Perspectives on Immigration Reform

Attorney, Author, and Professor David Strange joins Perspectives on Immigration Reform to explain how our national immigration policy and it’s enforcement has failed Americans for the past 30 years. Strange proposes that we can fix our broken immigration system with a revised visa process, federal immigration law reforms, tougher workplace enforcement and changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act. Above all else, he believes compromise is key to solving the immigration issues facing our nation today.

Mayor Bridget Newton joins Perspectives on Immigration Reform, offering her unique and local perspective on how the changing immigration landscape is affecting children, families, and businesses in Rockville, Maryland. Rockville is a major suburb of our nation’s capital and is located in one of the most diverse counties in Maryland. Newton is currently serving her third term as mayor and speaks to the challenges and opportunities around immigration and her ideas about how to move forward.

In many ways, our immigration system has failed individuals seeking asylum in the United States. Lindsay Harris, Professor at the University of DC’s David A. Clarke School of Law, joins Perspectives on Immigration Reform hosts to discuss the asylum process, how prosecutorial discretion effects those seeking asylum and a potential solution to our immigration system’s inadequate funding.

The rhetoric around immigration in the United States is polarized and divisive. Ediberto Roman, Professor of Law at Florida International University and author of “Those Damned Immigrants”, joins Perspectives on Immigration Reform hosts to discuss pitfalls in our current immigration system as well as birthright citizenship, misconceptions around undocumented immigrants and much more. Listen as Professor Roman discusses whether or not the U.S. passes the pursuit of happiness test.

Many immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for the majority of their lives culturally identify as “American” even though they are not technically citizens. Beth Caldwell, author and law professor at Southwestern Law School, has interviewed over 100 deportees on their experiences, finding that they often face long-term consequences after being deported to a country that feels foreign and isolating. Listen as Caldwell delves into this unique aspect of deportation on Perspectives on Immigration Reform.

If today’s immigration laws were in effect while our ancestors were passing through Ellis Island, many of us wouldn’t be living in the United States today. Listen as Alex Nowrasteh, the Director of Immigration Studies at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, discusses how a freer immigration system using a visa tariff system could not only be economically beneficial to the United States, but it would also be consistent with American values.

The number of green cards currently available in the U.S. each year is the same number we’ve been using since 1990. Listen as Michele Waslin, Program Coordinator at the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University talks with Perspectives on Immigration Reform hosts about family-based immigration, birthright citizenship and the numerical reality of our country’s immigration system.

For American’s economy to continue to flourish, Dan Griswold, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and Co-Director of its Trade and Immigration Project, suggests a market-based immigration system. This would shift the focus from citizenship to permanent legal status and allow U.S. companies to fill open positions with willing and able immigrants.

In order to understand immigration policies in America, we must consider how history has shaped the opposing sides of the political spectrum. Dr. Peggy Sands Orchowski, a senior correspondent for Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education in Washington D.C., explains how thinking of immigration as “college admission” can help settle the debate.

America needs a simple solution to immigration reform, a third way between the two extremes of mass citizenship and mass deportation. Mark Jason, Founder & CEO of the Immigrant Tax Inquiry Group explains how the Five + Five tax plan will benefit Americans and the American economy by generating $210 billion in new revenue over a ten-year period while also treating undocumented immigrants with Respect, Equality, Accountability and Legality.

As of 2016, approximately 50% of unauthorized immigrants filed their taxes. After recent legislative changes, tax expert Jacqueline Lainez-Flanagan says tax refunds are no longer the key motivator for unauthorized immigrants to file taxes. Instead, it’s an internal desire to do the right thing. Listen as she evaluates the risks and benefits facing unauthorized immigrants when it comes to federal taxes.

The discrepancy between what the American work visa system allows and what the economy demands is a crucial issue facing our immigration system. Jayesh Rathod, Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the Washington College of Law, shares his suggested systematic changes for immigration reform.

70% of Americans claim to be well informed on immigration policies. But according to veteran pollster Ernie Paicopolos, that number is likely closer to 20%. Regardless of where you stand on immigration, once you dive into the data you might be surprised at what the numbers reveal and how they may impact your views on this hot button issue.

Tax policies often have good intentions but poor execution. Kamy Akhavan, CEO of ProCon.org and Perspectives on Immigration Reform hosts, Sean O’Neill and Marc Silverstein, do some moral algebra to determine if unauthorized immigrants are paying their fair share and if they are actually taking or making American jobs.

Steve Entin, Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Tax Foundation and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy in the Reagan Treasury Department, sheds light on the flaws in our current tax system and the effects of immigration on the U.S. economy.

Perspectives on Immigration Reform is a new podcast offering fresh insights and information that will help you break free of the polarization that has defined—and distorted—our nation’s thinking about immigration reform. You'll hear from guests representing a full range of views, in order for all of us to have a deeper understanding of both the policy side and the human side of immigration.