Border Enforcement

Migration Management and Border Security: Lessons Learned

Former CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin draws on North American and European migration crises to recommend a multilateral, networked approach to border management.

From Jailers to Case Managers: Redesigning the U.S. Immigration Detention System to Be Effective and Fair

U.S. immigration detention cost up to $200 per person per day in fiscal year 2021. Shifting to case management and supervised release can reduce costs and improve outcomes.

Biden Administration Asylum Processing Revamp at the U.S. Border Could Be a Game Changer

The Biden administration’s proposed asylum processing rule represents a fundamental retooling of the asylum system that preserves asylum as a bedrock element of the U.S. immigration system while also recognizing that a secure border and deterring unlawful crossings are legitimate and necessary attributes of an effective, credible immigration system, as this commentary explains.

Future Scenarios for Global Mobility in the Shadow of Pandemic

COVID-19 upended global mobility. This report outlines four possible scenarios for future international mobility.

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

Texas's unilateral border enforcement measures, such as border wall construction and state and local arrests of unauthorized immigrants, are facing significant legal challenges.

Intersecting Crises: Pandemic and Hurricanes Add to Political Instability Driving Migration from Honduras

Corruption, back-to-back hurricanes, and pandemic-era economic collapse have converged to drive record migration from Honduras.

From Unilateral Response to Coordinated Action: How Can Mobility Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa Adapt to the Public-Health Challenges of COVID-19?

COVID-19 exposed weak cross-border governance across sub-Saharan Africa. Regional coordination and data reform can better balance public health and migration management.

Europe’s Tackling of ‘Root Causes’ of African Migration Has a Mixed Record

The European Union's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa has reduced irregular migration but fallen short on development goals and raised serious human-rights concerns.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Addressing Migration Push Factors

U.S. Government Makes Significant Strides in Receiving Unaccompanied Children but Major Challenges Remain

The federal government has made notable progress since March 2021 in getting unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border out of Border Patrol facilities and into Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody, and then releasing them to parents or other sponsors. Yet there are serious concerns about standards of care and conditions in a new type of ORR facility: emergency intake sites, as this commentary explores.