With so much conflicting information about immigrants, how do you get to the truth?
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. launched the Public Education Institute in 2003 to help answer this question. We have commissioned 13 research reports on immigrants as entrepreneurs, workers and consumers, and we continue to develop fact sheets about the contributions of the foreign-born to Massachusetts.
National-level research and customizable datasheets are generated by the Institute for Immigration Research, a joint venture between The ILC and George Mason University launched in 2012.
To make sense of all the information available about immigrants and to identify the credible research from the questionable, we maintain a searchable, online Immigration Research Library drawn from respected research institutions across the United States.
The Institute for Immigration Research (IIR), a joint venture between The Immigrant Learning Center and George Mason University, produces interdisciplinary research on immigrants and immigration to the United States. Projects include Immigrant Nobel Prize Winners, mapping immigrant populations, surveys of high-skilled immigrant professionals, Twitter analyses of the immigration discussion and more. The IIR also offers free customized datasheets through Immigration Data on Demand.
Latest Research: Immigrant Baseball Players in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game
This article analyzes the impact that foreign-born players have had on the MLB All-Star Game and professional baseball in general. The authors make a compelling case for betting on the team that plays the greatest percentage of foreign-born players.
Immigration Data on Demand (iDod)
Immigration Data on Demand (iDod) provides information to academics, policy-makers and the public with unbiased and objective research related to immigrants and immigration in the United States. This service is provided free of charge to help individuals and institutions examine the immigrant populations of their particular geography.
Featured Research
from the Immigration Research Library
Immigrant Entrepreneurship: An American Success Story
A report from the Frank Hawkins Institute of Private Enterprise shows that immigrant entrepreneurs provide a range of long-lasting and material benefits to the U.S. economy through company creation, job creation and overall business innovation. To build on this success in an era of global talent competition, the authors suggest specific policies that the U.S. can implement to lower barriers for immigrant entrepreneurs, benefit from high-skilled immigrants and foster associated entrepreneurial economic growth.
Promising Returns: How Embracing Immigrants with Temporary Protected Status can Contribute to Family Stability, Economic Growth, and Fiscal Health
Nearly 1.3 million people are directly or indirectly affected by Temporary Protected Status (TPS), according to estimates from the University of Southern California’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. They contribute billions in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) through taxes, mortgage and rent payments, and workforce participation. This report highlights potential implications of proposed legislation like the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 to provide relief to these community members and help the U.S. retain their economic contributions.
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Books
October 2019
Working Together: How Community Colleges and Their Partners Help Immigrants Succeed
Published by Rowman & Littlefield and the American Association of Community Colleges
This book showcases exemplary initiatives of community colleges and their partners to integrate immigrant and refugee students, and the ways these students enrich campus life, strengthen communities and benefit the economy. The chapter Reflective Narrative: How Community Colleges can Reframe the Immigration Narrative was written by The ILC Public Education Institute Director Denzil Mohammed.
January 2013
Immigrant Struggles, Immigrant Gifts
Published by George Mason University Press
Edited by The ILC founder and CEO Diane Portnoy, Barry Portnoy and Charlie Riggs, Immigrant Struggles, Immigrant Gifts chronicles the experience of 11 immigrant groups in the U.S. written by 11 experts in their respective fields.
Massachusetts
March 2012
Massachusetts Immigrants by the Numbers, Second Edition: Demographic Characteristics and Economic Footprint
Full Report (PDF)
December 2005
Immigrant Homebuyers in Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts: Keys to the Revitalization of Cities
Full Report (PDF)
Entrepreneurship
APRIL 2013
Immigrant Entrepreneurs Creating Jobs and Strengthening the U.S. Economy in Growing Industries: Transportation, Food and Building Services
with a Regional View of Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania and a Focus on the Green Economy
Fast Facts
Full Report (PDF)
November 2010
Massachusetts Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Engines for Economic Growth, Wealth and Job Creation
Full Report (PDF)
December 2005
Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Neighborhood Revitalization: Studies of the Allston Village, East Boston and Fields Corner Neighborhoods in Boston
Full Report (PDF)
Industry Sector Studies
JUNE 2016
Immigrants in Health Care: Keeping Americans Healthy Through Care and Innovation
Full Report (PDF)
June 2010
Impact of Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Workers in Leisure and Hospitality Businesses: Massachusetts and New England
Full Report (PDF)
March 2009
Immigrant Workers in the Massachusetts Health Care Industry: A Report on Status and Future Prospects
Full Report (PDF)