U.S. Immigration Policy U.S

CFR CLAY CMYK CFR WHITESAND CMYK CFR MARBLE CMYK Spine Should Adjust CFR CLAY RGB CFR WHITESAND RGB CFR MARBLE RGB Text should be centered on Spine U.S. Policy Immigration The Council on Foreign Relations sponsors Independent Task Forces to assess issues of current and critical importance to U.S. foreign policy and provide policymakers with concrete judgments and recommendations. Diverse in backgrounds and perspectives, Task Force members aim to reach a meaningful consensus on policy through private and nonpartisan deliberations. Once launched, Task Forces are independent of CFR and solely responsible for the content of their reports. Task Force members are asked to join a consensus signifying that they endorse “the general policy thrust and judgments reached by the group, though not necessarily every finding and recommendation.” Each Task Force member also has the option of putting forward an additional or dissenting view. Members’ affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not imply institutional endorsement. Task Force observers participate in discussions, but are not asked to join the consensus. Task Force Members Edward Alden Thomas F. McLarty III Council on Foreign Relations McLarty Associates Mary Boies Eliseo Medina Boies & McInnis LLP Service Employees International Union Robert C. Bonner The Sentinel HS Group; Steve Padilla Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Aquarius Group Inc. Jeb Bush Robert D. Putnam Jeb Bush and Associates, LLC Harvard University Allan E. Goodman Andrew D. Selee Independent Task Force Report No. 63 Institute of International Education Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Gordon H. Hanson University of California, San Diego Margaret D. Stock Jeb Bush and Thomas F. McLarty III, Chairs U.S. Army Reserve Michael H. Jordan Edward Alden, Project Director MHJ Holdings Co. Frances Fragos Townsend Baker Botts, LLP Donald Kerwin No. 63 Report Force Task Independent Migration Policy Institute Kathleen Campbell Walker Brown McCarroll, LLP Richard D. Land The Ethics & Religious Raul H. Yzaguirre U.S. Liberty Commission Arizona State University Elisa Massimino Human Rights First Immigration Policy www.cfr.org Bar Code goes in white box U.S. Immigration Policy Independent Task Force Report No. 63 Jeb Bush and Thomas F. McLarty III, Chairs Edward Alden, Project Director U.S. Immigration Policy The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business execu- tives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, CFR carries out its mission by maintaining a diverse membership, with special programs to promote interest and develop expertise in the next generation of foreign policy leaders; con- vening meetings at its headquarters in New York and in Washington, DC, and other cities where senior government officials, members of Congress, global leaders, and prominent thinkers come together with CFR members to discuss and debate major international issues; supporting a Studies Program that fosters independent research, enabling CFR scholars to produce articles, reports, and books and hold roundtables that analyze foreign policy issues and make concrete policy recommendations; publishing Foreign Affairs, the preeminent journal on international affairs and U.S. foreign policy; sponsoring Independent Task Forces that produce reports with both findings and policy prescriptions on the most important foreign policy topics; and providing up-to-date information and analysis about world events and American foreign policy on its website, www.cfr.org. The Council on Foreign Relations takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with the U.S. government. All statements of fact and expressions of opinion contained in its publications are the sole responsibility of the author or authors. The Council on Foreign Relations sponsors Independent Task Forces to assess issues of current and critical importance to U.S. foreign policy and provide policymakers with concrete judgments and recommendations. Diverse in backgrounds and perspectives, Task Force members aim to reach a meaningful consensus on policy through private and nonpartisan deliberations. Once launched, Task Forces are independent of CFR and solely responsible for the content of their reports. Task Force members are asked to join a consensus signifying that they endorse “the general policy thrust and judgments reached by the group, though not necessarily every finding and recommendation.” Each Task Force member also has the option of putting forward an additional or dissenting view. Members’ affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not imply institutional endorsement. Task Force observers participate in discussions, but are not asked to join the consensus. For further information about CFR or this Task Force, please write to the Council on Foreign Relations, Communications, 58 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065, or call the Director of Communications at 212.434.9400. Visit CFR’s website at www.cfr.org. Copyright © 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations®, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This report may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form beyond the reproduction permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law Act (17 U.S.C. Sections 107 and 108) and excerpts by reviewers for the public press, without express written permission from the Council on Foreign Relations. For information, write to the Publications Office, Council on Foreign Relations, 58 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065. This report is printed on paper certified by SmartWood to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, which promotes environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. Task Force Members Task Force members are asked to join a consensus signifying that they endorse “the general policy thrust and judgments reached by the group, though not necessarily every finding and recommendation.” They participate in the Task Force in their individual, not institutional, capacities. Edward Alden Thomas F. McLarty III Mary Boies Eliseo Medina* Robert C. Bonner* Steve Padilla Jeb Bush Robert D. Putnam Allan E. Goodman Andrew D. Selee Gordon H. Hanson Margaret D. Stock Michael H. Jordan Frances Fragos Townsend Donald Kerwin Kathleen Campbell Walker* Richard D. Land Raul H. Yzaguirre Elisa Massimino* *The individual has endorsed the report and submitted an additional or dissenting view. Contents Foreword ix Acknowledgments xiii Acronyms xv Task Force Report 1 Introduction 3 Immigration and U.S. National Interests 9 The Need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform 44 Recommendations 83 Conclusion: Maintaining the Focus 112 Additional or Dissenting Views 115 Endnotes 119 Task Force Members 128 Task Force Observers 138 Foreword Few issues on the American political agenda are more complex or divisive than immigration. There is no shortage of problems with current policies and practices, from the difficulties and delays that con- front many legal immigrants to the large number of illegal immigrants living in the country. Moreover, few issues touch as many areas of U.S. domestic life and foreign policy. Immigration is a matter of homeland security and international competitiveness—as well as a deeply human issue central to the lives of millions of individuals and families. It cuts to the heart of questions of citizenship and American identity and plays a large role in shaping both America’s reality and its image in the world. Immigration’s emergence as a foreign policy issue coincides with the increasing reach of globalization. Not only must countries today compete to attract and retain talented people from around the world, but the view of the United States as a place of unparalleled openness and opportunity is also crucial to the maintenance of American lead- ership. There is a consensus that current policy is not serving the United States well on any of these fronts. Yet agreement on reform has proved elusive. The goal of the Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy was to examine this complex issue and craft a nuanced strategy for reforming immigration policies and practices. The Task Force report argues that immigration is vital to the long-term prosperity and security of the United States. In the global competition to attract highly talented immigrants, the United States must ensure that it remains the destination of first choice. The report also finds that immigrants, who bring needed language and cultural skills, are an increasingly important asset for the U.S. armed forces. What is more, allowing people to come to this country to visit, study, or work is one of the surest means to build friendships with future generations of foreign leaders and to show America’s best face to the world. ix x Foreword The Task Force finds that getting legal immigration right will also help policymakers tackle the issue of illegal immigration. As the ter- rorist attacks of September 11 demonstrated, porous borders can be a serious security vulnerability, and even as the United States welcomes immigrants, it must be able to control who is entering the country. The Task Force

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