Migration Policy Institute
Governments around the world have turned to migration management tools—such as border closures, travel restrictions, and in a few cases bars on new asylum applications—initially in hopes of keeping the COVID-19 virus from entering their countries, and later at the pandemic stage as part of a wider suite of mobility restrictions. MPI's research, data, and commentary on the migration responses to the pandemic are collected here.
Calls by activists to "defund the police," in the wake of a string of deadly encounters for Black community members, echo earlier demands to "abolish ICE" and reflect broader criticism of enforcement systems perceived as overly aggressive. Budgets have ballooned at federal immigration agencies and within the immigrant detention system as enforcement has become increasingly muscular in the post-9/11 period.
Cuban immigration to the United States has slowed in recent years, rising by 2 percent from 2017 to 2018. Overall, Cubans represent 3 percent of all immigrants in the United States. Compared to the overall foreign- and U.S.-born populations, Cuban immigrants are less likely to be proficient in English, have lower educational attainment, and earn lower household incomes. Learn more about the 1.3 million Cuban immigrants in the United States with this data-rich article.
Israel has a remarkably open immigration system for anyone who can prove Jewish ethnicity. But as this country profile explores, migration is extremely difficult for non-Jews, including asylum seekers. This article describes immigration flows under the Law of Return and examines labor migration and the rise in asylum seekers, reviewing the main challenges that have emerged within the last three decades.
By Hanne Beirens and Aliyyah Ahad
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By Julie Sugarman and Leslie Villegas
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By Aliyyah Ahad, Camille Le Coz, and Hanne Beirens
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By Hanne Beirens and Aliyyah Ahad
By Julie Sugarman and Leslie Villegas
By Aliyyah Ahad, Camille Le Coz, and Hanne Beirens
USCIS Budget Implosion Owes to Far More than the Pandemic
Citing coronavirus-related disruptions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services urged Congress to provide $1.2 billion to address its severe budget shortfall. Without this emergency infusion, the agency warned it might have to furlough up to 80 percent of its staff by mid-July 2020. Yet a deeper look at USCIS operations shows it was facing serious budget problems long before the pandemic—ones that are the logical results of actions undertaken by the Trump administration.
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