(Posted September 15, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The director of research of the Center for Immigration Studies, Steve Camarota, will lecture at Juniata College on the issues and challenges for contemporary immigration at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig Center for Science on the Juniata campus.

The Center for Immigration Studies researches and analyzes the economic, social, demographic and fiscal impacts of immigration on the United States. The center's mission, according to its Web site, publicizes the need for an immigration policy that emphasizes the national interest of the United States. The center's policy is a "pro-immigrant, low-immigration vision that seeks fewer immigrants, but a warmer welcome for those admitted."

The center also sponsors the Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration. The award is given to journalists.

Camarota, an economist, is the director of research at the center and recently released the study "Births to Immigrants in America, 1970 to 2002." According to the study, Camarota found that in 2002 nearly 25 percent of the births in the United States were to immigrant mothers, which is the highest level in American history. Camarota's report also states that such birthrates could eventually overwhelm the assimilation process and make it harder for these second-generation Americans to integrate into contemporary society.

He earned a bachelor's degree in international relations and history in 1987 from Juniata. Camarota went on to earn a doctoral degree from the University of Virginia and is considered one of the nation's top experts on the effect immigration policies have on the United States. He has written numerous articles on the influence immigration has on the economy, on government services, on health insurance and on entrepreneurship.

Camarota recently published the opinion article "How Many Americans?" in the Sept. 2 edition of the Washington Post. The center's two most recent reports, both written by Camarota, are "Immigration to the United States and Worldwide Greenhouse Gas Emissions" and "Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population."


Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.