Learning more about immigration

Some families in South Carolina may be interested in learning more about the current state of immigration in the United States. Despite the GOP's resistance to executive actions proposed by the president, national data indicates that society may have already made a decisive shift towards a more progressive environment for undocumented immigrants living in America. The reforms proposed by President Obama are designed to provide significant socioeconomic benefits to many undocumented immigrants.

Research data shows that the dropout rate for Hispanics in America has already dropped from 35 percent during the 90s to under 14 percent during 2014. The president's health care initiative helped a third of the uninsured Hispanics obtain insurance during its first year, lowering the proportion of those uninsured to 23 percent. In 2014, the unemployment rate among Hispanics declined from 8.4 percent to 6.5 percent. Mexico is currently America's second largest export partner and the number of exchanges between the two reached records levels in the past year.

The influx of Mexicans into the United States has declined to record lows as the Mexican economy has modernized and improved. A poll indicates that the majority of Americans are in favor of legislation that benefits the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the country. Almost 70 percent of the respondents believed undocumented immigrants should be allowed to remain in the United States and more than 60 percent supported the actions proposed by the president.

Immigrants who are looking for more information about immigrant visas and the latest developments might be interested in contacting a lawyer. Legal counsel may be prepared to evaluate the immigrant's circumstances and help identify the most advisable course of action moving forward. Lawyers might also be effective in helping immigrants gather the appropriate documentation to help ensure that all of the application or qualification requirements are fulfilled.

Source: MSNBC, "The state of immigration in America," Simon Rosenberg, Jan. 18, 2015