Immigration in California: The benefits outweigh the cost

A recent article in the Washington Post highlighted some of the common costs and benefits associated with immigration. Two key areas analyzed in the article were the economic and security issues tied to reform.

Economic cost and benefit of reform

Immigration can lead to many economic advantages. According to an article in Forbes, many immigrants are entrepreneurs who start companies that offer additional jobs to the local community. The author points out that these benefits may ultimately lead to a more stable economic environment, even if it translates to depressed wages for less skilled positions.

The White House supported the overall finding that immigration reform will increase economic growth. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that immigration reform leading to a larger labor force would translate to billions of dollars in added gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is essentially the market value of goods and services produced in the United States. A stronger GDP is associated with a healthy economic environment.

National and domestic security

In addition to increased economic growth, The Wall Street Journal noted that immigration reform can translate to increased national security. By providing provisional visas, authorities can run background checks and immigrants can make use of bank accounts and participate in the legal market as opposed to relying on the black market. As a result, the black market takes a hit and more individuals within the United States are properly documented.

Although these costs and benefits were discussed on a broad, national level, they impact each individual state as well. As a result, states will likely take a similar analysis into consideration when moving forward with reform.

Immigration in California

The state of California is moving forward with a variety of reforms, including the Trust Act. The Trust Act was signed into law in the fall of 2013 by Governor Jerry Brown. The law is designed to allow state enforcement officers to release people from prison despite immigration authority requests for extra time, according to a report by a local PBS affiliate. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would use the extra time to review the person being held, looking particularly at his or her status. Based on their findings, the agency could potentially move forward with deportation. It is important to note that the law is not all encompassing. It continues to allow for extra holding times for those who are charged or convicted of serious offenses.

Navigating through immigration laws is difficult. As a result, those considering immigrating to the United States, are already in the States and interested in citizenship or are facing deportation should contact an experienced California immigration law attorney.