E.g., 07/08/2026
E.g., 07/08/2026
Border Enforcement

Border Enforcement

_BorderEnforcement

Border enforcement is more than its widely perceived role of border guards patrolling external boundaries and inspectors admitting traffic through ports of entry. While those are key components, border enforcement represents a more holistic function, integrating resources and information at and between all ports of entry—whether air, land, or sea—with consular operations abroad and more. The research presented here examines these varied facets.

Recent Activity

A small boat flying the Turkish flag moving through the sea.
Articles
The backs of two people on a motorbike; above them a sign notes the Guatemala border
Articles
Immigrants take the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony.
Anti-refugee activists in Austria.
Articles
President Donald Trump addresses the nation.
Articles
Migrantes venezolanos esperan procesamiento en Brasil.
Articles
Cover image for Small Boats, Big Stakes
Policy Briefs
June 2025
By  Meghan Benton, Susan Fratzke and Nurbanu Hayır
Cover image for Facing New Migration Realities...
Policy Briefs
May 2025
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Doris Meissner and Andrew Selee
Cover image for Towards the More Effective Use of Irregular Migration Data...
Policy Briefs
December 2024
By  Jasmijn Slootjes and Ravenna Sohst
Cover image for Managing International Protection Needs at Borders
Reports
July 2024
By  Lucía Salgado, Susan Fratzke, Lawrence Huang and Emma Dorst
Cover image for The State of Global Mobility in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reports
April 2024
By  Meghan Benton, Lawrence Huang, Jeanne Batalova and Tino Tirado
Cover image for Lessons from COVID-19
Policy Briefs
March 2024
By  Meghan Benton and Lawrence Huang
Cover image for Converging Crises
Reports
March 2024
By  Luisa Feline Freier, Andrea Kvietok and Leon Lucar Oba
A small boat flying the Turkish flag moving through the sea.

Previously niche strategies of recruiting partner countries to help manage irregular migration have become mainstream. Governments in multiple migrant-receiving countries have engaged other countries to screen, detain, remove, or otherwise transfer migrants elsewhere—in effect pushing the border outwards. While some externalization approaches have been criticized, the range of models is more nuanced than is commonly understood.

The backs of two people on a motorbike; above them a sign notes the Guatemala border

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.

Immigrants take the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony.

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.

Anti-refugee activists in Austria.

In recent years, vigilante groups opposed to immigration have formed to conduct patrols, stage parades, and even commit violence against asylum seekers and other migrants in Europe, North America, and other regions. Vigilantes often claim that the government has been soft on irregular migration and use performative, symbolically heavy imagery to sway public opinion. This article traces the trends in vigilante movements targeting migrants.

President Donald Trump addresses the nation.

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.

Photo of migrants in line at port of entry in Brownsville awaiting possible entry
Short Reads
February 2025
By  Jennifer Van Hook, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Julia Gelatt
Montage of photos of Presidents Sheinbaum and Trump
Short Reads
February 2025
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
Migrants and community members at a local clinic in Panama
Short Reads
December 2024
By  Susan Fratzke, Meghan Benton and Andrew Selee
Leaders at 2023 U.S.-Mexico High-Level Security Dialogue
Short Reads
October 2024
By  Andrew Selee and Doris Meissner
CBP agent at San Ysidro port of entry
Short Reads
October 2024
By  Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
A German border sign next to a road
Short Reads
September 2024
By  Hanne Beirens, Susan Fratzke and Camille Le Coz
European and UK leaders at 2024 European Political Community summit
Short Reads
July 2024
By  Camille Le Coz and Meghan Benton
Explainer IllegalImmigration Art
Explainers
April 2019

How has the size of the unauthorized population in the United States changed over time? How is illegal immigration changing, and where do unauthorized immigrants come from? This explainer answers basic questions about illegal immigration, the changing patterns from Mexico, and more.

President Trump and Secretary Noem visit Alligator Alcatraz
Video, Audio
January 13, 2026

MPI analysts assess the immigration actions taken during President Trump's first year back in office, detail the legal state of play, and analyze the actual effects on the labor market, U.S. communities, and future immigration to the United States.

President Trump Addresses Joint Session of Congress - March 4, 2025
Video, Audio
April 24, 2025

Top analysts assess the most consequential immigration actions taken during the first 100 days of President Trump's second term, detail the litigation picture, and analyze some of the early effects of policies on U.S. communities.

Expert Q&A, Audio
January 30, 2025

This episode of the Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast speaks with Julia Neusner, a lawyer and researcher with the International Refugee Assistance Project who has conducted surveys and interviews with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border about whether, where, and how they have experienced climate impacts.

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol, Thursday, March 7, 2024,
Video, Audio
December 17, 2024

As the Biden administration draws to a close, this webinar examined the Biden record on border management, legal immigration, and refugee resettlement, among other aspects. Speakers assessed the Biden legacy and discussed findings from an analysis of the administration’s actions on immigration during its four years.

Expert Q&A, Audio
May 31, 2024

In this episode of the podcast, Climate Migration Council member and former U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott H. Swift (ret.) offers perspective on the security dynamics of climate change and migration, focusing on the Pacific.

Recent Activity

Articles

Previously niche strategies of recruiting partner countries to help manage irregular migration have become mainstream. Governments in multiple migrant-receiving countries have engaged other countries to screen, detain, remove, or otherwise transfer migrants elsewhere—in effect pushing the border outwards. While some externalization approaches have been criticized, the range of models is more nuanced than is commonly understood.

Articles

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.

Articles

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.

Articles

In recent years, vigilante groups opposed to immigration have formed to conduct patrols, stage parades, and even commit violence against asylum seekers and other migrants in Europe, North America, and other regions. Vigilantes often claim that the government has been soft on irregular migration and use performative, symbolically heavy imagery to sway public opinion. This article traces the trends in vigilante movements targeting migrants.

Video, Audio, Webinars
January 13, 2026

MPI analysts assess the immigration actions taken during President Trump's first year back in office, detail the legal state of play, and analyze the actual effects on the labor market, U.S. communities, and future immigration to the United States.

Articles

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.

Short Reads
October 2025

The transformation in U.S. immigration enforcement taking place at the U.S.-Mexico border and in communities across the United States during the second Trump term is tangibly captured in government data for fiscal year (FY) 2025. This short read sifts through the available data to look at encounters, arrests, detentions, and deportations during the fiscal year.

Articles

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.