Center for American Progress – Report by the CAP Immigration Team: “Immigration has been a constant source of economic vitality and demographic dynamism throughout our nation’s history. Immigrants are taxpayers, entrepreneurs, job creators, and consumers. But the immigration system is broken and in need of an overhaul. Although the U.S. border is now more secure than ever, decades of ever-increasing border and interior enforcement have exacerbated the dysfunction caused by rigid, out-of-date laws. Immigration reform that comprehensively addresses these systemic problems—including providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States—is supported by large swaths of Americans. Common-sense reform would restore public faith in the system and level the playing field for all Americans, while supercharging the economic benefits from our immigrant population. Below are the latest and most essential facts about immigrants and immigration reform in our nation today. The facts are broken down into the following sections:

• Today’s immigrant population
• Demographics and political power of new Americans
• Immigrants and the economy
• Federal immigration policy
• Public opinion polling on immigration
• In the news: Unaccompanied children at the U.S. southern border…”