Muzaffar Chishti
Muzaffar Chishti, a lawyer, is an MPI Senior Fellow and Director of the MPI office at New York University School of Law. His work focuses on U.S. immigration policy at the federal, state, and local levels; the intersection of labor and immigration law; immigration enforcement; civil liberties; and immigrant integration.
Prior to joining MPI, Mr. Chishti was Director of the Immigration Project of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees (UNITE).
Mr. Chishti serves on the board of the New York Immigration Coalition. He has served as Chairman of the Boards of Directors of the National Immigration Forum and the National Immigration Law Center, as a member of the American Bar Association’s Coordinating Committee on Immigration, and on the board of the Asian American Federation.
Mr. Chishti has testified extensively on immigration policy issues before Congress and is frequently quoted in the media. In 1992, as part of a U.S. team, he assisted the Russian Parliament in drafting its legislation on forced migrants and refugees. In 2025, he received the Outstanding American by Choice recognition from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou; he is also a 1995 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and 1994 recipient of the New York State Governor's Award for Outstanding Asian Americans.
Mr. Chishti was educated at St. Stephen's College, Delhi; the University of Delhi; Cornell Law School; and the Columbia School of International Affairs.
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Explore Content by Muzaffar Chishti
Showing 61-70 of 236 total results
Controversial U.S. Title 42 Expulsions Policy Is Coming to an End, Bringing New Border Challenges
The end of the use of Title 42 after 1.7 million expulsions at the U.S.-Mexico border promises to reshape processing, but the transition poses major challenges for the Biden administration.
Mounting Backlogs Undermine U.S. Immigration System and Impede Biden Policy Changes
Immigration case backlogs reached record levels across the U.S. government, slowing legal immigration and threatening to derail the Biden policy agenda.
Biden at One: Assessing the Administration’s Immigration Record
One year into President Joe Biden's term, this discussion examined the administration's track record on immigration and what lay ahead.
Biden at the One-Year Mark: A Greater Change in Direction on Immigration Than Is Recognized
The Biden administration 's first year brought sweeping but underappreciated immigration changes even as border challenges remained unresolved.
Court-Ordered Relaunch of Remain in Mexico Policy Tweaks Predecessor Program, but Faces Similar Challenges
The court-ordered revival of Remain in Mexico for certain asylum seekers affects a Trump-era program with a troubled record.
U.S. Immigration Reform Denied: Destined to Repeat the Cycle of Failure?
Immigration reform failed in 2006, 2007, and 2013—so what would it take to break the cycle?
Biden Immigration Enforcement Priorities Emphasize a Multi-Dimensional View of Migrants
In a major shift, the Biden administration's enforcement guidelines require authorities to consider noncitizens' full circumstances when deciding whether to proceed to arrest and removal.
18th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
The 2021 annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference featured a keynote conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas and top experts analyzing immigration in the early months of the Biden administration.
Two Decades after 9/11, National Security Focus Still Dominates U.S. Immigration System
National security continues to shape U.S. immigration policy, driving federal immigration enforcement spending to $25 billion annually.
U.S. Government Rush to Evacuate Afghan Allies and Allocate Sufficient Special Visas Comes at Eleventh Hour
As U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, chronic processing failures left tens of thousands of Afghans in limbo, prompting last-minute legislative and evacuation efforts.
