On September 28, 2010, The Hamilton Project hosted a forum focused on the economics of immigration. A panel of economic experts helped distinguish economic reality from myth in the current debate, with particular regard to the impact of immigration on the wages of middle-class and lower-income workers; the living standards of Americans; and the demand for, and availability of, visas for highly skilled workers.
A second panel of leaders from the private sector, academia, and labor provided their perspectives on the impacts of current immigration policies on both workers and employers. Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, joined the event to give brief remarks about the administration’s immigration policy agenda. Governor Richardson appeared via videotape to close the forum with remarks highlighting the economic impact of immigration on New Mexico, a state with an immigrant population that more than doubled in the 1990s and continues to grow.
Agenda
Welcome
Robert E. Rubin
Co-Chair, Council on Foreign Relations
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary
Panel Discussion: The Economic Evidence on Immigration
Giovanni Peri
Professor of Economics, The University of California at Davis
James Smith
Senior Economist, The Rand Corporation
Principal Investigator, New Immigrant Survey
Darrell M. West
Vice President and Director, Governance Studies, The Brookings Institution
Moderator: Michael Greenstone
Director, The Hamilton Project
Panel Discussion: Immigration Policy: Impacts on Workers, Employers, and America’s Future
Steve Hyman
Provost, Harvard University
Lydia Tamez
Head of Global Immigration, Microsoft Corporation
John Wilhelm
President, Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Union
Moderator: Mark McKinnon
Vice Chair, Public Strategies
Guest Speaker
Melody Barnes
Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, The White House
Featured Remarks
The Honorable Bill Richardson
Governor of New Mexico
