United States

Executive Action on Immigration: Six Ways to Make the System Work Better

Six executive actions could improve U.S. border control, integration, legal admissions, and fairness in enforcement without new laws.

Securing the Border: Building on the Progress Made

A New Architecture for Border Management

Information-driven, risk-based “smart border” systems push controls away from the physical frontier toward advance data screening, while raising ethical concerns.

Re-envisioning Security and the Movement of People

Post-9/11 policies recast U.S. immigration as a security tool, but "mobility security" argues that protecting legal migration is just as vital as preventing terrorist travel.

Filling Labor Shortages through Immigration: An Overview of Shortage Lists and their Implications

Shortage lists aim to fill high-need occupations through immigration, but measurement gaps and time lags mean they often miss the mark.

Quiet Demise of the Virtual Fence

After more than $1 billion in funding, the United States’ virtual border fence program was cancelled in January 2011.

Immigrants in New-Destination States

In 2009, U.S. immigrants in new-destination states tended to be younger.

E-Verify: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Proposals for Reform

E-Verify’s gains in speed and coverage are undercut by data errors, identity fraud, and gaps in worker protections.

Delegation and Divergence: 287(g) State and Local Immigration Enforcement

MPI Report release with authors MPI's Randy Capps and Muzaffar Chishti examining step localities are taking in enforcing immigration law and the possible impacts on communities.  Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, and Captain LeRoy Kirkegard, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, provided comments.

The Evolution of Border Controls as a Mechanism to Prevent Illegal Immigration

Modern border controls combine technology and risk profiling. But without legal channels, they often displace rather than deter irregular migration.