E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
Border Security

Border Security

Border Enforcement
Smuggling & Trafficking
Technology & Infrastructure
CBPagent mexborder

In an era when countries are increasingly exposed to the opportunities and risks associated with the rising global movement of people, policymakers are rethinking approaches to border controls and border management. These policies and programs run the gamut—from facilitating legitimate mobility of people and trade to thwarting unauthorized movements, the latter a significant preoccupation in the post-9/11 era and as publics have become ever less accepting of unauthorized immigration. The research offered here examines the management of borders, enforcement policies and initiatives, and border security technologies.

Recent Activity

CBP agents process asylum seeker at El Paso, Texas port of entry
Commentaries
March 2023
Revamping Asylum at the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Workable Rescue?
By  Doris Meissner
President Joe Biden in the White House.
Articles
February 23, 2023
Imminent End of Formal U.S. Pandemic Emergencies Marks New Era in Immigration Realm
By Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt
President Joe Biden at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Articles
January 26, 2023
Biden at the Two-Year Mark: Significant Immigration Actions Eclipsed by Record Border Numbers
By Muzaffar Chishti and Kathleen Bush-Joseph
Cover image for Using Risk Analysis to Shape Border Management
Reports
January 2023
Using Risk Analysis to Shape Border Management: A Review of Approaches during the COVID-19 Pandemic
By  Kelley Lee, Julianne Piper and Jennifer Fang
A migrant scheduled to be deported from the United States is escorted to a charter flight.
Articles
December 20, 2022
‘Recalcitrant’ and ‘Uncooperative’: Why Some Countries Refuse to Accept Return of Their Deportees
By Erlend Paasche
Multimedia
December 15, 2022
A Century of Climate Migration Upheaval? An Audacious Prediction for the Future
Venezuelan migrants at a reception center in Brazil.
Articles
October 27, 2022
Amid Record Venezuelan Arrivals, Biden Administration Embraces Border Expulsions Policy
By Muzaffar Chishti and Kathleen Bush-Joseph
Cover image for Rebooting the Asylum System?
Reports
October 2022
Rebooting the Asylum System? The Role of Digital Tools in International Protection
By  Hanne Beirens

Pages

coverthumb MPI AsylumSystemInCrisis
Reports
September 2018
The U.S. Asylum System in Crisis: Charting a Way Forward
By  Doris Meissner, Faye Hipsman and T. Alexander Aleinikoff
Coverthumb_TCMTrumpSpring2018
Reports
July 2018
U.S. Immigration Policy under Trump: Deep Changes and Lasting Impacts
By  Sarah Pierce, Jessica Bolter and Andrew Selee
Coverthumb MigrationAndDevelopmentPartnerships
Policy Briefs
July 2018
Mind the Gap: Bringing Migration into Development Partnerships and Vice Versa
By  Kate Hooper and Kathleen Newland
Coverthumb_EU CrisisResponse
Reports
June 2018
After the Storm: Learning from the EU Response to the Migration Crisis
By  Elizabeth Collett and Camille Le Coz
vanishing_frontiers_cover
Books
June 2018
Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together
By  Andrew Selee
Coverthumb TrumpFirstYearImmigrationPolicy
Reports
January 2018
Trump’s First Year on Immigration Policy: Rhetoric vs. Reality
By  Sarah Pierce, Jessica Bolter and Andrew Selee
Coverthumb_TrumpatOne
Policy Briefs
December 2017
Immigration under Trump: A Review of Policy Shifts in the Year Since the Election
By  Sarah Pierce and Andrew Selee
Building Partnerships to Respond to the Next Decade’s Migration Challenges
Reports
December 2017
Building Partnerships to Respond to the Next Decade’s Migration Challenges (Transatlantic Council Statement)
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Kate Hooper

Pages

U.S. immigration officials walk by a courthouse in Seattle.
Policy Beat
April 27, 2022
For Overwhelmed Immigration Court System, New ICE Guidelines Could Lead to Dismissal of Many Low-Priority Cases

New Biden administration guidelines encourage immigration prosecutors to support dismissing many low-priority deportation cases and focus on criminals, threats to national security, and other priorities. This move could have a major impact on clearing backlogs in the overstretched U.S. immigration court system, resulting in quicker determinations in removal and asylum cases, where wait times can presently stretch for years.

A woman in Italy is vaccinated before travel in 1951.
Feature
April 6, 2022
Vaccine Requirements Predate the COVID-19 Pandemic by More than a Century

Requirements that international travelers and migrants prove vaccination against certain diseases are about as old as vaccines themselves. In some cases, vaccine certificates predated the existence of government-issued passports. This article explores the history of these requirements, which began with smallpox and have since been applied for diseases including cholera, polio, yellow fever, and, recently, COVID-19.

U.S. Border Patrol agents prepare to transport unauthorized migrants to Mexico under Title 42.
Policy Beat
March 31, 2022
Controversial U.S. Title 42 Expulsions Policy Is Coming to an End, Bringing New Border Challenges

The United States’ controversial Title 42 migrant expulsions policy will come to an end in May 2022, after more than 1.7 million expulsions over two years. The COVID-19-era public-health restriction ushered in an unprecedented period of mass expulsions, including of would-be asylum seekers, at the U.S.-Mexico border. Unwinding the policy will be complicated amid predictions of a significant increase in unauthorized migration.

An image of an immigration boarding line.
Spotlight
March 17, 2022
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Need information about U.S. immigration trends or the makeup of the country's immigrant population? This useful, stats-rich article answers the most common questions about the size, shape, and changing nature of the U.S. foreign-born population. It also offers data on immigration enforcement actions, backlogs, and other elements of the U.S. immigration system.

A construction crew works on a wall the U.S.-Mexico border.
Feature
March 2, 2022
The World Is Witnessing a Rapid Proliferation of Border Walls

The number of border walls globally has multiplied at a rapid clip, from fewer than five at the end of World War II to more than six dozen now, with more under construction. Most of the world's border fortifications have been built since the turn of the millennium, and are intended to accomplish a range of functions. This article charts the remarkable growth and normalization of border walls globally.

Pages

archive >
MovingBeyondPandemicMattHerbert
Expert Q&A, Audio
October 21, 2020

Human Smuggling in an Age of Pandemic

As COVID-19 chilled global mobility, harmed economies, and sparked border closures and travel bans around the world, the pandemic has had an effect on the shadow migration world.

IMAGE1 PodcastEpisodeGraphicFinal ViennaAirport Kleemann_EpisodeTile_EpisodeTile
Expert Q&A, Audio
October 6, 2020

Is Airport COVID-19 Testing Ready for Takeoff?

Austria’s Vienna airport was an early adopter for in-airport COVID-19 tests, with results turned around within a few hours, sparing those with medical certificates from a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Can this serve as a model for restarting business travel and tourism? In this episode of our Moving Beyond Pandemic podcast, we talk to Vienna airport official Peter Kleemann to learn more.

PodcastEpisodeGraphicFinal Dowling_EpisodeTile2
Expert Q&A, Audio
September 30, 2020

Australia and the ‘Biosecure Border’ in the Age of COVID-19

Australia has worked to develop a “biosecure” border, using hard travel lockdowns, internal borders, and quarantine to stem spread of the COVID-19 virus. Is it working? In this episode of our Moving Beyond Pandemic podcast, host Meghan Benton talks to Brendan Dowling of the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

Video
September 21, 2020

17th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

This year’s Immigration Law and Policy Conference examines the immigration policy agenda under the Trump administration, including changes in the asylum system; the vast societal upheaval brought on by COVID-19 and the rising racial justice movement; what the future of U.S. immigration may look like; and many other topics related to U.S. immigration policy.

flickr Pompeo and Mexican Foreign Secretary 48339070726_fce1d4d7d7_c (1)
Video, Audio
June 8, 2020

Beyond the Border: U.S.-Mexican Migration Accord Has Ushered in Sweeping Change in Mexico in Its First Year

Amid rising Central American migration to the United States, the U.S. and Mexican governments in June 2019 signed a joint declaration pledging to work together to manage and reduce irregular migration. At the agreement’s one-year anniversary, MPI researchers engaged in discussion with former U.S. and Mexican Ambassadors and a veteran journalist about the changes sparked. 

Pages

Recent Activity

Reports
June 2016

What’s So Special about Canada? Understanding the Resilience of Immigration and Multiculturalism

Despite weathering many of the same economic and political challenges that have affected support for immigration in other countries in recent decades—from recession to threats of terrorism—Canada has managed to maintain a consistently positive public consensus around its immigration system. This report explores the evolution of Canada’s apparently unique attitude toward immigration and diversity.

Video, Audio, Webinars
May 25, 2016

Will Britain Leave the EU? The Role of Immigration in Brexit

A discussion on how the politics and migration policies of the British government influenced the decision to hold the "Brexit" referendum, how public attitudes towards immigration might influence the decision whether the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, and how the outcome might impact migration policy in the United Kingdom and European Union more broadly.

Reports
May 2016

Maintaining Public Trust in the Governance of Migration

In an era of diminished public trust in governments' ability to manage migration, policymakers face a set of interlinked challenges to winning back that trust. This report reflects on why it is so crucial for immigration policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic to earn back public confidence, and on the role of sound migration governance in doing so.

Reports
May 2016

Engaging the Anxious Middle on Immigration Reform: Evidence from the UK Debate

This report analyzes British polling data in a bid to paint a more accurate picture of public opinion on immigration in the United Kingdom, which is often described as having particularly hostile attitudes compared to other countries. The report examines several drivers of public opinion, including media coverage, and considers how recent migration policies can be linked to public opinion—including the call for a Brexit referendum.

Articles
April 14, 2016

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Get all the latest and historical facts and figures on immigrants and immigration in the United States in this handy resource. With immigration often surfacing in public and political debates, learn the answers to such questions as: How do current immigration flows compare to earlier ones? How many unauthorized immigrants live in the United States? How many refugees are admitted annually? And get answers to many more questions.

Commentaries
April 2016

Children: The Forgotten Aspect of the EU-Turkey Deal

The implications of the just-implemented EU-Turkey refugee deal for children seeking asylum in Greece have thus far been largely overlooked by critics of the controversial accord. This MPI Europe commentary explains how the shortcomings of the deal itself and the infrastructure in place to process asylum seekers could result in children falling through the cracks of the Greek and Turkish protection systems.

Commentaries
March 2016

The Paradox of the EU-Turkey Refugee Deal

Far from establishing a workable long-term solution to address overwhelming flows of asylum seekers arriving in Greece, the EU-Turkey deal has many observers concerned about the significant legal and logistical hurdles standing in the way of implementation—let alone questions about whether the deal would ultimately work. MPI Europe director Elizabeth Collett explains the practical implications of the deal in this commentary.

Articles
February 18, 2016

Increased Central American Migration to the United States May Prove an Enduring Phenomenon

The complex push and pull factors driving child and family migration from Central America to the United States have changed little since the 2014 crisis. Despite some fluctuation in arrival numbers, recent trends suggest the characteristics of an enduring phenomenon. This Policy Beat explores the latest developments in U.S. policy responses, including enforcement operations, development assistance, and family detention.

Pages