Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh
Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh is an Associate Policy Analyst with MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program, where she examines trends and policies on the U.S.-Mexico border and analyzes implications of federal policy changes on immigrants and the immigration system. Her research involves engaging with local, state, and federal stakeholders on issues of border management, interior enforcement, and immigrant access to services. She also focuses on the use of technology in enforcement, throughout the legal immigration system, and in border security.
Previously, Ms. Putzel-Kavanaugh spent three years in San Diego, conducting research and working with asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and interned with the Bipartisan Policy Center, the office of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and Al Otro Lado. Prior to her work as a researcher, she was a 7th and 8th grade teacher.
Ms. Putzel-Kavanaugh holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Assumption College and a master’s of peace and justice degree from the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, where she focused on human rights, immigration, and corruption.
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Explore Content by Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh
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Seeking to Ramp Up Deportations, the Trump Administration Quietly Expands a Vast Web of Data
The Trump administration is building an unprecedented data network for immigration enforcement—tapping sensitive tax, health, and benefits records—raising privacy concerns for immigrants and citizens alike.
Tapping Ancient Wartime and Security Laws, Trump Administration Dramatically Expands Immigration Powers
The Trump administration is deploying centuries-old wartime laws, some of which have never been used for routine immigration enforcement, to expand detentions and deportations.
Trump Administration Bends U.S. Government in Extraordinary Ways towards Aim of Mass Deportations
The Trump administration has bent virtually every arm of the U.S. government toward mass deportations, but early results reveal a gap between ambition and available resources.
The Biden Legacy on Immigration: A Complex Picture
What was the Biden record on border management, legal immigration, refugee resettlement, and other immigration aspects? Speakers assessed the Biden legacy and discussed MPI's analysis of the administration’s actions on immigration.
Biden’s Mixed Immigration Legacy: Border Challenges Overshadowed Modernization Advances
The Biden presidency combined historic highs in legal admissions and naturalizations with record border arrivals, overwhelmed agencies, and political damage.
With New Strategies At and Beyond the U.S. Border, Migrant Encounters Plunge
Encounters of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border for fiscal 2024 fell to 2.1 million, a 14 percent drop from the prior year as the result of the Biden administration deepening its carrot-and-stick approach alongside increased immigration enforcement throughout the Western Hemisphere, especially from Mexico. September represented the lowest monthly encounters of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization seen during this administration.
Despite Sharply Different Immigration Rhetoric, Democrats and Republicans Now Have a Similar Approach to the Border
Three years of record border arrivals pushed Democrats toward Republican-style enforcement rhetoric, but deep divisions between the political parties remain over deportations and legal immigration.
After Crisis of Unprecedented Migrant Arrivals, U.S. Cities Settle into New Normal
Two years after Texas began busing migrants to U.S. interior cities, local governments had found a fragile footing, but billions in unmet costs and uncertain federal support left them vulnerable.
Bridging the Gap between the Gig Economy and Migration Policy
Gig economy growth has outpaced migration policy. Visa frameworks built for traditional employment leave platform workers without protections or legal pathways, requiring the need to bridge the gap.
The Limits of the Go-It-Alone Approach: U.S. Migration Management Increasingly Requires Other Countries’ Cooperation
As border flows grow more global and diverse, the United States increasingly depends on the cooperation of Mexico and other countries to manage migration.
