Migration Management and Border Security: Lessons Learned
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Highlights
Former CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin draws on North American and European migration crises to recommend a multilateral, networked approach to border management.
- Traditional border enforcement at the territorial line is insufficient. Effective management requires pushing enforcement outward and managing flows through bilateral and regional cooperation.
- A redesigned North American asylum system should enable offshore processing, safe-zone reception centers, and 90-to-120-day adjudication to deter smuggling and curb unauthorized migration.
- Migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks should be designated national security threats and countered with intelligence-led enforcement.
- Expanded legal migration pathways, emergency preparedness funding, and development investments in countries of origin are essential to reducing irregular migration long-term.
Two decades into the 21st century, both the European Union and the United States have faced considerable challenges in managing migration and borders. Globally, the number of international migrants has grown considerably, reaching 281 million as of 2020. And large-scale irregular migration has strained the infrastructure, legal systems, and often the social and political fabric of the nations encountering it.
This personal reflection, written by a former high-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, examines the strategic lessons that can be learned from recent migration events that have severely stressed border authorities in North America and Europe. Among the topics it explores are: the changing nature of borders and how nation states enforce them; the value of networks and cooperation within government, internationally, and with nongovernmental partners; the challenges of migrant smuggling and trafficking; and the importance of messaging and advanced preparation.
Table of Contents
1 Learning from Past Migration Crises
A. Lines and Flows: The Changing Nature of Borders
B. The Geography of Enforcement
C. The Necessity of Networks
D. The Centrality of Smugglers and Smuggling Organizations
E. The Message Is the Medium
2 Navigating a Way Forward
A. Rethinking Multilateralism
B. Designing a Regional Asylum System for North America
C. Confronting Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking Networks
D. Preparing Now to Avoid Future Humanitarian Crises
E. Expanding Options for Legal Migration
F. Addressing Security and Development Issues in Countries of Origin
3 Conclusion
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The Global Program bridges policy advice, research, and candid dialogue to design effective migration policies, drawing on global evidence and anticipating the forces reshaping how people move.
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