Illegal, but Not Undocumented: Identity Theft,
Document Fraud, and Illegal Employment
By Ronald Mortensen

This Backgrounder examines illegal immigration-related document fraud and identity theft that is committed primarily for the purpose of employment. It debunks three common misconceptions: illegal aliens are “undocumented;” the transgressions committed by illegal aliens to obtain jobs are minor; and illegal-alien document fraud and identity theft are victimless crimes. Read More...


The Environmental Argument for
Reducing Immigration to the United States
By Philip Cafaro and Winthrop Staples III

Philip Cafaro, associate professor of philosophy at Colorado State University, and Winthrop Staples III, a wildlife biologist, have written a Backgrounder arguing that a serious commitment to environmentalism entails ending America’s population growth by implementing a more restrictive immigration policy. Read More...


Panel: Should Judges Set Immigration Policy?

The “Plenary Power Doctrine,” which holds that the political branches – the legislative and the executive – have sole power to regulate all aspects of immigration as a basic attribute of sovereignty. In the words of Justice Felix Frankfurter, immigration matters are “wholly outside the concern and competence of the Judiciary.” A video and transcript of the panel discussion is now available. Read More...


Repealing REAL ID? Rolling Back Security
By Janice Kephart

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has made clear her commitment to repeal the 2005 secure driver’s license law, REAL ID. Recently, the Obama administration has supported senior members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in drafting a soon-to-be introduced bill, the PASS ID Act. Read More...


The New Case Against Immigration,
Both Legal and Illegal
By Mark Krikorian
Sentinel (part of the Penguin Group), 2008

As Mark Krikorian argues in this provocative book, what's different today is not the immigrants, but us. Today's immigrants are very similar to those of a century ago, but they are coming to a very different America -- one where changes in the economy, society, and government create fundamentally different incentives for newcomers. Read More...