Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.
Federal judges have provided significant opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies during its second term. The courts have halted or slowed a number of administration initiatives, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out deportations and seeking to end birthright citizenship. This continues a trend of the judicial branch increasingly becoming the policymakers of last resort as presidents turn to executive action in the face of congressional inaction.
This essential resource offers top statistics about immigration, immigrants, and the immigration system in the United States, drawing on authoritative sources and the latest data available. The article offers insights on the size and characteristics of the immigrant population, the scope of temporary and permanent immigration via all pathways, enforcement actions, and much more.
The ramp-up of federal immigration enforcement during the second Trump term has prompted sharp responses from state and local governments, with some limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or barring agents' wearing of masks or the establishment of immigrant detention facilities. At the same time, some Republican-led jurisdictions have embraced policies to encourage cooperation with ICE. This article traces the rise of "sanctuary" policies and divergent trends.
U.S. immigration policy, practice, and enforcement changed dramatically over the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, touching most corners of the immigration system. The government has cracked down on unauthorized immigration in the U.S. interior and at the border, expanded scrutiny of immigrants of all legal statuses, and erected barriers for would-be arrivals. This article provides a sweeping overview of the changes that have taken place and assesses their impacts.
Many Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago have found that their situation is more complex than expected as the Caribbean country has largely adopted an enforcement-first approach. Many Venezuelan migrants face stigma and precarity—issues complicated amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States, as this article details.
The number of people in U.S. immigrant detention has grown sharply under President Donald Trump and will likely continue to rise in coming months. The rapid ramp-up has relied on an array of nontraditional facilities as well as private prisons, and has been accompanied by allegations of harsh treatment and rising deaths. This article traces the growth and evolution of the world's largest immigration detention system.
Un nivel histórico de migración está transformando las sociedades y la política en América Latina y el Caribe, dando paso a una etapa definida por la volatilidad. Este artículo analiza estas dinámicas en el Caribe y Centroamérica y Sudamérica, y analiza la probabilidad de que la región se acerque a un punto de inflexión en la gestión de la migración.
Amid unprecedented migration that began in 2010, Latin America and the Caribbean have entered a new era best defined by volatility. The success of initial policy responses to the displacement of millions of Venezuelans and other migration patterns has dimmed, given incomplete integration outcomes and other pressures. This article details these dynamics across the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The Trump administration has expanded its use of expedited removal in unprecedented ways, transforming what previously had been a somewhat limited authority into a potent tool to assist with its mass deportations drive. This article traces how the administration has sought to expand the reach of the nearly 30-year-old fast-track power beyond the border.
U.S. immigration enforcement is undergoing a marked transformation, as state and local law enforcement authorities—once largely on the sidelines—have become central partners to the Trump administration. State and local participation is growing in size and scope, including the signing of hundreds of 287(g) deputization agreements, opening of Florida's Alligator Alcatraz, and Texas's multibillion-dollar Operation Lone Star.
The Trump administration has launched an ambitious campaign to encourage “self-deportation” as a complement to its muscular immigration enforcement operations. While a somewhat similar U.S. attempt in 2008 was considered a failure and international "pay-to-go" programs have occurred on a smaller scale than envisioned by Trump officials, the administration is hoping it can now succeed through an unmatched combination of carrots and sticks, as this article details.
In its bid to ramp up deportations, the Trump administration is granting ICE access to a swath of government databases that were previously off limits for immigration enforcement, including sensitive tax and Social Security records. This article details the growing digital arsenal of government and commercial databases that ICE can tap to identify and arrest removable noncitizens, and how this unprecedented data sharing has its roots in the post-9/11 era.
Denmark has gradually moved to a restrictive approach toward humanitarian protection, in a shift that has made it something of a leader for other countries—and an anomaly as it has done so under a center-left government. As this country profile explains, Danish policymakers have pioneered policies that limit protection, including making it temporary.
In its first 100 days, the Trump administration has issued a flurry of actions that represent the most sweeping immigration policy changes in decades, reshaping enforcement, border security, legal immigration, humanitarian protection, and foreign policy. This article provides an overview of the myriad changes in the first 100 days of the second Trump term and assesses the challenges ahead.
The Trump administration is tapping ancient war-time and national security laws, including the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and 1940 Alien Registration Act, in unprecedented ways for general immigration enforcement. This article examines how the administration is deploying these archaic authorities, previously used for actions including World War II internments and the Cold War-era campaign against communists.
Find essential statistics about U.S. immigration, immigrants, and the immigration system today and throughout history. This perennially popular article compiles the latest data on the size and shape of the immigrant population, immigrant families, refugees and asylees, unauthorized immigrants, temporary visitors, and more. It also examines legal immigration processing and immigration enforcement.
In making immigration enforcement its top priority, the Trump administration has bent a broad swath of the federal government to the mission of arresting, deporting, and barring the entry of noncitizens who lack legal status or have been convicted of crimes. The changes represent an unprecedented retooling and remaking of the vast U.S. deportation machinery, as this article details.
Within hours of his second inauguration, President Donald Trump moved to dramatically reshape U.S. immigration enforcement and policy. The changes set the stage for mass deportations, all but foreclose access to asylum at the border, and seek to create “shock and awe” that will reverberate around the country. This article examines the early-day policies, possible impacts, and likely headwinds.
Iran, host to the world's largest refugee population, has long served as a refuge for Afghans escaping instability and conflict. The government welcomed refugees and other migrants from Afghanistan and beyond in previous eras, but its approach has grown increasingly restrictive in recent years, driven by economic strains and security concerns. This article reviews the periods of forced migration from Afghanistan to Iran and the Iranian government's responses over recent decades.
