January 31, 2017. New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, the New York Immigration Coalition, the Fiscal Policy Institute, elected officials and immigration advocates today the release of new analyses of the fiscal costs and benefits of expanding access to driver’s licenses to all New Yorkers, without regard to immigration status, and the launch of a new campaign announced, Green Light NY: Driving Together. The announcement of the campaign comes from advocates and elected officials as Comptroller Stringer and the … (read more)

January 31, 2017. If a policy was implemented allowing all age eligible immigrants, regardless of immigration status, to obtain a license, the Fiscal Policy Institute estimates that 97,000 additional cars would be purchased and registered in about a three year period, a one percent increase in the total number of vehicles in the state.

An innovative analysis compares the vehicle ownership rates in households that include an unauthorized immigrant with other immigrant households. The comparison adjusts for household income, number … (read more)

January 31, 2017. How many unauthorized immigrants actually get licenses when driver’s license policies are expanded to allow them to apply?

The Fiscal Policy Institute looks at the experience of five states and the District of Columbia, and finds that, based on these examples, between 25 percent and 50 percent of unauthorized immigrants over the age of 16 obtain a license in the first three years.

PDF of Brief… (read more)

January 27, 2017. Immigrants contribute to the economy of the Syracuse metro area, helping it to grow. Immigrants make up 5.5 percent of the population of metro Syracuse, 6.2 percent of the labor force, and an impressive 6.9 percent of total economic output. And, immigrants are a much more diverse group than most people realize.

The largest country of birth for immigrants in metro Syracuse is China, with people born in China making up seven percent of immigrants. Canada may … (read more)

December 13, 2016. A new report by the Fiscal Policy Institute and the Center for American Progress looks at how Syrian immigrants fare in the United States.

After a political campaign season in which Syrians coming to the United States were met with harsh words and proposals, this report takes a calm look at how immigrants from Syria are faring in the United States. The findings are reassuring: Syrian immigrants are highly educated, disproportionately likely to be business owners, learn … (read more)

Wednesday, October 19. As many cities across the nation experience population decline and an increase in vacant and distressed property, there is a need for economic and housing revitalization. New research from Welcoming Economies Global Network and Fiscal Policy Institute indicates that immigrants represent some of the brightest potential for revitalizing urban communities. However, experience suggests, that immigrants are often overlooked and underestimated by homeownership, community development, and affordable housing advocates, practitioners, and programs.

This report, which includes an interactive … (read more)

September 16, 2016. The cost of getting a driver’s license has become entwined with many different issues recently. It is relevant to discussions of allowing unauthorized immigrants to apply for licenses. It has come up in states that require people to show identification in order to vote and in discussions surrounding fees that are a barrier to getting a state-issued ID. And, some states have acted to reduce the burden for some groups by allowing free or reduced-cost licenses to … (read more)

Friday, July 22. David Dyssegaard Kallick, Director of the Immigration Research Initiative at the Fiscal Policy Institute since 2007, will be presenting at The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities’s 2016 CUMU Conference’s Opening Keynote.

David Dyssegaard Kallick’s keynote speech, titled “Can Immigrants Revitalize America’s Shrinking Cities?” will take place on Monday, October 24th from 8:30-10:00 AM at the 22nd Annual CUMU Conference: Charting the Future of Metropolitan Universities in Washington, D.C. His speech will explain why institutions in urban … (read more)

June 16, 2016. The Fiscal Policy Institute and the Center for American Progress released a report that analyzes how four key refugee groups—Bosnians, Burmese, Hmong, and Somalis—in the United States are doing on key indicators of integration, such as wages, labor market participation, business ownership, English language ability, and citizenship. As the United States and other countries wrestle with how to handle the sharp rise in the number of people around the globe displaced by conflict and persecution, the long-term … (read more)

April 19, 2016. Missouri’s appropriations bill for higher education includes instructions that would leave immigrants who have been granted deferred action in the position of having to pay a much higher tuition rate at state colleges. For every student this discourages from going to community college, the student loses $7,000 in potential earnings and the state and local governments lose $630 in potential tax contributions. For those who don’t get a bachelor’s degree, it costs the typical student $21,000 per … (read more)