The Costs of Illegal Immigration; Mike Farrell, Author, Actor & Activist and Gordon H. Hanson, Professor of Economics at UCSD Offer Findings and Viewpoints

We've all heard the reports; Illegal immigration costs the country billions of dollars each year. How  much does it really cost? Two economic studies report two very different findings. Catch our show SpotLight, this Tuesday, August 12th @ 1:00 PM EDT and hear;

Part 2 of our 2 part series: The Costs of Illegal Immigration with Mike Farrell and Gordon H. Hanson

UPDATE: We are pleased to announce that Immigration Attorney Carmen Chavez will be an additional guest.

Mike Farrell, Author, Activist & Actor, best known for his eight years on M*A*S*H and five years on Providence. Mike Farrell is also a writer, Author, director and producer; co-chair emeritus of Human Rights Watch in Southern California; spokesperson for Concern America; and co-founder of Artists United to Win Without War.

Mike Farrell's book: Just Call Me Mike; A Journey To Actor and Activist

"...but I don't want to be put into somebody's category. I'd rather just talk and let whoever's listening take it in, see if it fits and figure out how they feel about it -- and maybe even why. Pigeonholing does the public's thinking for them, and kind of insults them in the process. I don't want to be part of that. Because it's been quite a trip, this journey of mine. So if someone wants to discuss -- or debate -- the issues, I'm happy to do that, but I'd rather not start off with a label that sets someone's teeth on edge.

Say I'm a "liberal" and some think they know my views on everything. They start dialing the phone or writing an angry letter without even knowing what I'll say. Or others think we agree, when we might not."

Click here to see events for Mike Farrell

Purchase book: Here

Follow Mike's daily travels on his Huffington Post tour blog!

To learn more about Mike Farrell's efforts visit mikefarrell.org

Gordon H. Hanson is the Director of the Center on Pacific Economies and Professor of Economics at UCSD, where he holds faculty positions in the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies and the Department of Economics.  Professor Hanson is co-editor of the Journal of Development Economics, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a senior research fellow at the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development.

Gordon Hanson's book: Why Does Imigration Divide America?: Public Finance And Political Opposition To Open Borders

Immigration is an issue capable of dividing otherwise like-minded people. Identify a group whose members tend to agree on political issues; liberals, conservatives, isolationists, internationalists, environmentalists, free marketers and one will tend to find that within the group there is no strong majority opinion about US immigration policy. This important new book examines how public finance shapes individual preferences towards immigration policy in the United States.

On Full Focus, Professor Gordon Hanson discussed the conclusions of a new report which says that contrary to popular belief, immigrant workers are having a positive effect on nearly all workers in the Golden State - mainly in the form of higher salaries and expanded business opportunities.

A new report from the Public Policy Institute of California or PPIC says that overall immigrant workers have helped California's economy. The study says there's no indication immigrant workers took jobs from native workers and that from 1990 to 2004 average real wages for native workers went up by 4 percent.

For more information on Professor Gordon H. Hanson and his reports visit Council on Foreign Relations, a Non-partisan Resource for Information and Analysis

Download PDF: The Economic Logic of Illegal Immigration

Carmen Chavez, Immigration Attorney and Executive Director of the Casa Cornelia Law Center  CCLC is a 501(c)(3) public interest law firm providing quality legal services to victims of human and civil rights violations. CCLC has a primary commitment to indigent persons within the immigrant community in Southern California. CCLC seeks to educate others regarding the impact of immigration law and policy on the community and the public good.

The legal services are provided by four attorneys and three Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representatives. Volunteer law clerks and interns from the community's law schools and universities support this professional staff. Community volunteers also assist with foreign language interpretation, among other services. Over fifty attorneys from the private bar also participate on a volunteer basis in our programs, providing direct legal services.

How do you think we should handle immigration reform? Listen to both part 1 & 2...and then you decide.

This hot topic was a request from our SpotLight listeners. We have opted to provide information in a fair and balanced way with two shows that include opposing economic studies and viewpoints.

Tune in for Part 2  here on Tuesday, August 12th @ 1:00 PM EDT

Show Call-in Number: (718) 664-6583 for questions or email the show questions in advance

If you miss any of our live shows, don't worry -they remain available in our archives.

If you missed part I you can find it here with all other SpotLight shows: