Ajay Chaudry, Center Director

Large-scale worksite immigration raids have intensified across the country in the past few years. We detailed the experiences of children, most of whom are U.S.-born citizens, whose parents were arrested in three large-scale immigration raids. Our researchers went beyond the stories to provide a factual basis for discussing the impact of worksite raids and recommended policies to mitigate the resulting problems. Our work generated considerable media attention. And, after the report was published, the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement released new guidelines to address the humanitarian issues and legal protections of immigrants arrested in worksite raids.

To better understand the path to economic security for American families, we studied poverty, asset building, and social policy affecting families. We portrayed the assets and liabilities of low-income families and charted the effects of 13 government program rules, including welfare and Food Stamps, on the assets of less-educated single mothers and families. We also examined how state changes to Food Stamps and other welfare programs affected participation in the Food Stamp program.

The president’s High Growth Job Training Initiative represents a major effort to develop market-driven strategies to address workforce challenges in high-growth industries. We evaluated the early grantees and identified key factors to success. Our researchers noted the benefit of building the right partnerships, especially with employers; the need for supportive services, such as child care and transportation assistance; and the importance of recruiting skilled, job-specific trainers.

We also turned our attention to children with disabilities in 2007. Programs to help these children and their families are fragmented and complex, often with inconsistent eligibility standards, application procedures, and program goals. We scrutinized the three largest programs—special education, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income—and proposed ways to unify them into one continuous system.