E.g., 08/12/2022
E.g., 08/12/2022
Border Security

Border Security

Border Enforcement
Smuggling & Trafficking
Technology & Infrastructure
CBPagent mexborder

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

Recent Activity

2018.11.27 EVENT PHOTO ChildMove
Multimedia
November 27, 2018
ChildMove: A Discussion on the Project Following Unaccompanied Young Refugees across Europe
Migrant processing at San Ysidro port of entry
Articles
November 29, 2018
Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Actions on Asylum at the Southern Border Hit Legal Roadblock
By Muzaffar Chishti, Sarah Pierce, and Hannah Jacks
JeffSessions2018
Articles
November 8, 2018
Sessions: The Trump Administration’s Once-Indispensable Man on Immigration
By Sarah Pierce
NationalGuardSouthernBorder
Commentaries
November 2018
Asylum Reform, Not Troops, Is the Solution to Current Border Reality
By  Doris Meissner
Francis Cissna keynotes 15th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Multimedia
October 1, 2018
15th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
A port in Mahdia, Tunisia.
Articles
October 18, 2018
After Revolution, Tunisian Migration Governance Has Changed. Has EU Policy?
By Luca Lixi
UACs CPB HectorSilva
Multimedia
September 27, 2018
The U.S. Asylum System in Crisis: First Steps for Rescue
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

Pages

RefugeesinFYRM StephenRyanIFRC Flickr
Feature
September 24, 2015
Europe’s Migration Crisis in Context: Why Now and What Next?

As Europe struggles to reach a consensus on how to respond to the refugee crisis, the seemingly unending flow of migrants and refugees arriving on its shores is bringing national asylum systems to their breaking point. This article analyzes the context of the crisis, discussing the root causes of the flows, why they are spiking now, and growing protection challenges.

KarnesDetentionBedroom CharlesReed ICE
Policy Beat
September 15, 2015
Fierce Opposition, Court Rulings Place Future of Family Immigration Detention in Doubt

Facing legal setbacks and political opposition, the Obama administration may be required to overhaul its policy of detaining families in immigration custody. Recent court decisions have undermined the government's justification of the policy as a deterrent to future illegal immigration and may result in the release of more than 1,400 unauthorized immigrant women and children.

LeePhelps MountainsofTirane Flickr
Profile
September 10, 2015
Embracing Emigration: The Migration-Development Nexus in Albania

From ongoing emigration flows and a surge in asylum seekers, to more than 150,000 returnees, this country profile examines contemporary and historical migration trends in Albania. Driven by extreme poverty and unemployment, more than one-third of Albania's population has emigrated in the last 25 years. The government now seeks to capitalize on diaspora resources by linking migration and development policies.

KateSteinleImpromptuMemorial ShellyPrevost Flickr
Policy Beat
August 20, 2015
Sanctuary Cities Come Under Scrutiny, As Does Federal-Local Immigration Relationship
The killing of a young woman in San Francisco by an unauthorized immigrant coincided with the Obama administration's rollout of the Priority Enforcement Program, a new vehicle for improving federal-local relations on immigration enforcement. The tragedy has rekindled debate over the role of "sanctuary" cities and propelled illegal immigration to the forefront of the 2016 presidential race.
Corruptionunderminesintegrity FredInklaar FlickrA
Feature
May 12, 2015
Finding Connections: The Nexus between Migration and Corruption
Though relatively unexplored, there are myriad links between migration and corruption. This article offers ten connections between migration and corruption, from the facilitation of illegal migration and humanitarian protection to impediments to development benefits. The migration-corruption nexus is examined in three case studies: human trafficking in Nigeria, police extortion in Latin America, and a Norwegian return scheme for Iraqi asylum seekers.

Pages

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multimedia 287g
Video, Audio
January 31, 2011

Delegation and Divergence: 287(g) State and Local Immigration Enforcement

287(g) programs have surged into the public consciousness in recent years. Now operating in 72 jurisdictions, the 287(g) program authorizes state and local law enforcement officers to screen people for immigration status, issue detainers to hold unauthorized immigrants on immigration violations, and begin the process of their removal from the United States.

MI_CustomsandBorderProtection
Video, Audio
October 14, 2010

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin Discusses His Vision for CBP

CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin details his agenda for his agency and discusses border enforcement, the Secure Border Initiative, drug trafficking, and other topics in this wide-ranging conversation with MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner.

Testimony MR June2010
Video
June 30, 2010

Marc Rosenblum Testimony Video: Immigration and U.S. Immigration Policy

Testimony of Marc Rosenblum, MPI Senior Policy Analyst, before the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
MI_SecuringHumanMobility
Video, Audio
April 22, 2010

Securing Human Mobility in the Age of Risk: New Challenges for Travel, Migration, and Borders

'Securing Human Mobility' book release discussion with Susan Ginsburg, Michael German, Luis Rubio, and Donald M. Kerwin.

multimedia JohnMorton
Video
January 25, 2010

DHS Assistant Secretary John Morton discusses his vision for ICE

During this Leadership Visions address, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary John Morton offered his perspectives on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, its mission, and its future.

Pages

Recent Activity

Audio
November 27, 2018

ChildMove: A Discussion on the Project Following Unaccompanied Young Refugees across Europe

A discussion on the vital new research project, ChildMove, that explores the experiences of young refugees and migrants who have traveled across Europe unaccompanied by their families.

Articles
November 29, 2018

Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Actions on Asylum at the Southern Border Hit Legal Roadblock

The Trump administration’s latest effort to narrow the ability to apply for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a legal roadblock within days of implementation, as has been the pattern for much of its immigration agenda. This article examines the actions on asylum, which alongside deployment of active-duty military to the border, are among measures taken to seek to reduce the flow of Central Americans to the United States.

Articles
November 8, 2018

Sessions: The Trump Administration’s Once-Indispensable Man on Immigration

In less than two years as Attorney General, Jeff Sessions oversaw wide-reaching changes to the U.S. immigration system. Even as the zero-tolerance policy, fights with "sanctuary" cities, and DACA termination might be more visible, Sessions' enduring legacy may be his muscular use of a little-noted authority, which he wielded to significantly reshape immigration and asylum policy by referring immigration cases to himself.

Commentaries
November 2018

Asylum Reform, Not Troops, Is the Solution to Current Border Reality

Asylum reform, not the "shock-and-awe" deployment of thousands of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to deal with the migrant caravan, represents the real path to addressing the current realities of mixed economic and humanitarian migration flows, as the person who presided over the last reform of the U.S. asylum system in the mid-1990s explains in this commentary.

Video, Audio
October 1, 2018

15th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

At the 15th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, held in October 2018, leading experts and government officials discussed the role that immigration is playing in the mid-term elections; how the courts are handling key immigration questions; and recent changes in the U.S. asylum system, border and interior enforcement, and regulations surrounding legal immigration.   

Articles
October 18, 2018

After Revolution, Tunisian Migration Governance Has Changed. Has EU Policy?

In the face of an uptick in unauthorized arrivals in Italy from Tunisia in 2017, the European Union dusted off earlier policy proposals such as funding to increase Tunisia’s border-control capabilities and the creation of disembarkation platforms. This article explores why contemporary developments, including a fragile Tunisian political system, suggest the need for a different approach.

Video, Audio, Webinars
September 27, 2018

The U.S. Asylum System in Crisis: First Steps for Rescue

Speakers, including report authors, discuss the findings from an MPI report that analyzes the factors that have brought the U.S. asylum system to a crisis point. During the discussion, the authors propose common-sense steps that can be implemented now to jump-start the system's rescue.

Reports
September 2018

The U.S. Asylum System in Crisis: Charting a Way Forward

The United States has a long tradition of providing asylum to those in need. But in recent years, case backlogs have grown and many asylum seekers now wait years for a decision. This report examines the factors that have brought the U.S. asylum system to this crisis point and proposes common-sense steps that can be taken to restore timeliness and fairness, while deterring abuses.

Pages