E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
State & Local Enforcement

State & Local Enforcement

Amid growing public concern over illegal immigration, state and local governments in the United States increasingly have waded into an immigration enforcement arena that historically was viewed as the preserve of the federal government—enacting legislation and ordinances seeking to reduce illegal immigration and signing on to federal-state law enforcement partnerships such as the 287(g) initiative. The research here traces the rise of state and local activity in the post-9/11 environment.

Recent Activity

President Joe Biden in Mexico City.
Articles
March 27, 2024
The Limits of the Go-It-Alone Approach: U.S. Migration Management Increasingly Requires Other Countries’ Cooperation
By Muzaffar Chishti and Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh
A member of the Texas National Guard faces migrants in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Articles
February 28, 2024
Standoff at Eagle Pass: A High-Stakes U.S. Border Enforcement Showdown Comes to a Small Texas Park
By Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt
Shifting Realities at the U.S.-Mexico Border report
Reports
January 2024
Shifting Realities at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Immigration Enforcement and Control in a Fast-Evolving Landscape
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Doris Meissner
Multimedia
September 18, 2023
20th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at a conference in Tampa.
Articles
June 28, 2023
Activism on Immigration by U.S. States Is Back, with New Tactics and Different Targets
By Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks before a briefing on border security.
Articles
September 28, 2022
Busing and Flights of Migrants by GOP Governors Mark a New Twist in State Intervention on Immigration
By Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt
Image of women smiling on hike
Articles
June 17, 2022
Growing State and Local Role in U.S. Immigration Policy Affects Sense of Belonging for Newcomers and Natives Alike
By Tomás R. Jiménez, Deborah J. Schildkraut, Yuen J. Huo, and John F. Dovidio
Cover image for Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency
Reports
February 2022
Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency
By  Jessica Bolter, Emma Israel and Sarah Pierce

Pages

Shifting Realities at the U.S.-Mexico Border report
Reports
January 2024
Shifting Realities at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Immigration Enforcement and Control in a Fast-Evolving Landscape
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Doris Meissner
Cover image for Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency
Reports
February 2022
Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency
By  Jessica Bolter, Emma Israel and Sarah Pierce
coverthumb_biden starting gate
Policy Briefs
November 2020
At the Starting Gate: The Incoming Biden Administration’s Immigration Plans
By  Doris Meissner and Michelle Mittelstadt
Immigration Enforcement and the Mental Health of Latino High School Students
Reports
September 2020
Immigration Enforcement and the Mental Health of Latino High School Students
By  Randy Capps, Jodi Berger Cardoso, Kalina Brabeck, Michael Fix and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
Dismantling and Reconstructing the U.S. Immigration System: A Catalog of Changes under the Trump Presidency
Reports
July 2020
Dismantling and Reconstructing the U.S. Immigration System: A Catalog of Changes under the Trump Presidency
By  Sarah Pierce and Jessica Bolter
Coverthumb ImmigrationChangesTrumpAdministration
Reports
May 2019
Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration
By  Sarah Pierce
Coverthumb HoustonImmigrantsProfile
Reports
September 2018
A Profile of Houston’s Diverse Immigrant Population in a Rapidly Changing Policy Landscape
By  Randy Capps and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
Coverthumb_ImmigrationEnforcement FullReport
Reports
May 2018
Revving Up the Deportation Machinery: Enforcement under Trump and the Pushback
By  Randy Capps, Muzaffar Chishti, Julia Gelatt, Jessica Bolter and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto

Pages

President Joe Biden in Mexico City.
Policy Beat
March 27, 2024
The Limits of the Go-It-Alone Approach: U.S. Migration Management Increasingly Requires Other Countries’ Cooperation

The U.S. immigration enforcement system increasingly depends on other countries to help halt irregular movements through the Americas and accept the return of unauthorized migrants. Foreign governments play a crucial and yet underappreciated role in migration management, and can either aid or frustrate U.S. border-control aims, as this article explores.

A member of the Texas National Guard faces migrants in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Policy Beat
February 28, 2024
Standoff at Eagle Pass: A High-Stakes U.S. Border Enforcement Showdown Comes to a Small Texas Park

Rising tensions between Texas and the federal government have sparked fears of a constitutional crisis after the state deployed its National Guard to prevent the U.S. Border Patrol from conducting operations in a city park in Eagle Pass, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott saying the “invasion” of migrants triggered the need for action. This article provides an overview of the standoff and the larger context of current and past state-federal tensions over immigration enforcement.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at a conference in Tampa.
Policy Beat
June 28, 2023
Activism on Immigration by U.S. States Is Back, with New Tactics and Different Targets

Renewed U.S. state activism on immigration has echoes of the early 2010s, when Arizona’s SB 1070 defined a Republican-led push to increase enforcement that was ultimately muted by the courts and public backlash. Newer strategies rely on a novel array of tactics including migrant busing, litigation, and lawmaking. States are also moving in opposite directions, with some expanding rights for unauthorized immigrants, as this article details.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks before a briefing on border security.
Policy Beat
September 28, 2022
Busing and Flights of Migrants by GOP Governors Mark a New Twist in State Intervention on Immigration

Operations by Texas, Florida, and Arizona to bus or fly asylum seekers and other migrants to Washington, DC, Martha's Vineyard, and other cities have succeeded in drawing attention to the unprecedented pace of U.S.-Mexico border arrivals. Described by some as political pawns, many migrants say the trips have upsides. Consequences aside, the transport of migrants by Republican governors raises the question whether a new era has begun: state-on-state fights over immigration.

Image of women smiling on hike
Feature
June 17, 2022
Growing State and Local Role in U.S. Immigration Policy Affects Sense of Belonging for Newcomers and Natives Alike

The adoption of immigration measures by state and local governments can affect the sense of belonging not just for immigrants but also for the U.S. born, with impacts on individuals’ wellbeing, their engagement with others, and political participation. As the number of subfederal immigration measures has proliferated in recent years, research suggests this growth could have wider-ranging repercussions than commonly understood.

Pages

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LatinoMentalHealth commentary December2020
Commentaries
December 2020
How the Fear of Immigration Enforcement Affects the Mental Health of Latino Youth
By  Randy Capps and Michael Fix
SKoreanRemoval ICE
Commentaries
November 2016
Unauthorized Immigrants with Criminal Convictions: Who Might Be a Priority for Removal?
By  Muzaffar Chishti and Michelle Mittelstadt
SecureCommunities CASA Flickr
Commentaries
July 2015
Federal-Local Cooperation on Immigration Enforcement Frayed; Chance for Improvement Exists
By  Marc R. Rosenblum
Video
September 18, 2023

20th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

The 20th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, organized by MPI, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., and Georgetown University Law Center, features fresh, thoughtful policy and legal analysis, and discussion of some of the top immigration issues by leading government officials, attorneys, researchers, advocates, and other experts. 

Video
September 21, 2020

17th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

This year’s Immigration Law and Policy Conference examines the immigration policy agenda under the Trump administration, including changes in the asylum system; the vast societal upheaval brought on by COVID-19 and the rising racial justice movement; what the future of U.S. immigration may look like; and many other topics related to U.S. immigration policy.

Francis Cissna keynotes 15th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Video, Audio
October 1, 2018

15th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

At the 15th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, held in October 2018, leading experts and government officials discussed the role that immigration is playing in the mid-term elections; how the courts are handling key immigration questions; and recent changes in the U.S. asylum system, border and interior enforcement, and regulations surrounding legal immigration.   

ICE ERO in Chicago flickr
Video, Audio
July 12, 2018

Cambios en el Panorama de Control Migratorio Interno Durante la Administración Trump

Experts on this Spanish language webinar examine the operation of today’s interior immigration enforcement system and how state and local governments, civil society, and consulates are responding.    

IMG_8034
Video, Audio
May 8, 2018

The Changing Landscape of Interior Immigration Enforcement Under Trump

Discussion at this event focused on findings from MPI's report examining the interior immigration enforcement system in the United States, including ICE data on deportations and arrests, and the responses of state and local governments, civil society, and consulates.  

Pages

Recent Activity

Articles
October 28, 2021

Biden Immigration Enforcement Priorities Emphasize a Multi-Dimensional View of Migrants

U.S. immigration arrests have declined to the lowest level in years. Going forward, new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines could further shape how authorities arrest and deport unauthorized immigrants and noncitizens who have committed crimes. This article describes how the Biden administration prosecutorial discretion guidance marks a sharp turn from the approach taken by the Trump administration.

Articles
September 22, 2021

Two Decades after 9/11, National Security Focus Still Dominates U.S. Immigration System

After the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 the U.S. immigration system was retooled to have a strong national security focus. This restructuring had dramatic effects on government operations and resource allocations, not to mention on the lives of immigrants and the U.S. born alike. Twenty years on from 9/11, this article examines the changes put in place or accelerated as a result of the attacks.

Articles
June 29, 2021

Texas Once Again Tests the Boundaries of State Authority in Immigration Enforcement

Texas seems set to become chief antagonist to President Joe Biden’s immigration agenda. This article explores Governor Greg Abbott's plans to build new barriers along the border, use state and local law enforcement to carry out arrests of unauthorized immigrants, and strip licensing from federally contracted shelters housing unaccompanied children.

Articles
February 25, 2021

Legal Snags and Possible Increases in Border Arrivals Complicate Biden’s Immigration Agenda

President Joe Biden has grand ambitions to reshape the U.S. immigration system, but his administration has run into early stumbling blocks in rolling back the strict enforcement regime of his predecessor. Administrative resistance, a tangled web of legal agreements signed by the Trump administration, and anxieties about a possible uptick in immigrants and asylum seekers at the border have posed early challenges to Biden’s agenda.

Commentaries
December 2020

How the Fear of Immigration Enforcement Affects the Mental Health of Latino Youth

The prevalence of mental-health symptoms among Latino high school students, immigrant and U.S. born alike, is closely related to their fears of immigration enforcement. And the situation may have worsened since the researchers sampled this population, given the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic hardship have increased the stress on Latino communities that have been hit disproportionately hard, as this commentary explores.

Video, Webinars
September 21, 2020

17th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

This year’s Immigration Law and Policy Conference examines the immigration policy agenda under the Trump administration, including changes in the asylum system; the vast societal upheaval brought on by COVID-19 and the rising racial justice movement; what the future of U.S. immigration may look like; and many other topics related to U.S. immigration policy.

Policy Briefs
November 2020

At the Starting Gate: The Incoming Biden Administration’s Immigration Plans

Joe Biden pledged during his campaign to reverse some of the most restrictive immigration actions undertaken during Donald Trump’s four years in office. While some actions can be undone with the stroke of a pen, others will take more time. This policy brief outlines the incoming administration’s top immigration priorities, examines challenges and opportunities ahead, and previews MPI policy ideas that could improve the immigration system and advance the national interest.

Articles
October 29, 2020

Trump's Promise of Millions of Deportations Is Yet to Be Fulfilled

Before entering office, President Donald Trump promised to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants. Yet despite his general successes in creating a more restrictive and punitive immigration system, this goal has eluded his administration. So-called “sanctuary” policies implemented by state and local governments to limit their cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been a key reason why arrests and removals have not reached earlier peaks.

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