The Need to Identify Unauthorized Immigrants Vicky Virgin Center for Migration Studies September 29 2014 The Current Poverty Measure An Income Adequacy Approach Threshold income needed to maintain an adequate standard of living poverty line ID: 183446
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NYC’s Alternative Poverty Measure:The Need to Identify Unauthorized Immigrants
Vicky Virgin
Center for Migration Studies
September 29, 2014Slide2
The Current Poverty Measure:An Income Adequacy Approach
Threshold
: income needed to maintain an “adequate” standard of living (“poverty line”)
Established mid-1960s as three times the cost of the USDA’s “Economy Food Plan”
Adjusted annually by the change in the Consumer Price Index
Uniform across US: No regional differencesResources: Total family pre-tax cash incomeSlide3
What’s wrong with the current measure?
Pre–tax cash does not capture:•
EITC and other refundable tax credits•Food
Stamps and other nutritional programs
•Housing
subsidies such as public housing and Section 8 housing vouchers•Income used for taxes is not available for spending— Food is no longer one-third of the budget— No accounting for cost of living differences across the country, especially housing costs— Medical expenses, commuting and childcare costs are not included in the thresholdSlide4
Comparison of Poverty
Measures : Official U.S. and
NYC-CEO
Official
CEO
Threshold
Established in early
1960s
at three times the cost of “Economy Food Plan.”
Equal to the 33rd percentile of family expenditures on food, clothing, shelter, and utilities, plus 20 percent more for miscellaneous needs.
Updated by change in Consumer Price Index.
Updated by the change in expenditures for the items in the threshold.No geographic adjustment.Inter-area adjustment based on differences in housing costs.ResourcesTotal family pre-tax cash income. Includes earned income and transfer payments, if they take the form of cash.Total family after-tax income.Include value of near-cash, in-kind benefits such as Food Stamps.Housing status adjustment.Subtract work-related expenses such as childcare and transportation costs.Subtract medical out-of-pocket expenditures.
4Slide5
Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census and American Community Survey Public Use Micro Sample as augmented by CEO.
Note: Incomes are measured at the 20th percentile and stated in family size and composition-adjusted dollars.
5
Comparison of
Thresholds
, Income, and Poverty Rates, Official and CEO, 2012Slide6
CEO Poverty Rates by Nativity/CitizenshipNYC, 2008-2012
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The CEO Project:Assigning legal status to noncitizens in the ACSSlide8
Residual Estimates NYC’s share of
foreign-born US
NY State in the State
NYC
Warren 11,725,000 705,000 .72 507,600 PEW/Passel 11,700,000 875,000 .72 630,000 DHS 11,400,000 580,000 .72 417,600 NYC estimates are based on the reporting of foreign-born in New York State.Slide9
Who is a noncitizen? Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) Refugee Nonimmigrants
Quasi-legal immigrants: Asylees
Parolees Temporary Protected Status Nicaraguan Adjustment Act
Adjustment applicants
Unauthorized ImmigrantsCitizenship StatusNew York City, 2012
Source: 2012 American Community Survey-Public Use Microdata Sample as augmented by CEOSlide10
WHAT DO WE END UP WITH?Slide11
CEO Poverty Rate withEstimates of Unauthorized Immigrants
Total impact unknown
Change in overall rate?Change in depth and composition?
Change in the rate among different types of immigrants?Slide12
Immigrant Poverty:Focus of Many Policy Initiatives
Municipal ID cardsAccess to basic services – bank accounts, leases, access to City buildings, including schools.
Outreach for DACA and Universal Pre-K
Mayoral Task Force on Immigrant Health Initiatives
Expanded access to translation services
Including at point of contact with city services needed to remove barriers to success:small business services, housing and school programs.12Slide13
Poverty Research Unit:NYC Center for Economic Opportunity
• CEO Reports:
www.nyc.gov/
ceo
:
poverty data and research• Vicky Virgin, Research Associatevirginv@hra.nyc.gov