<img width="400" height="267" alt="ImmigrationSealandPen" src="/site/files/oldnewsfiles/ImmigrationSealandPen.jpg" class="FloatRight">The changing demographics of the United States have been cited in a number of media analyses of the 2012 election as critical to President Obama’s successful reelection, and there is renewed expectation that the 113th Congress will attempt to implement an immigration reform bill.<br><br>Adjunct professor of Immigration and Nationality Law <a href="/Academics/Faculty/ProfilesDeAdj/HirschMatthewI.aspx">Matthew I. Hirsch</a>, a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Immigration Council, recently wrote an article that appeared in several local newspapers. Sharing the subject matter expertise that he provides to the students in his classes, he wrote about five compelling reasons for immigration reform that go beyond political capital.<br><br>“Economics favor legalizing the undocumented. No one thinks it is possible to deport the undocumented. Estimated costs of removal of the undocumented exceed $200 billion. No one in Washington thinks that is a good idea,” writes Hirsch of the economic realities of immigration reform in the article, which appeared in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-immigration-reform-hirsch-yv-0107-20130107,0,1594651.story" title="The Morning Call">The Morning Call</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">The News Journal</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Patriot-News</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Times of Trenton</span>.<br><br>The other grounds explored in the article favoring immigration reform with a path to legalization for the undocumented include: potential deficit reduction through income and employment taxes as well as fines, the potential for revitalization of impoverished neighborhoods, the benefits of reuniting families divided by immigration restrictions, and the fact that the current system contributes to illegal immigration.<br><br>“Yes, we want to secure the border against threats and we want to promote respect for the law. But we also want to create an immigration system that helps America be stronger, more vital and more competitive,” writes Hirsch of the need for immigration reform before concluding, “For some Americans, immigration feels like a threat — to culture, to jobs, to ways of life. Ultimately, it will be up to our lawmakers in both parties to look beyond politics and to summon the courage to enact reform, which is in America's national interest.”<br><br>Read the entire <a title="The Morning Call" href="http://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-immigration-reform-hirsch-yv-0107-20130107,0,1594651.story">article at <i>The Morning Call</i>’s website</a>.