E.g., 06/28/2026
E.g., 06/28/2026
Deportations/Returns

Deportations/Returns

CBPAgent HoldingGuard1

Amid a rise in mixed migration to U.S. and European borders, dating back to 1990 in the U.S. case and more recently in Europe, governments have explored ways to increase removals/returns of people found to be resident without authorization. The research gathered here explores the growing U.S. focus over recent decades on deportations, which reached a peak of about 432,000 in a single year, as well as EU governments' policy focus on returns and reintegration.

Recent Activity

After being stranded in Libya, migrant from Senegal returns with help from IOM
Short Reads
June 2026
By  Camille Le Coz and Ravenna Sohst
Cover image for Reconstruyendo vidas en Guatemala
Reports
June 2026
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, María Jesús Mora and Diego Chaves-González
Cover image for Rebuilding Lives in Guatemala
Reports
June 2026
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, María Jesús Mora and Diego Chaves-González
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
Cover image for From Exile to Return
Reports
April 2026
By  Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Susan Fratzke
Cover image for Reconstruyendo vidas en Guatemala
Reports
June 2026
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, María Jesús Mora and Diego Chaves-González
Cover image for Rebuilding Lives in Guatemala
Reports
June 2026
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, María Jesús Mora and Diego Chaves-González
Cover image for From Exile to Return
Reports
April 2026
By  Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Susan Fratzke
Cover image for Breaking the Cycle of Dysfunction at the U.S. Immigration Courts
Policy Briefs
November 2025
By  Kathleen Bush-Joseph, Doris Meissner and Muzaffar Chishti
Cover image for Reframing Return and Reintegration
Policy Briefs
October 2025
By  Bertrand Steiner, Adèle Appriou, Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz
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
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.

The Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in New York City.

Federal judges have provided significant opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies during its second term. The courts have halted or slowed a number of administration initiatives, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out deportations and seeking to end birthright citizenship. This continues a trend of the judicial branch increasingly becoming the policymakers of last resort as presidents turn to executive action in the face of congressional inaction.

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.

Federal officers and protesters in Portland, Oregon

The ramp-up of federal immigration enforcement during the second Trump term has prompted sharp responses from state and local governments, with some limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or barring agents' wearing of masks or the establishment of immigrant detention facilities. At the same time, some Republican-led jurisdictions have embraced policies to encourage cooperation with ICE. This article traces the rise of "sanctuary" policies and divergent trends.

After being stranded in Libya, migrant from Senegal returns with help from IOM
Short Reads
June 2026
By  Camille Le Coz and Ravenna Sohst
Venezuelan migrants in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Short Reads
February 2026
By  Diego Chaves-González
Venezuelan immigrant registers in Ecuador
Short Reads
November 2025
By  Diego Chaves-González
A Guatemalan man reflects on his migration to and back from the United States
Short Reads
April 2025
By  María Jesús Mora and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
Un hombre guatemalteco reflexiona sobre su migración hacia y desde Estados Unidos.
Short Reads
April 2025
By  María Jesús Mora and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
Graphic representation of law enforcement personnel taking individuals into custody
Explainers
February 2025

El control migratorio en los Estados Unidos se lleva a cabo en sus fronteras, así como en el interior del país. Esta guía informática tiene respuestas a preguntas comunes sobre la función del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés) de EE. UU., en la identificación de personas para arresto, detención, y deportación a través del sistema de justicia penal y las operaciones en lugares de trabajo y dentro de comunidades estadounidenses.

Graphic representation of law enforcement personnel taking individuals into custody
Explainers
February 2025

Immigration enforcement takes place both at U.S. borders and in the nation’s interior. This explainer answers common questions about how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement works within the U.S. interior, identifying people for arrest, detention, and removal through the criminal justice pipeline as well as through operations at worksites and within U.S. communities.

Expert Q&A, Audio
June 2, 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026 arrives amid stricter U.S. immigration policies that are limiting access for fans from dozens of countries. This World of Migration episode features sports journalist Albert Samaha on what the intersection of sports and immigration at the World Cup, including visa barriers and stepped-up enforcement, could mean, including for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Expert Q&A, Audio
May 18, 2026

Cuba's collapsing economy and shrinking immigration pathways to the United States are redirecting Cuban migration flows across the Americas, as this World of Migration episode explores with María José Espinosa Carrillo, Executive Director of the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA).

Image of gavel
Video, Audio
November 24, 2025

Featuring findings from a MPI policy brief, this discussion examines how the immigration courts have reached a point of crisis, the policies of the current administration and its predecessor touching upon the courts, and what administrative and legislative reforms are needed to transform the system. 

Book-On the Move: Rapidly Evolving Migration Trends and Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean
Video, Audio
September 8, 2025

This timely and thought-provoking conversation on migration in the Americas features discussion of the new book On the Move: Migration Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, surprising patterns, and the urgent policy questions facing Latin America and the Caribbean today.

Nigerian migrants arrive home through charter flights
Video, Audio
June 25, 2025

This conversation explores emerging models, policy shifts, and lessons learned from the European and Latin American approaches to reintegration and support for returning migrants. 

Recent Activity

Short Reads
June 2026

EU policymakers are under mounting pressure to increase returns, yet the reintegration of returnees remains a politically overlooked dimension. This short read examines the fragmented landscape of assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) programs, the limits of current approaches, and how a more coherent European framework—anchored in local institutions and development partnerships—could better serve both returnees as well as origin and destination countries.

Reports
June 2026

El perfil de los migrantes guatemaltecos que están siendo forzados a retornar a Guatemala ha mostrado señales de cambio. Con frecuencia los migrantes retornados han permanecido fuera del país por períodos más prolongados y han establecido raíces en el extranjero. Este informe analiza las oportunidades para fortalecer los servicios de reintegración, dadas las características cambiantes de los migrantes retornados.

Reports
June 2026

The profile of Guatemalans forcibly returned to Guatemala is shifting, with returnees often having been outside of the country for longer periods and establishing roots abroad. This report examines opportunities to strengthen reintegration services, given the changing characteristics of returnees.

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.

Expert Q&A, Audio
June 2, 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026 arrives amid stricter U.S. immigration policies that are limiting access for fans from dozens of countries. This World of Migration episode features sports journalist Albert Samaha on what the intersection of sports and immigration at the World Cup, including visa barriers and stepped-up enforcement, could mean, including for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

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.

Expert Q&A, Audio
May 18, 2026

Cuba's collapsing economy and shrinking immigration pathways to the United States are redirecting Cuban migration flows across the Americas, as this World of Migration episode explores with María José Espinosa Carrillo, Executive Director of the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA).

Reports
April 2026

The fall of Syria’s Assad regime has raised questions in high-income countries about when displaced Syrians will return home. Similar conversations are underway about the nearly 7 million displaced Ukrainians. This report examines the complexity of facilitating returns without imperiling reconstruction, fueling additional displacement, and uprooting well-integrated workers and members of host societies.