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
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Trump's Promise of Millions of Deportations Is Yet to Be Fulfilled
Despite 400-plus executive actions during its first term, the Trump administration deported significantly fewer unauthorized immigrants than the Obama administration did.
The U.S. Presidential Campaign Cements Political Parties’ Deepening Schism on Immigration
The 2020 U.S. presidential campaign crystallized two decades of partisan drift on immigration, with a sharp divide on belief about immigrants’ contributions to the country.
Impending USCIS Furloughs Will Contribute to a Historic Drop in U.S. Immigration Levels
USCIS furloughs, visa suspensions, and presidential bans together likely will drive an unprecedented collapse in U.S. immigration, with long-term demographic and economic impacts.
As #DefundThePolice Movement Gains Steam, Immigration Enforcement Spending and Practices Attract Scrutiny
U.S. immigration enforcement spending outpaces all major federal criminal agencies combined, but accountability, oversight, and transparency have not kept pace with the dramatic growth.
Mientras Crece el Movimiento para Desfinanciar a la Policía en EUA, el Gasto y las Prácticas de las Autoridades de Inmigración también se Someten a Escrutinio
El gasto en control de la inmigración en EE. UU. supera al de todas las principales agencias federales de lucha contra la delincuencia juntas, pero la rendición de cuentas, la supervisión y la transparencia no han avanzado al mismo ritmo que su espectacular crecimiento.
The U.S. Stands Alone in Explicitly Basing Coronavirus-Linked Immigration Restrictions on Economic Grounds
The United States became the first country to restrict legal immigration on economic—not health—grounds during COVID-19, with uncertain but far-reaching implications.
Vulnerable to COVID-19 and in Frontline Jobs, Immigrants Are Mostly Shut Out of U.S. Relief
Immigrants powered the U.S. frontline pandemic response but faced disproportionate health and economic risks and were largely excluded from federal COVID-19 relief efforts.
Crisis within a Crisis: Immigration in the United States in a Time of COVID-19
COVID-19 forced dramatic U.S. immigration restrictions, including ending asylum at the border, halting benefit processing, and excluding some immigrants from pandemic relief.
Interlocking Set of Trump Administration Policies at the U.S.-Mexico Border Bars Virtually All from Asylum
Through layered enforcement policies, the Trump administration effectively shut down the U.S. asylum system at the southern border in its first term.
Despite Trump Invitation to Stop Taking Refugees, Red and Blue States Alike Endorse Resettlement
Despite record-low refugee ceilings during the first Trump term and a presidential order inviting states to opt out of resettlement, 42 states and 100-plus mayors affirmed their support for refugees.
