Understanding CIR

On June 22, Senator Menendez and six other senators introduced an immigration reform bill. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) Act of 2011 (S. 1258) seeks to curb illegal immigration addressing the legal status of the millions in the U.S. who are out of status. A CIR bill has been introduced in sessions past and has met with both opposition and support.

A recent briefing paper by the Cato Institute answers arguments that are posed by critics of CIR by looking at research and trends in social and economic behavior. The arguments addressed are:

1. "Immigration reform will harm taxpayers"

2. "Newly legalized immigrants will burden the welfare rolls"

3. "Another 'amnesty' will beget more amnesties"

4. "Legalizing or admitting more unskilled workers will

undermine U.S. culture and the English language"

5. "Letting in more temporary visa holders and legalizing current

illegal immigrants will increase the unemployment rate"

Read the paper, "Answering the Critics of Comprehensive Immigration Reform" on the Cato Institute's website: