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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

flick EU ECHO refugee children
Multimedia
April 12, 2018
Responding to Early Childhood Education and Care Needs of Children of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Europe and North America
Coverthumb_ECECforRefugeeChildren
Reports
April 2018
Responding to the ECEC Needs of Children of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe and North America
By  Maki Park, Caitlin Katsiaficas and Margie McHugh
RioDeJaneiro RodrigoSoldon Flickr
Articles
March 29, 2018
Migration in Brazil: The Making of a Multicultural Society
By Shari Wejsa and Jeffrey Lesser
Scaling up Refugee Resettlement in Europe
Reports
March 2018
Scaling up Refugee Resettlement in Europe: The Role of Institutional Peer Support
By  Hanne Beirens and Aliyyah Ahad
Flickr Alliance for Education 36502961545_c01bbbca2c_z Courtesy of Allison Shelley The Verbatim Agency for American Education Images of Teachers and Students in Action
Multimedia
March 21, 2018
Supporting DLLs in Superdiverse PreK-3 Programs: Findings from Two Studies
Marine naturalization
Articles
March 22, 2018
Even as Congress Remains on Sidelines, the Trump Administration Slows Legal Immigration
By Muzaffar Chishti, Sarah Pierce, and Jessica Bolter
EUTurkeydeal Commentary2018
Commentaries
March 2018
Turkey-Style Deals Will Not Solve the Next EU Migration Crisis
By  Elizabeth Collett
Coverthumb_CEAS StructuralWeaknesses
Reports
March 2018
Cracked Foundation, Uncertain Future: Structural Weaknesses in the Common European Asylum System
By  Hanne Beirens

Pages

Feature
August 1, 2003
War in Liberia Highlights Health Threats to Refugees
MPI's Jennifer Schlecht looks at the major dangers confronting the forcibly displaced through the lens of the Liberian conflict.
Feature
August 1, 2003
West Africa's Refugee Crisis Spills Across Many Borders
Policy analyst Jeff Drumtra maps out the devastating wars that are producing a flood of refugees in West Africa.
Feature
January 1, 2003
Troubled Waters: Rescue of Asylum Seekers and Refugees at Sea

Danger often awaits people who set out by boat, seeking safety from upheaval or persecution. MPI Co-Director Kathleen Newland examines how governments, the shipping industry, and international bodies have succeeded — or too frequently, failed — to cast a line to those in need.

Feature
November 1, 2002
Refugees: Risks and Challenges Worldwide

The term "refugee," like the people it describes, can cover a lot of ground. Sharon Stanton Russell, Research Scholar at MIT, maps out out who qualifies for refugee status, as well as the most pressing issues facing the community of institutions tasked to protect them.

Feature
September 1, 2002
Refugee Resettlement in Transition

Change is sweeping the systems that govern refugee resettlement. MPI Co-Director Kathleen Newland examines the most important trends and their implications.

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Recent Activity

Reports
May 2019

Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration

In the two years since President Trump entered office, U.S. immigration policy has changed in many ways. Some actions have received significant media attention and public scrutiny, and others have been implemented with little fanfare. This document chronicles these wide-reaching policy changes, covering immigration enforcement, the immigration courts, humanitarian admissions, visa processing, and more.

Reports
May 2019

Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions

Amid a significant reshaping of immigration policy by the Trump administration, a range of immigration topics that have not been at the forefront of debate merit further information sharing with the public and policymakers. This report examines eight issues areas that are deserving of additional review and could form the basis for future action by Congress, including H-1B reform and treatment of unaccompanied minors.

Articles
May 1, 2019

Migration in the Netherlands: Rhetoric and Perceived Reality Challenge Dutch Tolerance

The Netherlands has witnessed a rise in far-right populism, challenging its reputation as a humanitarian haven. Yet, public fears equating immigration with a rise in religious extremism do not necessarily reflect the facts. This profile explores historical and contemporary migration in a country where population growth relies largely on immigration, and analyzes to what extent policymaking has been shaped by rising populism.

Reports
May 2019

Preparing for the Unknown: Designing Effective Predeparture Orientation for Resettling Refugees

Refugees encounter a range of challenges after resettlement—from adjusting to a new culture and language, to finding a job. Many resettlement countries invest in predeparture orientation to help refugees develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to face these challenges. This report explores the many forms these programs take, highlighting important design questions and key elements that effective programs share.

Explainers
April 2019

Explainer: How the U.S. Legal Immigration System Works

Through which visa categories can immigrants move temporarily or permanently to the United States? What are the main channels by which people come, and who can sponsor them for a green card? Are there limits on visa categories? And who is waiting in the green-card backlog? This explainer answers basic questions about temporary and permanent immigration via family, employment, humanitarian, and other channels.

Video, Audio
April 16, 2019

Is U.S.-Mexico Cooperation on Migration Possible?

Over recent months, the number of Central American migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border has surged, presenting a critical challenge in the relationship between the two neighboring countries. Experts from a Study Group on U.S.-Mexico Migration convened by El Colegio de México and MPI discuss current trends, policies, and politics surrounding migration from the Northern Triangle of Central America and the U.S.-Mexico relationship, ways to improve U.S. and Mexican asylum systems, possible new approaches to labor migration, ways to address smuggling networks, and modernize border management.

Video, Audio
April 10, 2019

International vs. National Protection for Refugees: Diverging Trends?

MPI's Kathleen Newland, Refugee Council USA's Mary Giovagnoli, and David Scott FitzGerald, author of Refuge beyond Reach, discuss how and why international and national responses to the rising challenge of refugee displacement are diverging. They examine what lies ahead for the Global Compact on Refugees and how adjustments to asylum policies in many high-income democracies are narrowing the paths to protection.

Policy Briefs
April 2019

Mitigating the Effects of Trauma among Young Children of Immigrants and Refugees: The Role of Early Childhood Programs

The first years of a child’s life are a time of immense growth, and exposure to trauma—if left unaddressed—can have significant, lifelong effects. This issue brief examines how young children of refugees and other immigrants may be affected by trauma, and what early childhood education and care programs, health-care providers, and others can do to mitigate its adverse effects.

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