E.g., 02/03/2023
E.g., 02/03/2023
Refugee & Asylum Policy

Refugee & Asylum Policy

Asylum Seekers
Refugees & Resettlement
_RefugeeAsylumPolicy credit

Tens of millions of people around the globe have been forcibly displaced by conflict, natural disaster, or persecution, seeking refuge either within or beyond the borders of their country. Humanitarian protection, whether for refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced persons (IDPs), represents a key policy area for many major immigrant-receiving countries as well as nations bordering locations where war, political upheaval, or natural disaster have disrupted daily life. The research offered here relates to the law and practice of protecting refugees and IDPs in areas of conflict as well as in industrialized nations, with a focus on secure solutions and effective institutional arrangements for comprehensive protection.

Recent Activity

Digital litter
Articles
June 20, 2019
Digital Litter: The Downside of Using Technology to Help Refugees
By Meghan Benton
coverthumb Social Innovation Refugee Inclusion 2019
Reports
June 2019
Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion: From Bright Spots to System Change
By  Liam Patuzzi, Meghan Benton and Alexandra Embiricos
A view of Prague
Articles
June 6, 2019
Migration and Integration in Czechia: Policy Advances and the Hand Brake of Populism
By Dušan Drbohlav and Kristýna Janurová
EuropeanParliament EPphoto Flickr
Commentaries
May 2019
The Election Results Are In: It Is Neither the End of Europe nor Its Rebirth
By  Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Canal in Amsterdam
Articles
May 1, 2019
Migration in the Netherlands: Rhetoric and Perceived Reality Challenge Dutch Tolerance
By Joanne van Selm
Preparing for the Unknown: Designing Effective Predeparture Orientation for Resettling Refugees
Reports
May 2019
Preparing for the Unknown: Designing Effective Predeparture Orientation for Resettling Refugees
By  Susan Fratzke and Lena Kainz
International vs. National Protection for Refugees Event - David Fitzgerald
Multimedia
April 10, 2019
International vs. National Protection for Refugees: Diverging Trends?
LOGO FOR WEB EVENT SIRI 2019 01 2425_si4ri_imi_18_550600x270dynamics
Multimedia
January 24, 2019
Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion: A Sense of Home

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Policy Briefs
April 2003
Reconciling Refugee Protection and Security Concerns in Wartime: The Case of Iraq
By  Monette Zard and Erin Patrick

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Cover Top10 2Displacement
Top Ten
December 17, 2015
Displacement Reaches Record High as Wars Continue and New Conflicts Emerge

Global displacement reached a new high with nearly 60 million people worldwide displaced internally or externally in the greatest number since record-keeping began. The trend continued in 2015 as conflicts in places such as Central African Republic, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen drove millions of people to leave their homes and seek refuge in other communities or across borders.

Cover Top10 4Smuggling
Top Ten
December 15, 2015
Big Business of Smuggling Enables Mass Movement of People for Enormous Profits

Faced with a flexible, diverse, and seemingly ubiquitous smuggling industry, governments have struggled to respond. Smuggling and trafficking networks, while hardly new phenomena, were put under a harsh spotlight in 2015 for their role as intermediaries in shaping the scale and flow of migrants and asylum seekers around the world.

Cover Top10 6Rhetoric
Top Ten
December 11, 2015
Refugee Crisis Deepens Political Polarization in the West

As seemingly endless waves of asylum seekers and migrants arrived in Europe in 2015, politicians from across the political spectrum invoked forceful anti-immigrant rhetoric that resonated in some quarters. Mainstream politicians began co-opting the tougher, more enforcement-laden language of far-right groups as all parties sought to reassure voters in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris.

Cover Top10 8UACs
Top Ten
December 9, 2015
A Shared Challenge: Europe and the United States Confront Significant Flows of Unaccompanied Child Migrants

Child migrants traveling alone to Europe or the United States face similar dangers and are particularly at risk of abuse and trafficking. The arrival of tens of thousands of such children in Europe and the United States have overwhelmed accommodations as well as legal and integration processes. Furthermore, the unprecedented flows have sparked heated public debate in a number of cities.

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.

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IOM Muse Mohammed Jasem a Syrian refugee resettled to France
Video, Audio
March 17, 2021

COVID-19 Recovery and the Next Stage of the Syrian Refugee Response After Ten Years

Ten years into the response to the Syrian refugee crisis, this webinar explores findings from a research project conducted by the Durable Solutions Platform (DSP) and MPI on lessons from international experiences to support pathways to solutions in the Syrian refugee context. 

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Expert Q&A, Audio
March 2, 2021

Changing Climate, Changing Migration: Who Manages Climate Migration? Evolving Global Governance

Climate change and international migration both are global issues with aspects that countries try to manage through treaties, pacts, and other types of agreements. But most of the global governance frameworks that exist for climate-induced migration require only voluntary commitments by states.

2021.2.22 UNHCR Resettlement From Somalia to US
Video, Audio
February 22, 2021

The Future of Refugee Resettlement and Complementary Pathways: Strengthening Sustainable and Strategic Humanitarian Solutions for Refugees

This event organized by MPI and CWS, one of nine U.S. refugee resettlement agencies, examined the refugee resettlement system and complementary pathways that represent untapped opportunities for refugees to improve their lives through migration.

FLICKR 2021Portugal.eu 2021.01.05 Visit of the President of the European Council to Portugal
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. 

FLICKR BREAD FOR THE WORLD Bread for the World Groups gathered from all across the U.S. to demonstrate support for DACA and DAPA
Video
February 4, 2021

Prospects for a U.S. Legalization Program and the Unauthorized Immigrant Groups that Could Factor in the Debate

Following President Biden's call on Congress to enact a sweeping immigration proposal that offers most unauthorized immigrants a pathway to citizenship, this discussion examines the prospects for any legislative efforts at immigration reform, what bipartisan support might develop, and the various legalization policy options.

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Recent Activity

Articles
November 18, 2021

South Africa Reckons with Its Status as a Top Immigration Destination, Apartheid History, and Economic Challenges

South Africa hosts the most immigrants of any African country. Yet it faces conflicting pressures, including the legacy of apartheid, a steady outflow of well-educated South Africans, and the need to juggle bilateral labor mobility schemes at a time of economic insecurity and high unemployment. This article traces these pressures and how they have developed over time.

Articles
November 5, 2021

Costa Rica Has Welcoming Policies for Migrants, but Nicaraguans Face Subtle Barriers

Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans have fled their country since 2018, amid repression and a renewed government crackdown. In neighboring Costa Rica, many migrants have encountered a robust system for protection and integration, yet they still face stigma and discrimination in their daily lives. This article explores this dynamic along one of Central America's most important migratory routes.

Video, Audio, Webinars
October 14, 2021

Bienvenida a los Migrantes Venezolanos, Innovaciones en las Políticas de Integración en Colombia

En este webinario ponentes examinan cuestiones de integración y cohesión social en Colombia. También se explora cómo la comunidad internacional puede apoyar a los países que están recibiendo altas cantidades de personas venezolanas, como Colombia, mientras intentan estabilizar la situación de migrantes tanto como la de las comunidades de acogida, además de potenciar los beneficios de la migración y limitar sus posibles desventajas.  

Commentaries
October 2021

It Is Too Simple to Call 2021 a Record Year for Migration at the U.S.-Mexico Border

While there were more encounters of migrants seeking to cross the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization during fiscal 2021 than any prior year, this does not necessarily mean that more migrants were intercepted or illicitly entered the country than was the case 21 years ago, a new commentary explains.

Articles
October 22, 2021

The Resettlement Gap: A Record Number of Global Refugees, but Few Are Resettled

There are more refugees than ever globally, but each year only a tiny share get selected for resettlement to new countries. This “resettlement gap” has grown due to political pressures in resettlement countries and procedural challenges throughout the process, as this article explains.

Expert Q&A, Audio
October 20, 2021

World of Migration: Building a Modern U.S. Immigration and Asylum System in the National Interest

People on all sides of the policy debate largely agree that the current U.S. immigration system is broken. What should a 21st century immigration system that works in the national interest look like? And is this vision achievable amid current political realities? In this conversation, MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner speaks with Policy Analyst Ariel Ruiz Soto about how to build an immigration system that reflects today’s realities and builds in the flexibility to adapt to future developments.

Reports
October 2021

How We Talk about Migration: The Link between Migration Narratives, Policy, and Power

As migration levels rise, societies are facing competing narratives about immigration. Often, there is dissonance between top-down narratives from political leaders and bottom-up narratives spread through personal and media engagement. This report explores positive and negative narratives around migration in Colombia, Lebanon, Morocco, Sweden, and the United States to determine the contexts in which some stick while others fail.

Articles
October 15, 2021

Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

Vietnamese immigrants are among the largest foreign-born groups from Asia in the United States. The first significant arrivals came at the end of the Vietnam War; more recent immigrants from Vietnam have been more likely to come through family sponsorship programs. This article examines different dimensions of this immigrant population.

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