E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
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

FLICKR 2021Portugal.eu 2021.01.05 Visit of the President of the European Council to Portugal
Multimedia
February 5, 2021
A Way Forward on Migration Under the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union?
Joe Biden attends a pre-election event in Nevada.
Articles
January 27, 2021
Biden Sets the Stage for a Remarkably Active First 100 Days on Immigration
By Muzaffar Chishti and Sarah Pierce
MovingBeyondPandemic-Episode6-CGDEpisodeTile
Multimedia
December 17, 2020
Could Curbing Globalization Prevent Future Pandemics?
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Reports
December 2020
Construcción de un nuevo sistema migratorio regional: Redefiniendo la cooperación entre Estados Unidos con México y Centroamérica
By  Andrew Selee and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
IMAGE 17thLAPC
Multimedia
September 21, 2020
17th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
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Reports
November 2020
Building a New Regional Migration System: Redefining U.S. Cooperation with Mexico and Central America
By  Andrew Selee and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
2020.11.18FLICKRDHSCHADWOLFE2
Multimedia
November 17, 2020
Mission Critical: The Evolution of U.S. Homeland Security in the 21st Century
Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19
Reports
November 2020
Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou

Pages

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Reports
February 2006
Countering Terrorist Mobility: Shaping an Operational Strategy
By  Susan Ginsburg
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Reports
January 2006
The New 'Boat People': Ensuring Safety and Determining Status
By  Joanne van Selm and Betsy Cooper
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Fact Sheets
November 2005
Immigration Enforcement Spending Since IRCA
By  David Dixon and Julia Gelatt
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Policy Briefs
November 2005
U.S. Border Enforcement: From Horseback to High-Tech
By  Deborah W. Meyers
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Reports
August 2005
Secure Borders, Open Doors: Visa Procedures in the Post-September 11 Era
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Betsy Cooper and Stephen Yale-Loehr
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Policy Briefs
August 2005
Lessons From The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
By  Betsy Cooper and Kevin O'Neil
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Reports
June 2005
One Face at The Border: Behind the Slogan
By  Deborah W. Meyers
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Reports
June 2005
Real Challenges for Virtual Borders: The Implementation of US-VISIT
By  Rey Koslowski

Pages

Migrant processing at San Ysidro port of entry
Policy Beat
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.

JeffSessions2018
Policy Beat
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.

A port in Mahdia, Tunisia.
Feature
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.

Image of families belong together event banner in Houston
Policy Beat
September 26, 2018
Trump Administration’s New Indefinite Family Detention Policy: Deterrence Not Guaranteed

As the Trump administration moves to be able to indefinitely detain parents and children intercepted at the U.S.-Mexico border, whether illegal border crossers or asylum seekers, recent apprehension trends and history suggest hardline policies might not be a slam-dunk deterrent with a Central American population often driven by the desire to escape gang or other violence, as this Policy Beat explores.

us peace corps indonesia
Profile
September 19, 2018
Indonesia: A Country Grappling with Migrant Protection at Home and Abroad

Indonesia, which has a long history as a major origin for migrant labor in the Asia-Pacific and beyond, more recently has reluctantly found itself a transit and destination country, including for asylum seekers. Still, policymakers remain focused on protection of its nationals abroad rather than on assuring the status of Chinese and other foreigners in the country. This country profile explores Indonesia's rich migration history. 

 

Pages

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EventPH 2015.3.31 Unaccompanied Child Migration to the United States Flickr CBP Processing Unaccompanied Children
Video, Audio
March 31, 2015

Child and Family Migration to the United States: Continuing Flows and Evolving Responses

A webinar examining the shifting pattern of Central American child and family migration between 2011 and 2014 and expectations for 2015, the policy challenges presented by the rising inflow, and how states, localities, the U.S. government, and other countries in the region are responding to this recent trend.

EVENTPH 2014.12.3 Executive Action Webinar Flickr The Speaker flickr com photos thespeakernews 15660310918
Video, Audio
December 3, 2014

Digging Deeper Into Executive Action: A Further Examination of the Impacts

A discussion with MPI experts of the less-examined aspects of President Obama's executive actions on immigration, with respect to immigration enforcement, legal immigration, and immigrant integration.

EVENTPH 2014.10.21 11th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conf. USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez
Video, Audio
October 21, 2014

11th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

This conference, keynoted by USCIS Director León Rodríguez, featured panels on local immigrant integration policies; expected executive action on immigration; the treatment of unaccompanied children from Central America; and innovations in government-funded legal counsel and accelerated court cases.

EVENTPH 2014.10.16 The U.S. Deportation System Trends from a Decade of Data
Video, Audio
October 16, 2014

The U.S. Deportation System: Trends from a Decade of Data

MPI researchers, along with analysts from the Government Accountability Office and American Immigration Council, discuss the findings from an MPI report that examines the 3.7 million deportations that have occurred in the United States since establishment of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, as well as lessons that can be learned for future policy and possible administrative action.

EventPH 2014.9.22 Leadership Visions with USCBP from event
Video, Audio
September 22, 2014

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Discusses His Vision for the Agency

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, who assumed his duties in 2014, lays out his vision and discusses his priorities for the agency as part of MPI's Leadership Visions series.

Pages

Recent Activity

Video, Audio
February 5, 2021

A Way Forward on Migration Under the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union?

With Portugal assuming the EU Presidency in January 2021 and prioritizing progress on the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, this webinar features senior officials from the European Union, Germany (the last holder of the presidency), and Portugal to take stock of where conversations on the pact stand and Portugal’s plans for taking forward the negotiations. 

Articles
January 27, 2021

Biden Sets the Stage for a Remarkably Active First 100 Days on Immigration

The Biden administration has set the pace for what could be the most active first 100 days on immigration policy by any White House in recent memory—even that of predecessor Donald Trump. The efforts, which represent a dramatic break from the Trump administration's view of immigration as threat, are likely to meet stiff opposition on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. This article evaluates Biden's early actions and what they suggest about the White House's ambitions on immigration.

Expert Q&A, Audio
December 17, 2020

Could Curbing Globalization Prevent Future Pandemics?

Pre-COVID-19, we lived in a hyper-global world. There were 1.5 billion international tourism trips annually, nearly 40 million flights, and 272 million international migrants. This raises a provocative question: Does international mobility contribute to the spread of pandemics? In this episode of Moving Beyond Pandemic, we speak with Michael Clemens and Thomas Ginn of the Center for Global Development. Drawing on their research of global pandemics dating to 1889, they make the case that limits on cross-border mobility delay the arrival of pathogens by days at best.

Reports
December 2020

Construcción de un nuevo sistema migratorio regional: Redefiniendo la cooperación entre Estados Unidos con México y Centroamérica

Un desafío y una oportunidad clave que enfrentará la administración de Joe Biden será cómo abordar la cooperación regional en relación a la migración. Este informe explora la evolución de la movilidad entre los Estados Unidos, México y Centroamérica y presenta una estrategia para ampliar las oportunidades en cuanto a la migración legal, abordar necesidades humanitarias, fortalecer la aplicación de la ley y mitigar algunas de las fuerzas que provocan la emigración.

Video, Webinars
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.

Reports
November 2020

Building a New Regional Migration System: Redefining U.S. Cooperation with Mexico and Central America

Addressing regional cooperation around migration will be among the immigration challenges and opportunities facing the incoming Biden administration. This report examines how movement between the United States, Mexico, and Central America has evolved in recent decades, and lays out a four-part strategy to expand opportunities for legal migration, address humanitarian protection needs, improve enforcement, and mitigate some of the forces driving people to emigrate.

Video, Audio, Webinars
November 17, 2020

Mission Critical: The Evolution of U.S. Homeland Security in the 21st Century

What does it mean to “secure the homeland” in the 21st century? And how do the Department of Homeland Security's immigration and border security missions figure into the equation? Top security experts assess DHS’s evolution and how it organizes its operations and migration management. They also offer recommendations on how to improve U.S. homeland security.
 

Reports
November 2020

Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19

Around the world, governments are grappling with how to combat the COVID-19 pandemic while also managing the economic fallout of policies put in place to stop the virus’ spread. Global migration has dropped sharply amid border closures and travel restrictions. This reflection takes stock of policy responses to the pandemic thus far, and of the challenges (and some opportunities) on the horizon for migration systems, labor markets, and integration of newcomers.

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