View Research by Author - Randolph Capps

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/RandolphCapps

This report examines the consequences of parental arrest, detention, and deportation on 190 children in 85 families in six locations, providing in-depth details on parent-child separations, economic hardships, and children's well-being. The contentious immigration debates around the country mostly revolve around illegal immigration. Less visible have been the 5.5 million children with unauthorized parents, almost three-quarters of whom are U.S.-born citizens. Over several years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intensified enforcement activities through large-scale worksite arrests, home arrests, and arrests by local law enforcement. The report provides recommendations for stakeholders to mitigate the harmful effects of immigration enforcement on children.

The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act (House Bill 1804) went into effect on November 1, 2007. House Bill (HB) 1804, is among the most far-reaching of the anti-immigrant laws enacted at the state level and is composed of broad provisions that have the potential to affect all aspects of life in Oklahoma for unauthorized immigrants, including where they live, how they move from place to place, what services they receive from both public and private agencies, and how they are handled when they come into contact with the law enforcement system. The Urban Institute examined the effects of HB 1804 to better understand the implications of these provisions for immigrant families with children.

Up-to-date state information on children of immigrants is essential for social policies that affect children and families. This brief, accompanying the Urban Institute's interactive Children of Immigrants Data Tool, describes the national and state characteristics of children of immigrants based on recent American Community Survey data. Since children of immigrants account for almost a quarter (24 percent) of children under age 5, their share in the school-age population will increase, with important implications for education policy. In addition, children of immigrants' poverty and low-income rates vary across states, highlighting the importance of state and local policies in promoting children's well-being.

This report discusses the contribution of immigrants to Maryland's workforce, trends in the workforce between 2000 and 2006, and recommendations for educating and training immigrant workers. Rapid growth in the number and share of immigrant workers in the state do not appear to have come at the expense of native-born workers, who saw their labor force participation grow over this six year period. Maryland's immigrant workers are unusually diverse, highly educated and work in key skilled industries such as healthcare, information technology and the sciences.

This brief summarizes the contribution of immigrants to Maryland's workforce and trends in the workforce between 2000 and 2006. Maryland's immigrant workers are unusually highly educated and work in key skilled industries such as healthcare, information technology and the sciences. However, there are also large numbers of immigrant workers with low educational attainment and English proficiency—they largely work in construction, agriculture, and services. Education, English language, and job training programs if properly tailored to immigrants' and employers' needs could potentially raise the incomes of immigrant workers and increase their tax contributions to the state.

With the Democratic nomination still up for grabs, the candidates are refocusing on Texas, where immigration will be a key issue and Latino voters a key constituency. Among Republicans, all three frontrunners have supported reform that offers unauthorized immigrants a path to legal status. But the issue is still controversial and emotional. Urban Institute researchers can provide nationwide and local facts and perspectives on the unauthorized population to help frame the debate.

The paper explores the financial well-being and economic integration of immigrant groups compared with native-born minorities and whites in vulnerable urban neighborhoods. Among the main findings from the analysis is that immigrants and native minorities in the neighborhoods we examine face similar types of economic difficulties. However, after controlling for citizenship, English proficiency, educational attainment, and having a driver’s license and a reliable car, many of the economic disadvantages disappear for immigrant groups, but not for native-born minorities. These findings suggest that even in tough neighborhoods, the potential for economic integration of immigrants is strong.

Over the past year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has intensified immigration enforcement activities by conducting several large-scale worksite raids across the country. From an in-depth study of three communities—Greeley, CO, Grand Island, NE and New Bedford, MA—this report details the impact of these worksite raids on the well-being of children. The report provides detailed recommendations to a variety of stakeholders to help mitigate the harmful effects of worksite raids on children.

The population of children of immigrants is growing rapidly, as over one fifth of all U.S. children have at least one immigrant parent. Social service systems such as child welfare are encountering large and increasing numbers of these children, but few hard data on the system involvement of children of immigrants exist. The first three briefs in the Identifying Immigrant Families with Child Welfare Systems series provide some of the first data on first-and second- generation Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care in Texas. Overall, Latin American immigrant children and Latin American children of immigrants are underrepresented, while Hispanic children of U.S.-born parents are over-represented in the Texas child welfare system. Key child welfare system experience findings include: Placement type: only 8 percent of Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care are living with relatives compared with 20-28 percent of U.S.-born children (both Hispanic and non-Hispanic). Removal reason: Latin American immigrants are three times more likely to be removed because of sexual abuse than children of U.S.-born parents. Title IV-E eligibility: Only 5 percent of Latin American immigrants in out-of-home care are eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement compared with over half of U.S.-born children.

The population of children of immigrants is growing rapidly, as over one fifth of all U.S. children have at least one immigrant parent. Social service systems such as child welfare are encountering large and increasing numbers of these children, but few hard data on the system involvement of children of immigrants exist. The first three briefs in the Identifying Immigrant Families with Child Welfare Systems series provide some of the first data on first-and second- generation Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care in Texas. Overall, Latin American immigrant children and Latin American children of immigrants are underrepresented, while Hispanic children of U.S.-born parents are over-represented in the Texas child welfare system. Key child welfare system experience findings include: Placement type: only 8 percent of Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care are living with relatives compared with 20-28 percent of U.S.-born children (both Hispanic and non-Hispanic). Removal reason: Latin American immigrants are three times more likely to be removed because of sexual abuse than children of U.S.-born parents. Title IV-E eligibility: Only 5 percent of Latin American immigrants in out-of-home care are eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement compared with over half of U.S.-born children.

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