E.g., 09/25/2023
E.g., 09/25/2023
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

Boys on a fishing boat on the shores of Lake Tanganyika
Articles
August 24, 2023
Tanzania’s Open Door to Refugees Narrows
By Yvette Ruzibiza and Simon Turner
Afghan parolees wait in line at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
Articles
August 2, 2023
In the Twilight Zone: Record Number of U.S. Immigrants Are in Limbo Statuses
By Muzaffar Chishti and Kathleen Bush-Joseph
Multimedia
July 27, 2023
Displacement in the Sahel: Exploring Rising Migration and Responses in West Africa
Venezuelan migrants charge their phones and other devices at a power point in Boa Vista, Brazil.
Articles
July 27, 2023
Technology Can Be Transformative for Refugees, but It Can Also Hold Them Back
By Amanda Alencar
Image of gavel resting on U.S. flag
Multimedia
July 20, 2023
Straining under the Backlog: Fixing a U.S. Immigration Court System in Crisis
Cover image for At the Breaking Point report
Reports
July 2023
At the Breaking Point: Rethinking the U.S. Immigration Court System
By  Muzaffar Chishti, Doris Meissner, Stephen Yale-Loehr, Kathleen Bush-Joseph and Christopher Levesque
Multimedia
July 12, 2023
Climate Migration 101
Haitians at a medical site in Jeremie, Haiti.
Articles
July 5, 2023
Haitians Flee a Nation Nearing Collapse
By Emmanuela Douyon

Pages

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 External Processing report
Reports
February 2023
External Processing: A Tool to Expand Protection or Further Restrict Territorial Asylum?
By  Pauline Endres de Oliveira and Nikolas Feith Tan
Cover image for Four Strategies to Improve Community Services for Unaccompanied Children in the Unit
Policy Briefs
December 2022
Four Strategies to Improve Community Services for Unaccompanied Children in the United States
By  Jonathan Beier, Lauren Farwell, Rhonda Fleischer and Essey Workie
Cover image for Rebooting the Asylum System?
Reports
October 2022
Rebooting the Asylum System? The Role of Digital Tools in International Protection
By  Hanne Beirens
Cover image for The Missing Link
Reports
July 2022
The Missing Link: Connecting Eligible Asylees and Asylum Seekers with Benefits and Services
By  Essey Workie, Lillie Hinkle and Stephanie Heredia
Cover image for Vías humanitarias para personas centroamericanas
Policy Briefs
May 2022
Vías humanitarias para personas centroamericanas: Evaluando oportunidades para el futuro
By  Susan Fratzke and Andrea Tanco
Cover image for Humanitarian Pathways for Central Americans
Policy Briefs
May 2022
Humanitarian Pathways for Central Americans: Assessing Opportunities for the Future
By  Susan Fratzke and Andrea Tanco

Pages

Boys on a fishing boat on the shores of Lake Tanganyika
Feature
August 24, 2023
Tanzania’s Open Door to Refugees Narrows

Tanzania’s previously generous policies towards refugees have been growing more restrictive. Many refugees are confined to camps separated from the rest of the community, and authorities have been accused of pressuring thousands of migrants to return to Burundi and Mozambique. In border communities, however, relations between natives and foreign nationals are much calmer, as this article details.

Afghan parolees wait in line at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
Policy Beat
August 2, 2023
In the Twilight Zone: Record Number of U.S. Immigrants Are in Limbo Statuses

An estimated 1.9 million migrants are in the United States or have been authorized to enter with a twilight immigration status that does not automatically lead to to permanent residence but temporarily shields them from deportation for at least one year. Use of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and immigration parole has been a hallmark of the Biden administration as it seeks to address record border arrivals and protection needs.

Venezuelan migrants charge their phones and other devices at a power point in Boa Vista, Brazil.
Feature
July 27, 2023
Technology Can Be Transformative for Refugees, but It Can Also Hold Them Back

While smartphones and other technologies can assist decision-making, they do not always improve migrants’ journeys or lives. Forcibly displaced populations can face barriers in the form of limited internet access and low levels of digital literacy. Digital tools may also expose them to government surveillance and raise anxiety about social relations with loved ones. This article underscores refugees' complex relationships with technology.

Haitians at a medical site in Jeremie, Haiti.
Feature
July 5, 2023
Haitians Flee a Nation Nearing Collapse

The Haitian diaspora has swelled since a massive earthquake in 2010 and in the wake of violent riots that culminated in a political crisis in 2018 and the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Poverty, natural disasters, political crisis, and insecurity have historically driven Haitian migration. Destination countries have often rejected these arrivals and sought to deport Haitian migrants in large numbers.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at a conference in Tampa.
Policy Beat
June 28, 2023
Activism on Immigration by U.S. States Is Back, with New Tactics and Different Targets

Renewed U.S. state activism on immigration has echoes of the early 2010s, when Arizona’s SB 1070 defined a Republican-led push to increase enforcement that was ultimately muted by the courts and public backlash. Newer strategies rely on a novel array of tactics including migrant busing, litigation, and lawmaking. States are also moving in opposite directions, with some expanding rights for unauthorized immigrants, as this article details.

Pages

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U.S. Border Patrol agents prepare to process migrant encountered near Arizona
Commentaries
October 2021
It Is Too Simple to Call 2021 a Record Year for Migration at the U.S.-Mexico Border
By  Jessica Bolter
Photo of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meeting with Afghan evacuees in Germany
Commentaries
September 2021
Different Statuses, Different Benefits: Determining Federal Assistance for Afghan Evacuees
By  Mark Greenberg, Celia Reynolds and Essey Workie
Commentaries
August 2021
Biden Administration Asylum Processing Revamp at the U.S. Border Could Be a Game Changer
By  Doris Meissner
Women and children outside of home in Sohadat, Afghanistan
Commentaries
August 2021
The International Community Must Develop a Well-Coordinated Protection Strategy for Afghan Refugees
By  Hanne Beirens and Camille Le Coz
Bhutanese refugee sits on bed in family's apartment in New York
Commentaries
June 2021
A Solvable Challenge: Improving Asylee Access to Health and Other Benefits
By  Essey Workie, Mark Greenberg and Lillie Hinkle
Unaccompanied children in CBP custody before being turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement
Commentaries
May 2021
U.S. Government Makes Significant Strides in Receiving Unaccompanied Children but Major Challenges Remain
By  Mark Greenberg
Commentaries
April 2021
European Strategy on Voluntary Return and Reintegration Advances Action within Bloc, Leaves More to Discuss with Countries of Migrant Origin
By  Camille Le Coz
CBP_UAC_MPP_processing_resize
Commentaries
March 2021
Hampered by the Pandemic: Unaccompanied Child Arrivals Increase as Earlier Preparedness Shortfalls Limit the Response
By  Mark Greenberg
CBP_SanYsidro_smaller
Commentaries
February 2021
Biden Administration Is Making Quick Progress on Asylum, but a Long, Complicated Road Lies Ahead
By  Doris Meissner and Sarah Pierce
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

Pages

Expert Q&A, Audio
June 27, 2023

A Mixed Welcome: Haitian Migration within the Caribbean

MPI Senior Policy Analyst Valerie Lacarte speaks with experts Bridget Wooding and Louby George about migration of Haitians to the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

Lucia is a South Sudanese volunteer for JRS in Maban, South Sudan. She leads women’s groups in the community and is a mentor for young girls.
Video
June 14, 2023

Making Refugee Participation in Protection Community Dialogues Meaningful

In the run-up to the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, this discussion examines efforts at facilitating refugee participation and meaningful engagement in policy conversations at global and other levels.

Expert Q&A, Audio
May 18, 2023

The U.S.-Mexico Border Becomes More High-Tech

MPI President Andrew Selee and two colleagues who joined him at the U.S.-Mexico border to examine increasingly sophisticated U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations discuss the evolution of policies and procedures to address asylum seekers and other migrants arriving at official ports of entry.

Image of computer and digital tools
Video
April 27, 2023

Toward a Road Map for Digitalization in the EU Humanitarian Protection Space

Digital solutions have been a lifeline for many governments and stakeholders involved in the reception and integration of millions of displaced Ukrainians. While digitalization holds great potential, digital tools also carry risk. This MPI Europe webinar examines the trade-offs, identifies lessons learned, and explores how digital tools might strengthen migration and integration systems.

Image of doctor explaining a diagnosis to a teen female patient sitting on a hospital bed
Video, Audio
April 24, 2023

Strengthening Medical and Mental Health Services for Unaccompanied Children in U.S. Communities

Marking the launch of a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and MPI, this event examines unaccompanied children’s access to medical and mental health services post-release and offering recommendations for improvements.

Pages

Recent Activity

Articles
August 24, 2023

Tanzania’s Open Door to Refugees Narrows

Tanzania’s previously generous policies towards refugees have been growing more restrictive. Many refugees are confined to camps separated from the rest of the community, and authorities have been accused of pressuring thousands of migrants to return to Burundi and Mozambique. In border communities, however, relations between natives and foreign nationals are much calmer, as this article details.

Articles
August 2, 2023

In the Twilight Zone: Record Number of U.S. Immigrants Are in Limbo Statuses

An estimated 1.9 million migrants are in the United States or have been authorized to enter with a twilight immigration status that does not automatically lead to to permanent residence but temporarily shields them from deportation for at least one year. Use of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and immigration parole has been a hallmark of the Biden administration as it seeks to address record border arrivals and protection needs.

Expert Q&A, Audio
July 27, 2023

Displacement in the Sahel: Exploring Rising Migration and Responses in West Africa

MPI Europe Associate Director Camille Le Coz discusses rising displacement in the Sahel, which is experiencing multiple crises, with development economist Alexandra Tapsoba.

Articles
July 27, 2023

Technology Can Be Transformative for Refugees, but It Can Also Hold Them Back

While smartphones and other technologies can assist decision-making, they do not always improve migrants’ journeys or lives. Forcibly displaced populations can face barriers in the form of limited internet access and low levels of digital literacy. Digital tools may also expose them to government surveillance and raise anxiety about social relations with loved ones. This article underscores refugees' complex relationships with technology.

Video, Webinars
July 20, 2023

Straining under the Backlog: Fixing a U.S. Immigration Court System in Crisis

As the U.S. immigration court system struggles with record case backlogs, decisions take years, immigration enforcement is delayed, and wait times incentivize unauthorized arrivals. This discussion examines the factors that have driven the system to the point of crisis and possible fixes.

Reports
July 2023

At the Breaking Point: Rethinking the U.S. Immigration Court System

With a backlog of nearly 2 million cases, years-long wait times for decisions, and overwhelmed judges whose productivity has declined, the U.S. immigration court system is in urgent need of repair. This report examines the factors that have driven the courts to crisis. It then outlines recommendations that promise to advance the goal of delivering timely and fair decisions, and to support the health of the U.S. immigration system more broadly.

Expert Q&A, Audio
July 12, 2023

Climate Migration 101

Climate migration sounds simple. It is not. MPI’s Lawrence Huang answers some of the most common questions around one of the least understood dynamics in human movement.

Articles
July 5, 2023

Haitians Flee a Nation Nearing Collapse

The Haitian diaspora has swelled since a massive earthquake in 2010 and in the wake of violent riots that culminated in a political crisis in 2018 and the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Poverty, natural disasters, political crisis, and insecurity have historically driven Haitian migration. Destination countries have often rejected these arrivals and sought to deport Haitian migrants in large numbers.

Pages