Birth outcomes improve in states that extend driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, research finds

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#immigration #birthoutcomes #undocumented #driverlicenses #healthresearch

💡 Asian high-skill migration to the US (1990-2019) contributed over a third of US software developer growth and a quarter of the rise in scientists, engineers, and physicians.

📈 This trend was driven by US demand in tech, higher education, and healthcare, coupled with policy reforms (H-1B, F-1, J-1) and economic shifts like the internet boom.

🌏 Asian nations were well-suited to meet this demand due to educational growth, strong STEM programs, English proficiency, and existing diaspora networks, leading to "brain gain" and "brain circulation" in Asia.

#Immigration #TechTalent #AsiaUSRelations

💡 A new study in the American Economic Review by Terry, Chaney, Burchardi, Tarquinio, and Hassan (2026) introduces a method to measure how immigration affects U.S. counties.

📈 The research finds that immigration positively impacts local innovation and wages within five years, with the long-term gains outweighing initial labor supply adjustments.

🚀 The study estimates that increased immigration to the U.S. since 1965 could have boosted innovation and wages by as much as 5 percent.

#Immigration #EconomicGrowth #Innovation

🚨 New research in JAMA indicates a worsening "systemic weakness" in ICE medical care over the past two decades, coinciding with increased detention numbers and worsened conditions under the Trump administration.

📈 The death rate in ICE custody for part of fiscal year 2026 reached a 22-year high, surpassing even the COVID-19 era spike, with physicians calling it a "warning signal."

📉 From October to January 19, there were 18 deaths, an annualized rate of 88.9 per 100,000, with 10 more deaths occurring since then.

🏥 Concerns are raised that only about 13% of deaths occurred in hospitals, and nearly 49% were "undetermined or unclassified," suggesting accountability issues and potentially preventable deaths.

#ICEDetention #Immigration #PublicHealth

📈 New research from the University of Vermont, Yale, ASU, and American University reveals that intensified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics between 2023-2025 negatively impacted the childcare workforce. The study, to be published May 22, found that increased enforcement led to childcare centers losing capacity, reducing enrollment, and sometimes closing.

labor. The study links increased ICE activity to significant drops in employment for immigrant women in childcare, with limited evidence of replacement by native-born workers.

🏠 Researchers observed childcare workers shifting towards less-regulated private household care, potentially reducing quality and stability for both workers and families. This shift occurred as areas like schools and daycare centers became targets for ICE arrests.

#ICE #Childcare #Immigration

📊 A decade-long study of 11,500 neighborhoods (46 million residents) from 2010-2018 found that unauthorized immigration does not drive crime rates. Neighborhoods with increased undocumented residents saw greater reductions in property crime and no significant change in violent crime.

📉 While property crime and aggravated assaults fell in areas with growing undocumented populations, robberies increased. Researchers suggest this could be due to undocumented immigrants being targets of robbery ("Walking ATM" phenomenon) due to carrying cash and fear of reporting crimes.

⚖️ The study challenges the effectiveness and justification of current immigration enforcement policies, arguing they are largely ineffective at enhancing public safety and may cause harm by targeting low-level offenders, damaging trust with communities, and carrying profound human costs.

#Immigration #Crime #Research