Regularizations in the European Union: The Contentious Policy Tool By Kate Brick
Though contentious, regularization (typically referred to in the US context as legalization) remains a frequently utilized policy tool to address the European Union’s unauthorized immigrant population. Since 1996, over 5 million people have been regularized through a variety of methods, which this Insight details. This work informed the Transatlantic Council on Migration meeting, “Restoring Trust in the Management of Migration and Borders.” The resulting Council Statement, authored by MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou, offers a menu of policy options and actions governments can take to build a “whole-of-system” approach to controlling illegal immigration while also creating the political space necessary for reforms of their immigration systems. Download Report | Read Council Statement
Irregular Migration in Europe By Christal Morehouse and Michael Blomfield
While irregular migration frequently makes headlines and policymakers are under increasing pressure to reduce illegal immigration, the estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in EU-15 countries has declined on average for almost a decade since 2002. European governments are collaborating extensively on the management of their external borders, as this report details, discussing the detected and estimated scope of irregular migration in the European Union. This work informed the Transatlantic Council on Migration meeting, “Restoring Trust in the Management of Migration and Borders.” The resulting Council Statement, authored by MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou, offers a menu of policy options and actions governments can take to build a “whole-of-system” approach to controlling illegal immigration while also creating the political space necessary for reforms of their immigration systems. Download Report | Read Council Statement
Limited English Proficient Individuals in the United States: Number, Share, Growth, and Linguistic Diversity By Chhandasi Pandya, Margie McHugh, and Jeanne Batalova
The number of US residents who are deemed to be Limited English Proficient (LEP) has increased substantially in recent decades, consistent with the growth of the US foreign-born population. With LEP individuals now representing 9 percent of the US population, an increasing number of states and localities must grapple with issues of communication and English language learning. This data brief offers the most up-to-date analysis on the number, share, growth, and linguistic diversity of LEP individuals in the United States from 1990 to 2010 at the national, state and metropolitan-area levels, with maps and detailed state-level data. Download Data Brief | State-level Data on LEP Number, Share, and Growth | State-level Data on Linguistic Diversity
By Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
Youth and young adults from immigrant families represent one in four people in the United States between the ages of 16-26 and account for half of the growth of the young adult population between 1995 and 2010. This report profiles the nation’s 11.3 million first- and second-generation young adults, finding substantial generational progress in terms of high school graduation, college enrollment, and ability to earn family-sustaining wages. Second-generation Hispanic women are faring particularly well, with college enrollment rates equal to those of third-generation non-Hispanic white women. However, they are not graduating from college at the same rate or on the same timeline because of family, work, or economic reasons. The report sketches how postsecondary education, workforce development, and language training programs could better meet the needs of this population, which will assume a greater role as the US workforce ages. Read Report | Watch Video | Listen to Podcast | View Powerpoints
Shared Challenges and Opportunities for EU and US Immigration Policymakers By Philippe Fargues, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Giambattista Salinari, and Madeleine Sumption
This final report summarizes and reflects upon the key findings of the Improving EU and US Immigration Systems: Learning from Experience comparative research project undertaken by the Migration Policy Institute and the European University Institute through a grant from the European Commission. The project focused on developments in Europe and the United States in eight key areas – employment, economic growth, human rights, security, immigrant integration, demographics, development, and cooperation with immigrant-sending countries. This final report highlights the lessons to be learned from both similar and divergent experiences on either side of the Atlantic, sketching opportunities for future reform, as well as ways in which the European Union and the United States could improve their cooperative relationship. Download Report | Project Website
Migration and Development Policy: What Have We Learned?
By Kathleen Newland
Migration and development have become a pressing policy priority on the global agenda over the past decade, and a number of revisions to conventional thinking on the subject have gained traction and yielded innovative — albeit in many cases yet unproven — policies and programs. This brief identifies critical lessons from the past decade of policy experimentation and offers some recommendations for policy moving forward. Download Brief
Climate Change and Migration Dynamics By Kathleen Newland
Climate change is a new driver of human migration, and is expected by many to dwarf all other factors in its impact. But while there is growing concern about climate change, far less agreement exists about what kinds of effects will be felt where, by whom, and precisely when. Human displacement is a result of a complex mix of factors, and some of the more commonly repeated predictions of the numbers of people who will be displaced by climate change are not informed by a full understanding of the dynamics of migration. This report analyzes the salient mechanisms of displacement: sea level rise, higher temperatures, disruption of water cycles, and increasing severity of storms. It also examines the ensuing migration responses and proposes recommendations to offset the severity of displacement. Download Report
Through the Prism of National Security: Major Immigration Policy and Program Changes in the Decade since 9/11 By Michelle Mittelstadt, Burke Speaker, Doris Meissner, and Muzaffar Chishti
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 prompted the profound realignment of the US immigration system, with national security and enforcement the dominant lens through which programs and budgets have been shaped over the past decade. The post-9/11 era has witnessed the largest government reorganization since World War II; increased information sharing and data collection across international, federal, state, and local law enforcement and intelligence agencies; the broad use of nationality-based screening and enforcement initiatives; the expansion of immigrant detention policies; and exponential increases in funding for homeland security-related immigration programs. This Fact Sheet details the policy, programmatic, budget, and manpower changes that have happened in the immigration arena as an outgrowth of the 9/11 attacks. Download Fact Sheet | Press Release | Listen to Podcast
US Immigration Policy since 9/11: Understanding the Stalemate over Comprehensive Immigration Reform By Marc R. Rosenblum
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks derailed what had seemed to be a turning point in US immigration policy: A move away from the assertive enforcement policies that had held sway since the mid-1990s. But just days after the US and Mexican presidents had agreed to a framework that included a temporary worker program, legalization, and new border security measures, 9/11 dramatically reshaped the policy debate. This report reviews the history of immigration legislation since then, including new enforcement mandates enacted immediately after the attacks and the unsuccessful efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Download Report
US Immigration Policy and Mexican/Central American Migration Flows: Then and Now By Marc R. Rosenblum and Kate Brick
Migration from Mexico and Central America’s “Northern Triangle” region (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) to the United States has increased significantly in the past four decades, from less than 1 million immigrants in the 1970s to 14 million today. Propelled by difficult economic and social conditions at home, massive opportunity differentials, and strengthening social networks, these regional migration flows have been shaped by evolving policies and practices. This report examines the push-and-pull factors of migration in the region from three major migration periods: the mostly laissez faire policies prior to the 1930s, the large-scale Bracero temporary worker program before and after World War II, and the mostly illegal system that emerged after the Bracero Program’s end in 1964. Download Report
Running in Circles: Progress and Challenges in Regulating Recruitment of Filipino and Sri Lankan Labor Migrants to Jordan
By Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias
Labor migration from the Philippines and Sri Lanka to Jordan has filled a growing share of unskilled and semi-skilled jobs in recent years, with private recruitment agencies playing an important role in facilitating and driving labor migration. But despite a comprehensive set of laws and guidelines to control migration systems in these countries, workers remain vulnerable to abuse and exploitation at the hands of recruitment agents. Excessive placement fees, violations of contractual terms and conditions, underpayment or nonpayment of wages, poor working or living conditions, confiscation of passports, and even physical abuse highlight the significant gaps in these countries' migration protection systems. This report identifies problem areas and recommends ways to strengthen system management. Download Report | Press Release
The Economic Integration of Immigrants in the United States: Long- and Short-Term Perspectives
By Aaron Terrazas
The United States has provided excellent economic opportunities for generations of immigrants, who are set to play an increasingly significant role in the US economy in coming decades as more baby boomers retire. Because many immigrants are concentrated in low-wage or low-skill jobs, the 2007-09 economic crisis accentuated their vulnerabilities in the labor market, with a risk that the crisis could prove to be a turning point in their future upward socioeconomic mobility. While historically, in the absence of government integration policies, the workplace has played a key role in immigration integration, it remains unclear if this approach will continue to ensure strong economic integration moving forward. Download Report
Scientists, Managers, and Tourists: The Changing Shape of European Migration to the United States By Madeleine Sumption and Xiaochu Hu
Once the dominant immigrant stream into the United States, European migration to the country has fallen sharply since World War II, a result of economic, demographic, and policy trends across the Atlantic. Today’s migration from European Union Member States is characterized by highly skilled immigrants who are more educated, earn better wages, have greater English proficiency, and are more strongly represented as scientists, professionals, and businesspeople than other immigrant groups. European migration has maintained a relatively low profile in immigration policy debates, however the Europe-favoring Visa Waiver Program has figured prominently into the immigration policy arena because of its relation to enhanced border security. Download Report
Labor Standards Enforcement and Low-Wage Immigrants: Creating an Effective Enforcement System By Donald M. Kerwin with Kristen McCabe
This report analyzes the labor standards enforcement record of the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations and argues that enforcement of labor laws should become a higher priority, particularly amid high rates of unemployment and underemployment. The report, which also examines states’ activity, concludes that labor standards enforcement should become a pillar of immigration policymaking and asks whether enforcement could play a role in reducing unauthorized employment and illegal immigration. It details the elements necessary for an effective labor standards enforcement system and proposes a way forward. Download Report | Press Release | View Powerpoint | Listen to Podcast
Mexican and Central American Immigrants in the United States By Kate Brick, A. E. Challinor, and Marc R. Rosenblum
The Mexican and Central American immigrant population in the United States has increased by a factor of 20 since 1970 — a period during which the overall US immigrant population increased four-fold. This report examines the age, educational, and workforce characteristics of immigrants and the second generation from Mexico and Central America, finding that these immigrants are younger, more likely to be male, and more likely to be married with children than the US born or other immigrant groups. A high proportion are unauthorized, with key implications for their economic and social status and the overall immigration debate. Download Report
The Role of Civil Society in EU Migration Policy: Perspectives on the European Union’s Engagement in its Neighborhood By Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Civil society provides a crucial link between governments and the communities they represent — infusing policy processes with grassroots knowledge to which governments may not otherwise have access and lending legitimacy to government actions. But thus far, civil-society organizations have had a limited role in European policy debates. As the European Union seeks to reach out to developing regions in its “neighborhood” of nearby countries, it has emphasized the importance of involving civil society in both agenda-setting and implementation. Yet EU policymakers have not clearly articulated how this engagement might be structured. In effect, the question is not whether to engage, but how to do so. Download Report
Improving Immigrants’ Employment Prospects through Work-Focused Language Instruction By Margie McHugh and A. E. Challinor
Immigrants’ employment prospects depend on their underlying levels of education and technical skills as well as their ability to communicate as needed in the host-country language. Since basic language courses do not impart the host-country language skills necessary for success in the workplace, many governments on both sides of the Atlantic are eager to expand work-focused language training. Yet implementing effective employment-focused language systems is difficult, as policymakers must find ways to design cost-effective programs that are sufficiently tailored to the needs of a wide range of occupations and that take account of immigrants’ underlying literacy skills and their financial and family circumstances. This policy memo explores the different approaches to providing work-focused language training that have developed in Europe and the United States. Download Memo
Opportunities for Transatlantic Cooperation on International Migration By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
The transatlantic relationship is among the most significant partnerships between wealthy nations in immigration policy. While cooperation between the European Union and United States is, of course, far surpassed by the intra-EU or US-Canada relationships, the sheer size of the North Atlantic economic space and the number of workers and travelers who circulate within it make dialogue on migration both necessary and inevitable. This policy memo explores opportunities for cooperation regarding travel and border security, labor mobility, and other areas. Download Memo
Emerging Transatlantic Security Dilemmas in Border Management By Elizabeth Collett
The sheer volume of global travel, which has risen exponentially since the 1960s, puts border management systems under constant pressure. Beyond that growth, border management systems have had to contend with additional risks associated with these movements. Mass-casualty terrorist attacks, rising illegal immigration, and human trafficking have exposed weaknesses in states’ ability to manage their borders effectively. This policy memo examines the infrastructure and policy developments – and challenges – that have occurred in recent years on both sides of the Atlantic, discussing the differing nature and prioritization of those policy challenges. Download Memo
Eight Policies to Boost the Economic Contribution of Employment-Based Immigration By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
Immigration can be a powerful tool for supporting a country’s economic growth and prosperity, but its success in accomplishing that objective depends on well-designed and carefully implemented immigration policies that deliberately and strategically facilitate immigration’s economic contribution. This policy memo, drawing on experiences from Asia, Europe, North America, and the Pacific region, presents eight strategies to create effective and efficient economic-stream immigration systems. Download Memo
Migration and Development: Policy Perspectives from the United States By Aaron Terrazas
As migration has become an increasingly visible global phenomenon in recent decades, there has been heightened interest in the complex relationship between migration and the development prospects of migrants’ countries of origin. While individual migrants and their families tend to benefit from the decision to seek opportunities abroad, the consequences for migrant communities and countries of origin are more ambiguous. This report examines the evidence and whether there is any role for US policymakers to play. Download Report | European Report
Rethinking Points Systems and Employer-Selected Immigration By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
Advanced industrialized economies typically have used one of two competing models for selecting economic-stream immigrants: Points-based or employer-led selection. Increasingly, however, they are creating hybrid selection systems, implement the best ideas from each model. The result: Selection systems that have much of the flexibility of points systems while also prioritizing employer demand. Download Report
Policies to Curb Unauthorized Employment By Madeleine Sumption
Illegal immigration is driven in large measure by illegal employment. Lower wages aren’t the only reasons why employers turn to unauthorized workers: Illegal hiring can also allow them to evade costly regulations and taxes and to have greater flexibility in working hours and employment length. This memo outlines the three major lines of attack policymakers can use to craft a coherent strategy to reduce illegal employment: Employer sanctions, realistic legal channels to admit needed workers, and domestic labor market reforms. Download Report
The Faltering US Refugee Protection System: Legal and Policy Responses to Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Others in Need of Protection By Donald M. Kerwin
While generous in many respects, the US refugee protection system has become less robust over the last two decades amid heightened security reviews, inadequate coordination between government and NGOs, and unresolved policy tensions between the goals of protecting the most vulnerable and of refugee integration. This report examines US legal and policy responses to those seeking protection in the United States and addresses the barriers, gaps, and opportunities that exist in the refugee protection regime. Download Report | European Asylum Report
The Role of Immigration in Fostering Competitiveness in the United States By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
Immigration is an
indispensable
piece of any strategy to boost economic growth and prosperity. The United States has a natural advantage in attracting the world’s most talented workers. But employment-based immigration makes up too small a proportion of overall US permanent immigration, and US policy is inflexible in the face of changing circumstances, including the growth of other skill-focused immigration programs across the developed world. This report examines effective strategies to ensure that immigration policy facilitates US economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness. Download Report | European Competitiveness Report
Immigrants in the United States: How Well Are They Integrating into Society?
By Tomás R. Jiménez
Even though immigration is intertwined with the history of the United States, fears about immigrants' ability to integrate remain an area of concern. Yet an examination of immigrants’ integration across five major indicators – language proficiency, socioeconomic attainment, political participation, residential locale, and social interaction with host communities – shows they are integrating reasonably well. Remarkably, the process has unfolded almost entirely without policy intervention. The author examines the laissez faire policy approach to integration, raising concerns about how the state of public education and size of the US unauthorized population may remain powerful barriers to immigrants' full social, economic, and political integration. Download Report | European Integration Challenges Report
Pay-to-Go Schemes and Other Noncoercive Return Programs: Is Scale Possible? By Richard Black, Michael Collyer, and Will Somerville
For decades, some immigrant-receiving countries have experimented with policies designed to encourage unauthorized immigrants to leave without the cost, legal barriers, and political obstacles that result from removals or forced returns. These initiatives – known as pay-to-go, noncoercive, voluntary, assisted voluntary, or nonforced returns — generally offer paid travel and/or a financial incentive in order to persuade target populations to cooperate with immigration authorities. The authors examine the programs’ long history of failure on the ground, but conclude that such initiatives could be an important part of the policy toolkit to reduce illegal immigration with proper experimentation and evaluation. Download Report
Obstacles and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation: The US-Mexico Case By Marc R. Rosenblum
US-Mexico relations on migration, dating back to the 1890s, have gone through several distinct phases: from an era of laissez faire policies to the Bracero Program, from a more unilateral US policy approach to Mexico’s “policy of no policy” stance, and to the current post-9/11 enforcement focus. This report traces the evolution of bilateral migration relations and offers some lessons for the US-Mexico relationship going forward. The history suggests that cooperation, while difficult, is not impossible and can offer benefits for both countries. Download Report
A New Architecture for Border Management By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Elizabeth Collett
This report commissioned to inform the work of MPI’s Transatlantic Council on Migration for its meeting on “Restoring Trust in the Management of Migration and Borders” examines the emergence of a new border architecture resulting from the explosion in global travel and the dawning of the age of risk. This new border architecture must respond effectively to the seemingly competing demands of facilitating mobility while better managing the risks associated with cross-border travel (e.g. terrorism, the entry of unwanted migrants, and organized crime). The report examines the information-sharing agreements, technology innovations, and multilateral partnerships that have emerged as key components of the new architecture for border management, and discusses challenges and considerations for the future. Download Report
Transatlantic Cooperation on Travelers’ Data Processing: From Sorting Countries to Sorting Individuals This report, the second in a joint project of MPI and the European University Institute examining US and European immigration systems, details the post-9/11 programs and agreements implemented by US and European governments to identify terrorists and serious transnational criminals through the collection and processing of increasing quantities of traveler data. The report analyzes how governments, which once focused their screening primarily on a traveler’s nationality (“sorting countries”), increasingly are examining personal characteristics (“sorting individuals”). Download Report
Executive Action on Immigration: Six Ways to Make the System Work Better By Donald M. Kerwin, Doris Meissner, Margie McHugh
While sweeping reform to fix a US immigration system widely acknowledged as broken has taken a backseat politically, opportunities exist within the executive branch to improve the ways in which the nation’s existing immigration laws and policies are administered. Among the report’s recommendations: establishing uniform enforcement priorities and defining what constitutes effective border control, strengthening immigrant integration policy creation and implementation, allowing applicants for immigrant visas to file in the United States, and making use of prosecutorial discretion in removal proceeding filings. Download Report | Press Release | Video | Audio/Podcast
Immigrant Integration in a Time of Austerity By Elizabeth Collett
With austerity at the forefront of European government policy debates and rising debt levels sure to catalyze additional difficult public spending decisions, immigrant integration programs have been an early place for budget cuts in some countries. In this report, MPI European Policy Fellow Elizabeth Collett offers fresh analysis of how immigrant integration programs are faring in a number of EU countries: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. While the economic and political climate offer some explanation for governments’ response, the report details how those factors alone are insufficient to explain countries’ differing approaches to immigrant integration programs. Download Report | Press Release
The Evolution of Border Controls as a Mechanism to Prevent Illegal Immigration By Rey Koslowski
This paper, the first in a joint project of the Migration Policy Institute and European University Institute examining US and European immigration systems, analyzes how the challenges in achieving effective US border control have increased dramatically within recent decades and particularly since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The author examines the programmatic and funding responses US policymakers have put in place — including the Secure Border Initiative, the Visa Waiver Program, US-VISIT, and registered-traveler programs — and traces their evolution and effectiveness. Download Report
E-Verify: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Proposals for Reform By Marc R. Rosenblum
With Congress likely to consider new mandates involving E-Verify, the currently voluntary employment eligibility verification system, this Insight examines the strengths and weaknesses of E-Verify, which has grown dramatically in recent years. It also discusses proposals for reform, including adding biometric screening to the system. Download Report
Delegation and Divergence: A Study of 287(g) State and Local Immigration Enforcement By Randy Capps, Marc R. Rosenblum, Cristina Rodríguez, and Muzaffar Chishti
The section 287(g) program, which delegates federal immigration enforcement powers to state and local officers, is not targeted primarily at serious offenders. Despite public statements by Obama administration officials that the program is primarily aimed at identifying and removing “dangerous criminals,” MPI researchers found that about half of 287(g) activity involves noncitizens arrested for misdemeanors or traffic offenses. Formal program changes unveiled by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2009 have not substantially changed program priorities, operations, outcomes, or community impacts, the report concludes, offering findings that also have implications for the Secure Communities program. Download Report | Video | Audio/Podcast
Communicating More for Less: Using Translation and Interpretation Technology to Serve Limited English Proficient Individuals By Jessica Sperling
Advances in translation and interpretation technology have given language access professionals a multitude of options for breaking down language barriers. However, with different and seemingly complex types of technologies now available, selecting the right technology system can be a challenge. And because language access needs vary immensely, rarely do agencies or service organizations have translation and interpretation needs that can be met the same way. This report provides an overview of available technologies, discussing their purposes, costs, and benefits. Download Report
Earned Legalization: Effects of Proposed Requirements on Unauthorized Men, Women, and Children By Marc R. Rosenblum, Randy Capps, and Serena Yi-Ying Lin
Requirements for earned legalization (such as English proficiency, employment, continuous presence, and monetary fines) could have different effects on the ability of unauthorized men, women, and children to gain legal status. This Policy Brief examines requirements proposed in the five major legalization bills proposed by Congress since 2006. Analysis shows that language requirements, depending on how they are structured, could exclude the largest number of unauthorized immigrants, with between 3.3 million and 5.8 million unauthorized adults unable to pass the English language tests contemplated by two recent bills. Employment rules would exclude the next-largest share of unauthorized immigrants and would fall especially hard on women, who are less likely than unauthorized men to be in the workforce; followed by continuous presence requirements, which would exclude many children, who are likely to have lived in the country for less time than unauthorized adults. Download Report
Immigration Policy and Less-Skilled Workers in the United States
By Harry J. Holzer
While broad consensus exists regarding the benefits of highly skilled immigration, the economic role of low-skilled immigrants remains in dispute. In this assessment of the research literature, the author makes an economics-based case for significant reform of the US immigration system. Among his suggestions for a more economically beneficial immigration system: Providing legal pathways for low-skilled workers, allowing less-skilled workers on employment-based visas to switch employers more easily and gain a path to citizenship, and setting employer visa fees at a level sufficient to offset some of the costs that low-skilled immigration imposes. Download Report | Press Release
Prosecutorial Discretion: A Progress Report on Implementing New Guidelines and Policies A discussion on the use of prosecutorial discretion and the review by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) of all current cases in the removal pipeline and on the docket of immigration courts, with Doris Meissner, MPI Senior Fellow and Director of the US Immigration Policy Program; Seth Grossman, Deputy General Counsel, US Department of Homeland Security; Juan P. Osuna, Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, US Department of Justice; Jim Stolley, Director, Field Legal Operations, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, ICE; and Crystal L. Williams, Executive Director, American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Friday, February 10, 2012
9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
MPI Conference Room
1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036
Browse the MPI Bookstore
Recently redesigned for easier navigation through its varied offerings, the MPI Bookstore presents a selection of publications – from topics such as migrants and the recession, migration management, national security, refugee protection, and immigrant integration. As well as being in-depth, nonpartisan reading, the books are excellent material for academic use, staff trainings, strategic planning, program evaluation, board and donor education, advocacy efforts, and other migration-related work. Visit the bookstore here.
Praise for Immigrants and Welfare: The Impact of Welfare Reform on America’s Newcomers in the September 2011 issue of Social Service Review. Read review excerpts and first chapter of book here.
Recent Books by MPI Experts
Improving the Governance of International Migration Contemporary states are ambivalent about the global governance of migration: They desire more of it because they know they cannot reach their goals by acting alone, but they fear the necessary compromise on terms they may not be able to control and regarding an issue that is politically charged. Currently, there is no formal, coherent, multilateral institutional framework governing the global flow of migrants. While most actors agree that greater international cooperation on migration is needed, there has been no persuasive analysis of what form this would take or of what greater global cooperation would aim to achieve. The purpose of this book, the Transatlantic Council on Migration's fifth volume, is to fill this analytical gap by focusing on a set of fundamental questions: What are the key steps to building a better, more cooperative system of governance? What are the goals that can be achieved through greater international cooperation? And, most fundamentally, who (or what) is to be governed? Purchase a Copy
Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience Edited by Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption, and Aaron Terrazas
This edited volume addresses the impact of the economic crisis in seven major immigrant-receiving countries: the United States, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The Great Recession marked a sudden and dramatic interruption in international migration trends, bringing the growth of foreign-born populations to a virtual standstill in Europe and North America and pushing many policymakers to reevaluate their approach towards immigration. The crisis has had a disproportionate impact on immigrant workers, especially young immigrants and members of disadvantaged minority groups — impacts which, in some countries, show little sign of receding. Meanwhile, stringent deficit-reduction plans, especially in some of the worst affected European Member States, have created an inhospitable environment for addressing these impacts through investments in immigrant integration. Purchase a Copy | Press Release
Prioritizing Integration This fourth book of the Transatlantic Council on Migration, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, takes stock of the impact of the global economic crisis on immigrant integration in Europe and the United States. It assesses where immigrants have lost ground, using evidence such as employment rates, levels of funding for educational programs, trends toward protectionism, and public opinion, focusing on the case studies of five countries in particular: the United States, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. This systematic look at where and how immigrants have been affected by the recession's pinch permits examination of how governments can use the recovery period as an opportunity for more meaningful and targeted investments in integration – ones that will boost economic competitiveness and improve social cohesion. To order a copy, click here.
Immigration Policy in the Federal Republic of Germany
By Douglas B. Klusmeyer and Demetrios G. Papademetriou
This book, co-authored by MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou, examines the crossroads at which German migration policy finds itself, caught between a 50-year history of missed opportunities and serious new challenges. The authors offer a comprehensive and critical examination of the history of German migration law and policy from the Federal Republic's inception in 1949 to the present, focusing on the challenges confronting policymakers. Purchase a copy
Immigrants and Welfare: The Impact of Welfare Reform on America's Newcomers
Michael Fix, Editor This volume, edited by MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix, rigorously assesses the 1996 welfare reform law, questions whether its immigrant provisions were ever really necessary, and examines its impact on legal immigrants' ability to integrate into American society. The book probes the politics behind the welfare reform law, its legal underpinnings, and what it may mean for integration policy. It also focuses on empirical research regarding immigrants' propensity to use benefits before the law passed, and immigrants' use and hardship levels afterwards. Purchase a copy
The Migration Information Source’s Top 10 Migration Issues of 2011 is out. Read all about the world’s top migration developments of the year – from Arab Spring migrations and the recession-fueled backlash against immigrants to countries’ new focus on diaspora entrepreneurs here.
The 2011 Top 10 collection is just one of the unique content offerings from the Migration Information Source. Sign up for our free bimonthly Migration Information Source e-newsletter, and receive first word of interesting, authoritative, and nonpartisan articles that profile the immigration histories of countries around the world, spotlight immigrant populations in the United States and beyond, and chronicle US policy developments. The Source web site is the repository for all those articles and offers useful tools, vital data, and essential facts on the movement of people worldwide.
See the most popular articles of the week and subscribe to our RSS feed for Source updates.
In the News
With E-Verify and the DREAM Act in the news, MPI research of interest includes:
The Next Generation of E-Verify: Getting Employment Verification Right
Effective employment verification must be the linchpin of comprehensive immigration reform legislation if new policies are to succeed in preventing future illegal immigration. While E-Verify, the government's voluntary electronic verification program, has been greatly improved, it most crucially still cannot detect identity fraud and requires further enhancement. This report examines the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and outlines recommendations to get to a stronger next-generation E-Verify, including by testing alternatives such as secure documents, PIN pre-verification, and biometric scanning. Download Report | Press Release
The Basics of E-Verify, the US Employer Verification System
Just a fraction of all US employers use E-Verify, a federal system that checks potential employees' immigration status and their eligibility to work. MPI's Marc Rosenblum and Lang Hoyt explore E-Verify's history, how the program works, and the arguments for and against making it mandatory in this article for the Migration Information Source, MPI’s online journal. Read Article
Mandatory Verification in the States: A Policy Research Agenda By Michael Fix, Doris Meissner, Randy Capps, Elizabeth Dennison, and Roberto Suro
In this report, prepared for US Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Policy and Strategy, the authors examine the concept of mandatory employment verification, the devolution of immigration enforcement to state governments in recent years, and the E-Verify system. They sketch a research agenda comprised of employer surveys, case studies, polling, and data analysis to determine employer compliance, population movement, changes in public attitudes, and other issues surrounding mandatory employment verification. Download Report
DREAM vs. Reality: An Analysis of Potential DREAM Act Beneficiaries
Slightly more than 2.1 million unauthorized immigrant youth and young adults could be eligible to apply for legal status under the DREAM Act legislation pending in Congress, though perhaps fewer than 40 percent would obtain legal status because of barriers limiting their ability to take advantage of the legislation's educational and military service routes to legalization. This MPI analysis offers the most recent and detailed estimates of potential DREAM Act beneficiaries by age, education levels, gender, state of residence and likelihood of gaining legalization. Updated Estimates | Download Report | Press Release
Recent Events
Up for Grabs: The Gains and Prospects of First- and Second-Generation Young Adults A discussion on the gains that young adult immigrants or the US-born children of immigrants have made in education and employment, with speakers: Michael Fix, MPI Senior Vice President; Jeanne Batalova, MPI Policy Analyst; Andrew P. Kelly, Research Fellow, Education Policy, American Enterprise Institute; Raul Gonzalez, Director of Legislative Affairs, National Council of La Raza; and Margie McHugh, Co-Director, MPI National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy.
December 7, 2011 Watch Video | View Powerpoints | Listen to Podcast | Read Report | Listen to Media Podcast
Through the Prism of National Security: Major Immigration Policy and Program Changes in the Decade since 9/11 The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) held a conference call to discuss the most significant changes that have occurred in the immigration arena in the decade since the September 11, 2001 attacks. MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner, commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service during the 1990s, and Muzaffar Chishti, director of MPI’s office at NYU School of Law, provided analysis on the realignment of the U.S. immigration system – ranging from new enforcement programs and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security to changed visa policies and the rise of state and local actors. Both are co-authors of MPI’s new Fact Sheet, Through the Prism of National Security: Major Immigration Policy and Program Changes in the Decade since 9/11, which details the major immigration policy, budget and organizational changes that have occurred as an outgrowth of 9/11.
August 26, 2011 Listen to the Webinar | Read Report | Listen to Podcast
Proactive Engagement: Two Strategies for Providing Language Access in Workforce Development Services Part of a series offered by the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, this interactive language access webinar examines how New York and Illinois have proactively engaged Limited English Proficient ( LEP ) communities to obtain workforce services. The s peakers : Julio Rodriguez, Director of Program Services, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; Haeya Yim, Counsel, Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs, New York Department of Labor; Kerry Douglas-Duffy, Workforce Development Program Specialist, Division of Employment and Workforce Solutions, New York Department of Labor; and Chhandasi Pandya, Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute . They discussed W orkforce Investment Act (W IA ) -funded employment and training services, federal compliance, and the policy and programmatic fixes implemented to meet the workforce needs of their state’s LEP populations.
August 3, 2011
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Running in Circles: Progress and Challenges in Regulating Recruitment of Filipino and Sri Lankan Labor Migrants to Jordan Report release with MPI Policy Analyst and IOM Regional Research Officer Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias; His Excellency, Dr. Khleif Al Khawaldeh, Secretary General, Ministry of Labor in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Linda Al-Kalash, Human Rights Programs Manager, Tamkeen Center for Legal Aid; His Excellency Julius D. Torres, Ambassador, Embassy of the Philippines in Amman, Jordan; His Excellency A.W . Mohottala, Ambassador, Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Amman, Jordan; and Tauhid Pasha, Program Manager, International Organization for Migration.
July 28, 2011 at The University of Jordan - Amman, Jordan Read the report
Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience The release event for MPI’s book, Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience, which reviews how the financial and economic crisis of the late 2000s marked a sudden and dramatic interruption in international migration trends, and the effects of the economic turmoil on immigrant workers in major immigrant-receiving countries in Europe as well as the United States. What will be the legacy of the crisis for immigrant workers and their families in coming years? How have the impacts of the recession on immigrant workers themselves, and responses of publics and politicians, differed on both sides of the Atlantic? Speakers are: volume editors Demetrios Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption, and Aaron Terrazas, of MPI; Chad Stone, Chief Economist, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; and Gallya Lahav, Associate Professor of Political Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
June 13, 2011 Watch Event Video | Order the Book | View US Powerpoint | View EU Powerpoint
Immigration and Competitiveness: Responding to Global Challenges in the EU and US Showcasing joint research by MPI and the European University Institute and funded by the European Commission, this event featured discussion on some of the most promising reform proposals on both sides of the Atlantic. Speakers were: Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and former Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden; Antonio de Lecea, Principal Advisor for Economic and Financial Affairs, Delegation of the European Union to the United States; Pia Orrenius, Senior Economist, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; and Demetrios Papademetriou, MPI’s President and convener of the Transatlantic Council on Migration.
June 7, 2011 View the Powerpoint | Learn about the Project
Lessons from the 2007 Legal Arizona Workers Act Discussion on new Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report with PPIC Research Fellows Sarah Bohn and Magnus Lofstrom; Bruce A. Morrison, Former US Congressman from Connecticut (1983-1991) and Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee; and Marc Rosenblum, MPI Senior Policy Analyst.
March 18, 2011
MPI Conference Room Watch Event Video | Listen to Event Audio
Steps to Fix the US Immigration System: What Can the Administration Do? MPI report release with Donald Kerwin, Vice President for Programs, MPI; Margie McHugh, Co-Director, MPI National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy; Doris Meissner, Director of US Immigration Policy Program and Senior Fellow, MPI; Eva Millona, Executive Director, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; and Juan P. Osuna, Acting Director, Executive Office for Immigration Review, US Department of Justice.
March 14, 2011 Read Report | Watch Event Video | Listen to Event Audio
MPI Leadership Visions Speakers Series
Watch the heads of the Department of Homeland Security’s three immigration agencies – US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas, and US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin – detail their agenda for their agencies during MPI’s Leadership Visions speakers series.
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MPI Initiatives
Regional Migration Study Group MPI and the Latin American Program/Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center have convened a Regional Migration Study Group to develop and promote a long-term, strategic vision for building up the human-capital infrastructure of Central America, Mexico, and the United States as a means of improving the lives of the region’s people; laying the foundation for stronger and more equitable economic growth; helping foster a more economically competitive region; and making migration relations within the region normal and ordinary, rather than a subject of constant tension. The Study Group is co-chaired by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, former US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and former Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein; and its members include high-ranking former officials, civil-society leaders, and immigration specialists in the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Learn more about the Study Group.
Improving US and European Migration Systems MPI and the European University Institute conducted a joint research project, funded by the European Commission, to identify ways in which European and US immigration systems can be substantially improved to address the major challenges policymakers confront on both sides of the Atlantic, in the context of the current economic turmoil and in the longer term. The comparative research project’s work includes reports on the demographics of Europe and the United States, immigrant integration, cooperation with sending countries, security, economic growth, and employment. Learn more about the MPI-EUI project.
MPI's Labor Markets Initiative
MPI recently launched its Labor Markets Initiative, which is a comprehensive, policy-focused review of the role of immigration in the labor market. The Initiative will produce detailed policy recommendations on how the United States should rethink its immigration policy in light of what is known about the economic impact of immigration – bearing in mind the current context of growing income inequality, concerns about the effect of globalization on US competitiveness, the competition for highly skilled migrants, and demographic and technological change. The Initiative is guided by a group of leading experts in labor economics, welfare policy, and immigration: the Labor Markets Advisory Group.
The Transatlantic Council on Migration
An MPI initiative launched in 2008, the Transatlantic Council on Migration is a unique deliberative body that examines vital policy issues and informs migration policymaking processes across the Atlantic community. The Council, which convenes high-level policymakers, immigration analysts, and opinion leaders from North America and Europe, aims to promote better-informed policymaking by proactively identifying critical policy issues affecting immigration and immigrant integration, analyzing them in light of the best research, and bringing them to public attention. Learn more about the Council.
Historical Immigration Trends Tool
The Trends Tool charts the immigration patterns and characteristics of the immigrant population in the United States through time, from the 1800s to now.
State-by-State Data on Immigrants in the United States Use this handy Data Hub tool – which uses 1990 and 2000 decennial Census data as well as 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) data – to see how the immigrant population in the United States has changed since 1990, with profiles by state and nationally. Click the desired state to generate fact sheets about demographic & social, language & education, workforce, and income & poverty characteristics for immigrants and the native born. And also get state and national rankings for number and percent of immigrants by state, and the percentage change over time.
published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, takes stock of the impact of the global economic crisis on immigrant integration in Europe and the United States. It assesses where immigrants have lost ground, using evidence such as employment rates, levels of funding for educational programs, trends toward protectionism, and public opinion, focusing on the case studies of five countries in particular: the United States, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. This systematic look at where and how immigrants have been affected by the recession's pinch permits examination of how governments can use the recovery period as an opportunity for more meaningful and targeted investments in integration – ones that will boost economic competitiveness and improve social cohesion. To order a copy, click 
This volume, edited by MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix, rigorously assesses the 1996 welfare reform law, questions whether its immigrant provisions were ever really necessary, and examines its impact on legal immigrants' ability to integrate into American society. The book probes the politics behind the welfare reform law, its legal underpinnings, and what it may mean for integration policy. It also focuses on empirical research regarding immigrants' propensity to use benefits before the law passed, and immigrants' use and hardship levels afterwards.
The Migration Information Source’s 
The release event for MPI’s book, Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience, which reviews how the financial and economic crisis of the late 2000s marked a sudden and dramatic interruption in international migration trends, and the effects of the economic turmoil on immigrant workers in major immigrant-receiving countries in Europe as well as the United States. What will be the legacy of the crisis for immigrant workers and their families in coming years? How have the impacts of the recession on immigrant workers themselves, and responses of publics and politicians, differed on both sides of the Atlantic? Speakers are: volume editors Demetrios Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption, and Aaron Terrazas, of MPI; Chad Stone, Chief Economist, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; and Gallya Lahav, Associate Professor of Political Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook. 
Showcasing joint research by MPI and the European University Institute and funded by the European Commission, this event featured discussion on some of the most promising reform proposals on both sides of the Atlantic. Speakers were: Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and former Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden; Antonio de Lecea, Principal Advisor for Economic and Financial Affairs, Delegation of the European Union to the United States; Pia Orrenius, Senior Economist, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; and Demetrios Papademetriou, MPI’s President and convener of the Transatlantic Council on Migration. 
Discussion on new Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report with PPIC Research Fellows Sarah Bohn and Magnus Lofstrom; Bruce A. Morrison, Former US Congressman from Connecticut (1983-1991) and Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee; and Marc Rosenblum, MPI Senior Policy Analyst.
MPI report release with Donald Kerwin, Vice President for Programs, MPI; Margie McHugh, Co-Director, MPI National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy; Doris Meissner, Director of US Immigration Policy Program and Senior Fellow, MPI; Eva Millona, Executive Director, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; and Juan P. Osuna, Acting Director, Executive Office for Immigration Review, US Department of Justice. 