Reason Foundation

Recent Research and Commentary

Alabama's War on Immigrants

The state's harsh immigration law will only worsen its economic woes.

November 15, 2011

Shikha Dalmia

Conservatives are resorting to ever more draconian measures to take back the country from “illegal immigrants.” The latest state to declare an all-out jihad is Alabama. But as with slavery and segregation, they are using the government to commit sins that will eventually require even more government to undo.

Why Are Illegal Immigrants Declining

September 26, 2011, 8:23pm

Anthony Randazzo

There was a DHS report in July noting that the number of arrests at our borders (includes Canadian border, but most are at the Mexico border) has been declining since 2005, and that we only arrested 500,000 people in 2010 crossing the border. I say only because we arrested 1.7 million at the border in 2000. Decent decline, and the lowest in 40 years according to DHS. Why?

Michele Bachmann's Unholy Crusade

The GOP presidential hopeful bashes unauthorized workers.

August 30, 2011

Shikha Dalmia

Just when Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign badly needed some class, writes Shikha Dalmia, Bachmann reached into the mud and found another group to demonize besides homosexuals: illegal immigrants. She announced recently that she would become the first GOP presidential candidate to make opposition to illegal immigration a signature issue, no doubt in a bid to shore up her flagging poll numbers against Rick Perry.

A Laughing Matter

Immigration policy is a joke on both the left and right.

August 26, 2011

A. Barton Hinkle

If you're looking for laughs, the nation's capital probably isn't the place to start your search. But you can still find reasons for levity if you try. Take immigration. As A. Barton Hinkle explains, immigration policy is a joke on both the left and right.

Obama's Anti-Immigrant Stance

Under the guise of immigration enforcement, the White House pushes a pro-union agenda.

July 12, 2011

Shikha Dalmia

When it comes to immigration policy, writes Shikha Dalmia, President Barack Obama has found his inner Machiavelli. He has devised an enforcement approach that both disarms conservatives and delights labor unions. But as Dalmia explains, under the guise of immigration enforcement, the White House is pushing a pro-union, job-killing agenda.

The Return of E-Verify

State governments embrace a dangerous employment verification database.

June 23, 2011

Mike Riggs

E-Verify, the employment verification system used to weed out undocumented workers, poses a headache for businesses when it doesn't work like it's supposed to. But as Georgia is learning, it poses an even bigger threat when it works like it was designed to do. Crops go unpicked and low-wage jobs go unfilled. Associate Editor Mike Riggs explains why businesses and some lawmakers are reticent to embrace a program that's gaining traction across the South.

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