Migration Policy Institute

When NGOs, governments, and journalists need a visual image depicting irregular and humanitarian migration, they usually choose from one of two options: Portraying migrants as threatening, faceless masses, or else as vulnerable women and children. Both narratives are reductive and tend to flatten complex situations. In our Migration Information Source magazine, Karolina Nikielska-Sekula explains and offers some alternatives.

?? Over the last decade, Latin America and the Caribbean has increasingly become not just a region that migrants come from, but also a destination for millions of people on the move. I got to speak with Diego Chaves-González, senior manager of the Latin America and Caribbean Initiative at the Migration Policy Institute, about how the region has been coping with that shift, what the obstacles are to a long-term approach to migrant integration, and the potential for better coordination among state and non-state actors to improve the well-being of both migrants and host societies. ?? One example worth looking into? Brazil. Our wonderful host Luisa Leme chatted with Professor Jo?o Jarochinski Silva of the Federal University of Roraima about Brazil's Operation Welcome, a collaboration between the Brazilian government and local and international civil society groups to provide migrants crossing the border from Venezuela with emergency shelter, legal documents, and employment opportunities. Despite these regularization processes, Jarochinski Silva explains that Brazil's relatively high cost of living as well as gender- and race-based discrimination affect migrants' experience of integration. Nevertheless, Chaves-González highlighted that Brazil "has sustained a non-partisan or a bipartisan immigration strategy” that serves as a strong message to the Americas. ?? Listen to the full episode to learn more: https://lnkd.in/e7DaZQmR

President Trump is preparing to address Congress tonight, after dramatically remaking a wide swath of the US government to focus on immigration enforcement. The DEA, ATF & IRS now have new immigration roles. Before the speech, get caught up on the major changes https://lnkd.in/gnCk4kTk And stay in the loop by subscribing to our monthly US immigration policy update: https://lnkd.in/e-cKqJW

Mass deportations are in the news a lot. But can they be achieved at the scale promised? There are hurdles ranging from funding limits and detention capacity to community resistance to immigration enforcement. In the U.S. interior, ICE is responsible for arresting, detaining, and removing noncitizens who have violated immigration laws. ?? Our latest explainer details how ICE finds, arrests, detains and removes people. It also offers a look at the agency’s track record over recent years. Read up: https://lnkd.in/gj_gTZsu

The White House says that English will now, for the first time ever, be the official language of the United States. The change will reverse a previous order mandating federal agencies provide language assistance to individuals with limited proficiency in English. About 69 million US residents—more than 1/5 of the national population—report speaking a language other than English at home. Spanish is by far the most popular language, but many households also speak a range of other languages. In Hawaii and Maine, Ilocano and French were the most commonly spoken languages, after English. Get more info with our guide to the Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration ??https://lnkd.in/e5gKEswZ And explore our dedicated resources on English language learners ?? https://bit.ly/ellinfo

Like many other high-income countries, Canada is facing demographic decline??. It has turned to immigration to help slow the demographic transition, with the entirety of its workforce growth over the past 10 years due to the admission of permanent and temporary immigrants. What role should immigration policy play in addressing the dual challenges of aging populations and declining fertility rates? ??A NEW report by MPI’s Transatlantic Council on Migration looks at Canada as a case study for the benefits and drawbacks.

MPI Europe’s administrative council has named Camille Le Coz as the incoming director of MPI Europe and is also promoting Jasmijn Slootjes to deputy director. They both have worked closely with outgoing director Hanne Beirens, who has led MPI Europe to new levels of impact during her nearly six years as its leader. The leadership transition takes effect 15 March.

?? In my latest with Muzaffar Chishti we outline the ways in which the Trump administration has bent the U.S. government towards a singular purpose: immigration enforcement. ?? This extraordinary shift, however, lacks a foundation as it rests on invoking an invasion that is not matched by reality. Not only does this mission face major constraints due to funding and capacity, but will struggle to maintain an illusory narrative. "The orchestrated, whole-of-government machinery displayed by this administration in its first month—accompanied by a muscular, carefully crafted messaging campaign—has the closest parallels with the actions that occurred in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when broad swaths of the federal government were repurposed to serve the national security mission. The fundamental difference is that post-9/11 actions were a response to an actual attack on U.S. soil, whereas today’s rhetoric of “invasion” and the arrival of foreign “military-age” men intent on building an “army” is not matched by reality." Read here: https://lnkd.in/erJYBNaP

The Trump administration has made immigration enforcement its top priority, bending virtually the entire federal government to the mission of arresting, deporting, and barring the entry of noncitizens who lack legal status or have been convicted of crimes. Its goal is to deport 1 million people per year—more than twice the level that has ever occurred. To get there, it has rapidly retooled and remade the already vast U.S. deportation machinery. Including by: - Tasking agencies that have never had immigration enforcement functions, such as the IRS and Transportation Department, with these duties - Using the military in different ways, including for the first time using military cargo planes for deportation flights & detaining noncitizens arrested in the U.S. interior at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo, Cuba - Pressuring foreign countries, including by threatening tariffs, to accept returnees from other countries or step up their own migration management. Read more in the new US Policy Beat article from Muzaffar Chishti and Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh

President Donald Trump says his administration plans to create a new “gold card” visa that would provide legal permanent residence to people willing to pay $5 million for it. The plan would replace the long-standing EB-5 investor visa program for wealthy foreigners. Here’s what to know: - ?? The EB-5 visa program was created 35 years ago: https://bit.ly/43djyYQ - ?? So-called “golden visas” and “golden passports” have been used by various countries for years. But they have become increasingly controversial, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: https://bit.ly/3Dl0CNj - ?? The US meanwhile has long been among the most popular countries for millionaire migrants, in addition to Australia, Canada, and elsewhere. Recently, the UAE has also become a popular destination: https://bit.ly/4bq6txG