Trends in the recruitment of unskilled immigrants to fill low-wage jobs in industrialized countries are analyzed for the period since World War II. Reasons for the United States to cease admitting such migrants are outlined. (ANNOTATION)

Non-Immigrant Labor Policy in the United States

(1983). Non-Immigrant Labor Policy in the United States. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 609-630.

The Mutual Aid Pact of the Airline Industry

Focuses on the Mutual Aid Pact, an agreement among airline carriers aimed to protect struck participants against economic losses within the period of strikes in the United States in 1958. Provisions of the Federal Aviation Act; Labor relations in the airline industry; Establishment of the original pact. (Abstract copyright EBSCO.)

Illegal Immigration and the American Labor Force: the use of "Soft" Data for Analysis

Excerpt] In late 1974, the commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) of the U.S. Department of Justice publicly stated that “the United States us being overrun by illegal aliens” and, he warned, “we are seeing just the beginning of the problem.” During that 1974 fiscal year, when 788,000 illegal aliens were actually apprehended by INS, the INS estimated that the number of undetected illegal aliens who entered the United States in that year ranged upward to 4 million people. Moreover, the INS estimated the accumulated number of illegal aliens currently residing in the United States in 1974 to be between 7 and 12 million.

Immigration Policy: Political or Economic?

Our politically dominated immigration policy is counter to our nations labor needs and exacerbates our worst racial and income disparities. An economically sound immigration policy would secure our national wellbeing.

Efficiency and Equity as Goals for Contemporary U.S. Immigration Policy

As the United States has entered its postindustrial stage of economic development, mass immigration has again become a distinguishing feature of the U.S. economy. In all of its diverse forms, immigration presently accounts for anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of the annual growth of the U.S. labor force. By the turn of the 21st century, it could conceivably comprise all of such growth.Immigration is the one aspect of population and labor force growth that public policy should be able to shape and control. Unfortunately, however, the extant public policies that govern the size and composition of the immigrant and refugee flows are largely unrelated to emerging economic considerations.The revival of mass immigration is not taking place in a vacuum. Indeed, it appears that the labor market is being radically transformed. The demand for labor is increasingly favoring those workers with skill and education. There are diminishing needs for job seekers without these human capital endowments. On the labor supply side, it is unfortunately the case that the United States already has a significant number of adults who are ill-prepared for many jobs that are being created.To assist in this effort to enhance efficiency, immigration policy should be flexible. It should be capable of responding to changing domestic economic conditions. Currently, the nations immigration policy is dominated by political motivations that give priority to family reunification and humanitarian goals. Immigration can be a short run means to provide skilled and educated workers to fill critical worker shortages. But in the long run, equity considerations derived from the nations multiracial and multicultural character of the labor force also come into play. It is imperative that citizen workers be prepared for the high quality jobs in the growth industries of its postindustrial economy. Immigration must not inhibit market pressures from encouraging employers to provide better opportunities for training and employment of citizens.The obverse is also true. It is essential that immigration does not provide only workers who can be employed in the declining occupations and industries. With a sizeable adult illiteracy problem already, the nation can ill-afford to increase the pool of unskilled and poorly educated workers, which increases the competition among such workers for the shrinking number of jobs available to them.As the United States has entered its postindustrial stage of economic development, mass immigration has again become a distinguishing feature of the U.S. economy. In all of its diverse forms, immigration presently accounts for anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of the annual growth of the U.S. labor force. By the turn of the 21st century, it could conceivably comprise all of such growth.

Book Review: Labor Economics: Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic IntegrationBeyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration. By MasseyDouglas S., DurandJorge and MaloneNolan J.. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2002. x, 199 pp. ISBN 0-87154-589-6,

regime, arguments for and against labor standards in trade, and policy implications. The specific chapters cover U.S. initiatives on child labor, labor standards in the bilateral trade agreements entered into by the United States and the European Union, labor standards among the European Union member countries, and NAFTA. The strength of the book is its combination of sound institutional description with strong opinions and judgments. Regarding the latter, I do not agree with all of Tsogass views-in particular, I take exception to the two-page critique of me, which I thought misrepresented the approach I have taken to labor standards. I found the coverage to be imbalanced in places: for instance, six pages on the GE and Honeywell cases in NAFTA versus one page on the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work-arguably the most important development in labor standards in decades-and no