The Immigrant Policy Project

State and Local Coalition on Immigration

Publications

FEATURED ITEMS

In-State Tuition and Unauthorized Immigrant Students:
A 1996 federal law sought to restrict state tuition benefits
for unauthorized students. Congress and many states are
revisiting the issue. (July 2006) New item

Immigrants in the Workforce:
Some fast facts on immigrants in the U.S. workforce.

Unaccompanied Refugee and Immigrant Minors:
An intro to federal programs for refugee and immigrant minors,
statistics, recent legislation and implications for states.

Adobe PDF The ABC's of IDs for U.S. Immigrants:
This report explains the various identity documents
issued by federal, state, and foreign governments
to foreign born residents in the United States and
includes recent reforms to state issued drivers licenses.
(February 7, 2005)

A Look at Immigrant Youth:
With over one million arrivals per year,
immigrant students are entering public
schools in record numbers. This paper
explores promising practices for serving
this population.

CONTENTS

Citizenship and Civic Engagement

Education & Immigrants

Foodstamps/Nutritional Assistance

Health Care

Housing & Immigrants

SSI

TANF & Immigrants

Immigration - General Topics

Demographics

International

Newsletters

Project Contacts

Citizenship and Civic Engagement

"Legislative Melting Pot," by Dianna Gordon, State Legislatures, July/August 2002. Nearly a hundred state legislators are immigrants. They bring a special work ethic and empathy to lawmaking.

"Diversity in Action: The First Hmong Senator," by Christopher Conte, State Legislatures, July/August 2002. Mee Moua typifies the rich contributions foreign-born lawmakers are bringing to the legislative institution.

"The New Americans," by Ann Morse, State Legislatures, July/August 2000. States have started programs to help immigrants become citizens, and many of these new Americans know more about civics than
the natives.

Education & Immigrants

In State Tuition and Unauthorized Immigrant Students, by Ann Morse, July 2006. In 1996, the illegal immigration reform law instituted a restriction on states’ residency requirements and in-state tuition benefits
for higher education, affecting an estimated 50,000-65,000 unauthorized immigrant students annually. Recently, Congress has been considering bipartisan legislation to repeal this provision and help certain
minor immigrant students gain legal status. In the 108th Congress, legislation in both the House and Senate would have repealed the federal restrictions on in-state tuition and allowed certain long-term
unauthorized immigrant minors to gain legal status. Legislation with bipartisan cosponsorship was reintroduced in the Senate (S.2075) on November 18, 2005. This legislation was added as an amendment to
the Senate’s immigration bill, S.2611. The American Dream Act, H.R. 5131, was introduced April 6, 2006 with bipartisan cosponsorship.

Foreign Student Visas: INS Proposed Rule on Electronic Reporting and Recordkeeping (SEVIS) by Donald Turnbull and Ann Morse, June 13, 2002. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is
a new internet-based system of the INS that will collect information from schools relating to nonimmigrant foreign students during their period of study in the U.S.

Food Stamps/Nutritional Assistance

Food Stamp Access For Immigrants: This report explores state approaches in food stamp access and outreach after the restoration of food stamps to legal immigrants in the 2002 Farm Bill. (August 2004)

Food Stamp Reauthorization: A Guide to Program Changes for State Legislators Adobe PDF , by Lee Posey, September 20, 2002

Food Stamp Benefits Restored, Issue Brief, May 14, 2002

Nutritional Assistance in a Post-Welfare World, by Laurie Hoogeveen, June 15, 2001

Welfare Reform & Immigrants: Nutritional Assistance, Issue Brief, January 1, 1999

Health Care

Language Access: Helping Non-English Speakers Navigate Health and Human Services Adobe PDF , by Ann Morse. NCSL's Children's Policy Initiative, January 2003.

Language access has come to the forefront as a critical issue in quality and access to care as the nation's population - and languages - have become increasingly diverse. The language gap can lead to delays in
or denial of service, unnecessary tests, more costly or invasive treatment of disease, mistakes in prescribing and using medication, and deterrence in patient compliance with treatment. Language barriers are
a contributing factor in health care disparities among racial and ethnic minorities and in a lack of health insurance among immigrants and minorities. In a series of federal guidances since 2000, federal agencies have reminded recipients of federal funds of their obligation under civil rights law to provide meaningful access to their services for limited-English proficient individuals. This isue brief reviews the
federal guidance, and TANF, SCHIP, and TANF rules; statistics including the size of the limited English proficient population by state; how states have obtained federal match in Medicaid and SCHIP for
language services; and examples from several states related to interpreter services. (24 pages, available in PDF)

Language Access: Giving Immigrants a Hand in Navigating the Health Care System, by Ann Morse. NCSL's State Health Notes volume 23, number 381, October 7, 2002.

An executive order issued in 2000 seeks to avoid discrimination on the basis of national origin. For providers of health care, that means insuring that all patients with limited English proficiency have
meaningful access' to services. A look at the landscape.

SCHIP and Access for Children in Immigrant Families

One in five children under age 18 (14 million) is either an immigrant or is a member of an immigrant family. These children are more likely than those with U.S.-born parents to live in poverty and less likely to have health insurance and to receive medical care. This issue paper reviews the effects of the 1996 welfare reform law on immigrants' eligibility for health care, and studies that indicate enrollment in SCHIP is down even for eligible immigrant families. Factors affecting enrollment, such as fears of public charge, verification of citizenship and immigrant status, and language and cultural barriers are discussed. Finally, the paper outlines examples of state responses through state-funded health care and improvements in outreach, application and enrollment. The appendices include definitions for common immigration terms and a description of federal funds available for outreach to and enrollment of the immigrant population (SCHIP, Medicaid, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program).

SCHIP and Access for Children in Immigrant Families, Ann Morse, 2000; 24 pages, ISBN 1-58024-047-X; Item #6682; $15. The issue paper was produced in collaboration with NCSL's Forum for State Health Policy Leadership. Copies may be ordered from NCSL's Book Order department (303-830-2054) or books@ncsl.org.

Language Services Under SCHIP, NCSL LegisBrief, by Gabriela Alcalde and Ann Morse, Nov./Dec. 2000 Volume 8, Number 46

Children of immigrants face a number of barriers to enrolling in SCHIP and receiving appropriate care. Because all U.S. citizens, as well as certain groups of legal immigrants, are eligible for SCHIP, regardless of the immigration status of other family members, and because of the high uninsurance rate of children in immigrant families, states are exploring ways to remedy this problem. They are responding by developing outreach and enrollment programs that are linguistically and culturally appropriate and are making the health care system easier to navigate for those who speak very little English. This LegisBrief highlights results of an informal survey in late 1999 and early 2000 of the 13 states with the highest percentage of immigrants to gauge the range of language services provided under SCHIP.

"CHIP and the Immigrant Community: Getting Out the Word on 'Public Charge'," by Ann D. Morse, State Health Notes, September 13, 1999.

America's Newcomers: Funding Prenatal Care for Unauthorized Immigrants: Challenges Lie Ahead for States (Executive Summary)

America's Newcomers: Funding Prenatal Care for Unauthorized Immigrants, Lynda Flowers-Bowie, 1997; 37 pages, ISBN 1-55516-998-8; Item #9377, $20.00. Copies may be ordered from NCSL's Book Order department (303-830-2054) or books@ncsl.org.

Welfare Reform & Immigrants: Medical Assistance and Health Benefits, Issue Brief, November 29, 1997

Housing & Immigrants

Minnesota's Homeownership Center: Helping Low-Income and Immigrant Populations, by David Lawson, August, 2002. A collaboration of city and state governments, non-profits, banks, and realtors founded
the Home Ownership Center to address the gap in homeownership for low-income and immigrant populations. It serves as: 1) the keystone of a network of community organizations that provide home
ownership education and counseling and 2) a forum for communication between non-profits, mutual assistance associations, lending and mortgage groups, realtors, and state and local government.

Financial Literacy & Homeownership Education: Building Assets for Minority and Immigrant Communities, by David Lawson, March 2003

SSI (Supplemental Security Income)

Welfare Reform & Immigrants: Supplemental Security Income, Issue Brief, January 1, 1999

TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) & Immigrants

America's Newcomers: Mending the Safety Net for Immigrants (Executive Summary)

This report reviews the federal welfare reform debates and Congressional reconsideration of benefits for immigrants, as well as early decisions made by states in TANF, Medicaid, nutritional assistance, and naturalization programs. Finally, it examines federal and state constitutional issues related to public benefits for immigrants and some recent legal challenges.

America's Newcomers: Mending the Safety Net for Immigrants, Ann Morse, Jeremy Meadows, Kirsten Rasmussen, Sheri Steisel, 1998; 77 pages, ISBN 1-55516-707-1; Item #9378, $20.00. Copies may be ordered from NCSL's Book Order department (303-830-2054) or books@ncsl.org.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: A Checklist, by Ann Morse and Amanda Culp, June 15, 2001

Welfare Reform & Immigrants: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, March 18, 1998

Welfare Reform & Immigrants: State Trends, Issue Brief, October 21, 1997

Immigration - General (Eligibility, Verification, Visas, Public Charge)

Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs- abbreviated chart

Immigrants, Nonimmigrants, and Visas: An Overview (June 2002)

HHS Guidance on Asking Citizenship, Immigration Status and SSNs on State Application Forms, by Ann Morse, September 27, 2000

Verification of Citizenship and Immigration Status of Applicants for Public Benefits, by Ann Morse, August 21, 2000

Public Charge Defined, by Ann Morse, May 26, 1999.

Violence Against Women Act of 2002, by Ann Morse and Amanda Culp, November 14, 2000. Summarizes the immigrant provisions in the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, P.L. 106-386.

State and Local Immigration Offices and Committees, by Ann Morse, May 2005.

Demographics

Statistics and Immigration: Demographics, Workforce, and Asset Building

Demographics and the 2000 Census: A Quick Look at U.S. Immigrants by Ann Morse, January 2002

International

Recent Immigration Trends in Germany and France, by Dirk Hegen, October 2001.

International Dialogue Newsletter

Newsletters (Immigrant Policy News)

Archives:

Inside the Beltway (1994 - 2001) reports on federal regulations and legislation related to immigrants that affect state and local governments. Our most recent issue was published on December 28, 2001
as a year-end round-up of federal activities in 2001.

The State-Local Report (1994 - 1998) includes articles on state and local innovations in serving immigrant populations. The last issue focused on citizenship and was published in December 1998.

State LegisLine (1997 - 1998) summarizes state legislation related to immigrants' eligibility for cash, medical, and nutritional assistance, as well as naturalization programs.

International Dialogue (1998 & 2000) is the newest addition to the Immigrant Policy News series. It reports on international exchanges on immigration, refugee, asylee, and social welfare policies between
French, German, and American state and local policymakers. The latest issue was published in December 1998.

Project Contacts

Ann Morse, Program Director
Dirk Hegen, Policy Associate

Members of the State and Local Coalition on Immigration and their representatives on the Project's Governing Board are:

NGA: Nolan Jones (202-624-5300)
NCSL: Sheri Steisel (202-624-5400)
USCM: Crystal Swann (202-293-7330)
NLC: Washington, DC Office (202-626-3202)
NACo: Marilina Sanz (202-393-6226)
APHSA: Elaine Ryan (202-682-0100)

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Updated November 20, 2006

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The Immigrant Policy Project

State and Local Coalition on Immigration

Publications

SSI (Supplemental Security Income) Welfare Reform & Immigrants: Supplemental Security Income, Issue Brief, January 1, 1999

SSI (Supplemental Security Income)

Welfare Reform & Immigrants: Supplemental Security Income, Issue Brief, January 1, 1999