E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
Illegal Immigration & Interior Enforcement

Illegal Immigration & Interior Enforcement

Deportations/Returns
Employment Verification
State & Local Enforcement
Worksite Enforcement
_IllegalImm+IntEnforcement

lllegal immigration is a phenomenon confronted by many major immigrant-receiving countries, one that vexes policymakers and publics alike. While much of the focus may be on border enforcement, there are an array of interior enforcement policies aimed at identifying unauthorized immigrants for removal, including worksite enforcement, employment verification, jail-house screening, and state and local law enforcement activity. The research below delves into many facets of illegal immigration and enforcement occcuring away from national borders.

Recent Activity

Cover image for What Role Could Digital Technologies Play...
Policy Briefs
December 2023
What Role Could Digital Technologies Play in the New EU Pact on Migration and Asylum?
By  Lucía Salgado and Hanne Beirens
A loan officer in Kenya.
Articles
December 6, 2023
Often Shut Out of the Financial System, Refugees and Other Migrants Face Economic Integration Challenges
By Ting Zhang
Cover image for Immigration and Integration in the Ever More Diverse Houston Area
Reports
November 2023
Immigration and Integration in the Ever More Diverse Houston Area
By  Valerie Lacarte, Michael Fix and Jeanne Batalova
A Haitian-American book fair in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood
Articles
November 8, 2023
Haitian Immigrants in the United States
By Beatrice Dain and Jeanne Batalova
Aerial photo of the U.S. Capitol
Commentaries
November 2023
The U.S.-Mexico Border Problem Will Not Be “Solved” Until All Parts of the Border Enforcement System Are Properly Resourced
By  Doris Meissner
Multimedia
September 18, 2023
20th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
The U.S. Coast Guard interdicts a vessel with Cuban migrants.
Articles
October 25, 2023
Can the Biden Immigration Playbook Be Effective for Managing Arrivals via Sea?
By Muzaffar Chishti, Kathleen Bush-Joseph, and Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh
CBP personnel process and screen migrants for possible entry into the U.S.
Commentaries
October 2023
Shifting Patterns and Policies Reshape Migration to U.S.-Mexico Border in Major Ways in 2023
By  Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto

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A Path to Meeting Medical and Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Children
Reports
April 2023
A Path to Meeting the Medical and Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Children in U.S. Communities
By  Jonathan Beier and Karla Fredricks
Cover image for Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean
Reports
March 2023
Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean: A Policy Review
By  Valerie Lacarte, Jordi Amaral, Diego Chaves-González, Ana María Sáiz and Jeremy Harris
Cover image for A Profile of Low-Income Immigrants in the United States
Fact Sheets
November 2022
A Profile of Low-Income Immigrants in the United States
By  Julia Gelatt, Valerie Lacarte and Joshua Rodriguez
Cover image for Diverging Pathways
Policy Briefs
October 2022
Diverging Pathways: Immigrants’ Legal Status and Access to Postsecondary Credentials
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
Cover image for Changing the Playbook
Reports
July 2022
Changing the Playbook: Immigrants and the COVID-19 Response in Two U.S. Communities
By  Randy Capps and Michael Fix
Cover image for Embedding Reintegration Assistance...
Policy Briefs
June 2022
Embedding Reintegration Assistance for Returning Migrants in the Local Context: The Role of Referrals
By  Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz
Cover image for COVID-19’s Effects on U.S. Immigration and Immigrant Communities
Reports
June 2022
COVID-19’s Effects on U.S. Immigration and Immigrant Communities, Two Years On
By  Julia Gelatt and Muzaffar Chishti
Cover image for Leveraging Predeparture Counselling
Policy Briefs
May 2022
Leveraging Predeparture Counseling to Support Returning Migrants’ Sustainable Reintegration
By  Lucía Salgado

Pages

The U.S. Coast Guard interdicts a vessel with Cuban migrants.
Policy Beat
October 25, 2023
Can the Biden Immigration Playbook Be Effective for Managing Arrivals via Sea?

Amid the highest Caribbean maritime migration levels in a generation, the Biden administration is relying on a carrot-and-stick strategy it honed amid record unauthorized migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The approach, combining limits on asylum, expanded legal pathways, and international enforcement partnerships, could be increasingly important if maritime migration rises, as this article explains.

A man with potatoes in Ecuador
Profile
October 18, 2023
Ecuador Juggles Rising Emigration and Challenges Accommodating Venezuelan Arrivals

Ecuador has emerged as a significant destination for Venezuelan migrants, and is also a sizable origin for people heading to the United States and Spain. The Andean nation has found itself enmeshed in the Americas' evolving mobility trends and has responded with a mix of policies that have produced some unforeseen outcomes. This country profile evaluates recent trends and puts them in historical context.

Un hombre con patatas en Ecuador
Profile
October 18, 2023
Ecuador hace malabares con la creciente emigración y los desafíos para acomodar la llegada de venezolanos

Ecuador se ha convertido en un destino importante para los migrantes sudamericanos, un país de tránsito para quienes se dirigen al norte y una fuente renovada de emigración. El pequeño país andino se ha visto enredado en las tendencias cambiantes de movilidad de la región y ha respondido a las circunstancias cambiantes con una combinación de políticas que ha producido algunos resultados imprevistos.

A Vietnamese family in the kitchen.
Spotlight
October 11, 2023
Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

The more than 1.3 million Vietnamese immigrants in the United States are the result of nearly 50 years of migration that began with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. While early generations of Vietnamese immigrants tended to arrive as refugees, the vast majority of recent green-card holders obtained their status through family reunification channels. This article takes a look at the sixth-largest U.S. immigrant population.

Migrantes en la aldea de Canaán Membrillo, en el Tapón del Darién, Panamá.
Feature
October 9, 2023
Cómo el peligroso Tapón del Darién se convirtió en la encrucijada migratoria de las Américas

El paso por el Tapón del Darién ha transformado la migración en las Américas. Cada día, más de 1.000 personas cruzan lo que no hace mucho era un tramo de selva poco transitado entre Colombia y Panamá, la mayoría con la esperanza de llegar a Estados Unidos o Canadá. Es un viaje increíblemente arriesgado. Los gobiernos se han esforzado por responder al creciente movimiento, que se espera que supere los 500.000 cruces en 2023.

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Commentaries
March 2021
Hampered by the Pandemic: Unaccompanied Child Arrivals Increase as Earlier Preparedness Shortfalls Limit the Response
By  Mark Greenberg
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Commentaries
February 2021
What Comes Next Now that Colombia Has Taken a Historic Step on Migration?
By  Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan and Diego Chaves-González
BreadforWorld_DACA_3
Commentaries
February 2021
A Deeper Look at the DREAMers Who Could Feature in the Legalization Debate in Congress
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
BreadforWorld motherandchild v2
Commentaries
January 2021
Nearly 3 Million U.S. Citizens and Legal Immigrants Initially Excluded under the CARES Act Are Covered under the December 2020 COVID-19 Stimulus
By  Julia Gelatt, Randy Capps and Michael Fix
LatinoMentalHealth commentary December2020
Commentaries
December 2020
How the Fear of Immigration Enforcement Affects the Mental Health of Latino Youth
By  Randy Capps and Michael Fix
State of the EU 2020
Commentaries
October 2020
The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum—A Bold Move to Avoid the Abyss?
By  Hanne Beirens
2020CensusOutreach USCensusBureau
Commentaries
July 2020
Millions of U.S. Citizens Could Be Excluded under Trump Plan to Remove Unauthorized Immigrants from Census Data
By  Randy Capps, Jennifer Van Hook and Julia Gelatt
MigrantsTijuanaRiverBed_BBCWorldService2014
Commentaries
July 2019
Soluciones estratégicas para afrontar la crisis migratoria en Estados Unidos y México
By  Andrew Selee, Silvia E. Giorguli-Saucedo, Claudia Masferrer and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
FatherDaughterRioGrandeCrossing_CBPKrisGrogan
Commentaries
July 2019
As the Trump Administration Seeks to Remove Families, Due-Process Questions over Rocket Dockets Abound
By  Sarah Pierce
INMDistributesFoodAidChiapasMX.
Commentaries
June 2019
International Experience Suggests Safe Third-Country Agreement Would Not Solve the U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis
By  Susan Fratzke

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Video, Audio
March 16, 2022

Understanding Drivers of Irregular Migration from Guatemala

This event explores changing migration patterns from Guatemala, how policymakers and development practitioners can help create livelihood options and address other drivers of migration, and the broader lessons for policy approaches in sending and receiving countries that could help better manage migration and provide alternatives to irregular migration.

Video, Audio
March 16, 2022

Comprendiendo los factores que impulsan la migración irregular desde Guatemala

En este evento de presentación del informe, los ponentes hablan sobre los cambios en los patrones de migración desde Guatemala.

Video, Audio
January 19, 2022

Biden at One: Assessing the Administration’s Immigration Record

This MPI discussion with leading experts, advocates, and a top official from the administration examines the Biden track record on immigration and what lays ahead

Expert Q&A, Audio
November 24, 2021

Thinking Regionally to Act Locally in Immigration Policy

With migration a dynamic phenomenon in the Americas, the U.S. government increasingly is realizing that migration management should be viewed in a regional context. This requires a new set of policies and ways of engagement with countries in North and Central America, and beyond, as MPI President Andrew Selee discusses with colleague Andrea Tanco in this episode of our World of Migration podcast.

World of Migration Podcast Episode 4
Expert Q&A, Audio
October 29, 2021

U.S. Immigration Reform Denied: Destined to Repeat the Cycle of Failure?

The architecture of the U.S. legal immigration system rests on a 1965 law and was last significantly updated in 1990. While there is widespread agreement that the existing framework does not align with the needs and realities of the 21st century, Congress has proven unable to enact significant legislative reform over the past two decades. How have debates on immigration changed and is achieving bipartisan consensus on this highly charged issue possible today?

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Recent Activity

Commentaries
March 2015

The Potential and Pitfalls of Extraterritorial Processing of Asylum Claims

Much attention has focused recently on the possibility of the European Union establishing processing centers in North Africa or elsewhere to manage asylum seekers and migrants traveling to Europe, despite the fact no policy proposal is formally on the table. This commentary examines the opportunities and drawbacks of extraterritorial processing, and suggests the need for a well-informed discussion.

Articles
March 13, 2015

All Eyes on U.S. Federal Courts as Deferred Action Programs Halted

Attention is now squarely focused on the U.S. federal courts where the legal battle over President Obama's executive actions on immigration continues. While congressional efforts to roll back the directives appear to have been put aside, at least temporarily, implementation of the signature deferred action programs announced in November 2014 remains blocked. The administration, however, is moving forward with other aspects of the executive order, as this article explores.
Reports
March 2015

A Profile of Immigrants in Houston, the Nation's Most Diverse Metropolitan Area

In 2013 the Houston metro area was home to 1.4 million immigrants—with the nearly 60 percent growth in its immigrant population since 2000 nearly twice the national rate. This report provides an overview of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Houston's immigrants, along with their naturalization rates, legal status, and potential eligibility for immigration benefits such as citizenship or deferred action programs.
Articles
March 4, 2015

Destination China: The Country Adjusts to its New Migration Reality

Faced with rising numbers of foreign entries (long- and short-term), China in 2012 adopted new legislation to manage its migration flows—the first reform to the country's immigration law since 1985. With an underlying tension in the legal framework between restricting immigrants deemed unwanted and welcoming those viewed as desirable, this feature examines the exit-entry law's key points.

Articles
February 26, 2015

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

An estimated 41.3 million immigrants lived in the United States in 2013, about 13 percent of the total U.S. population, constituting the world's largest foreign-born population. This Spotlight from MPI's Jie Zong and Jeanne Batalova offers the most current and sought-after data on immigrants in the United States—including origin, educational attainment, the unauthorized, deportations, and more—in one easy-to-use resource.

Articles
February 11, 2015

As Implementation Nears, U.S. Deferred Action Programs Encounter Legal, Political Tests

President Obama's sweeping executive action to shield as many as 3.7 million unauthorized immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents from deportation is facing tough legal and political challenges. This month's Policy Beat examines the efforts to proceed with implementation of DAPA and the expansion of DACA despite a lawsuit brought by a coalition of 26 states and staunch opposition in the Republican-controlled Congress.
Video, Audio, Webinars
January 15, 2015

The County-Level View of Unauthorized Immigrants and Implications for Executive Action Implementation

A webinar showcasing MPI's data profiles of unauthorized immigrants in the 94 U.S. counties with the largest such populations, as well as the implications of the data for implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs.

Video, Audio, Webinars
January 7, 2015

Lessons from DACA’s Implementation and its Impact on Education and Training

A webinar examining the outreach and initiatives by educational institutions and other community stakeholders seeking to support the education and training success of grantees of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

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