Border Enforcement

Will Immigration Reform Ever Succeed Again? The Legacy of IRCA & Its Enduring Lessons

This provocative discussion showcases Charles Kamasaki's book, Immigration Reform: The Corpse That Will Not Die, and explores the lessons that can be learned from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, its intended and unintended consequences, and how the law’s legacy has shaped contemporary politics surrounding immigration.

Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions

This review maps eight pressing U.S. immigration issues where Congress faces key unanswered questions, including border security, refugee admissions, and H-1B reform.

Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration

During the first half of its first term, the Trump administration pursued a broad immigration agenda primarily through executive action.

Despite Flurry of Actions, Trump Administration Faces Constraints in Achieving Its Immigration Agenda

Court injunctions, local resistance, and resource constraints are blocking the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda at the border and in the interior in its first term.

Is U.S.-Mexico Cooperation on Migration Possible?

As the numbers of Central American migrants crossing into Mexico and the United States rises—putting migration front and center in the U.S.-Mexico relationship again—this event examines the opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, along with ways to improve U.S. and Mexican asylum systems, create new approaches to labor migration, address smuggling networks, and modernize border management.

Policy Options for Responding to Changing Migration Flows at the Southwest Border

Policy Solutions to Address Crisis at Border Exist, But Require Will and Staying Power to Execute

A range of policy responses would more effectively address the complex factors fueling Central American migration than closing the U.S.-Mexico border and cutting off aid to Central America.

Remain in Mexico Plan Echoes Earlier U.S. Policy to Deter Haitian Migration

The Remain in Mexico policy echoes 1980s and 1990s Haitian interdiction strategies, with key legal distinctions that may determine whether it survives court challenge.

Executive Power Showdown: Congress and White House Quarrel over Immigration Spending

A standoff over immigration spending in 2019 pit Congress against the White House, reshaping the boundaries of executive enforcement authority.

Promising Strategies for Reintegration of Migrants Returning to Mexico and Central America

Authors of a year-long study of reception and reintegration services in Mexico and the Northern Triangle discuss the findings of their fieldwork, including the differing reintegration needs of individual migrant groups, promising reception and reintegration programs, ongoing challenges for origin communities, and policy recommendations to improve reintegration strategies.