The Immigration Lab

For the past year, I've had the honor of helping ensure that children didn't face the immigration system alone. I've worked with toddlers to teenagers, becoming the first listening ear for many traumatized youth and supporting excellent attorneys in providing them critical legal help that promotes their safety and wellbeing. Last week, the Trump administration decided that this work—legal assistance for over 26,000 children—is not worth funding. As I prepare to make my last pre-dawn commute to KIND Baltimore, I'm seeking new roles in the immigration field. I am interested in immigration paralegal, intake specialist, or immigration policy related roles. I am eager to connect to explore opportunities in the DC area.

?? Join us for a conversation on immigration in the first 100 days of the Trump 2nd Administration. This panel is part of a year-long program at American University bringing together experts from academia, business, nonprofits & policy to discuss proposals to address immigration.

?? Join us for a powerful conversation on immigration! Within the first 100 days of the Trump Administration’s return, immigration policy has taken center stage. This panel is part of a year-long program at American University, bringing together experts from academia, business, nonprofits, and policy to find common ground and innovative solutions. Let’s move beyond the debate and into action. Joining us is Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, AU Sine Institute of Policy & Politics, Dept. of Environment, Development, and Health School of International Service, Metropolitan Policy Center, American University, Sociology Department.

Part of the work of the the UN's International Organization for Migration is to act as a sort of travel agency for resettled refugees. This often involves families taking out loans with the IOM to pay for expensive plane tickets--like from a camp in Kenya to cities like Minneapolis in the U.S. (that's right--refugees with little if any savings or wealth pay for their own travel!) When debts accrue and are too much for refugees to pay off, what happens? Should refugees have to foot the bill for their escape? If so, who should govern the terms of their debts and help when it becomes too much? This blog, written by American University School of International Service grad student Casey Morse with help from her colleague Janhvi Gogna, begins to ask these important questions. https://lnkd.in/eu6pEQfM This was part of a project in our graduate course on Humanitarian Interventions Dept. of Environment, Development, and Health School of International Service. The Immigration Lab Ernesto Casta?eda Maria De Jesus Office of Research School of International Service (SIS)

Three main points: 1) undocumented immigrants pay their taxes. Why else would ICE be trying to get into an agreement with IRS? 2) ICE looking into IRS data raises privacy concerns which impact all US taxpayers; 3) wouldn’t it just be smarter to legalize all the undocumented? ?? I mean they’re paying their taxes (about $27 billion a year to be exact)

Fact sheet on what happens to people when parole ends. Note: written for Afghans but also applies to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans whose parole termination was announced last week (courtesy of Mary Pivec).

There were 18 players from Cuba & 58 from Venezuela in the MLB in 2024. But even those with visas might have issues entering the U.S. Castaneda says this ban would also have a big impact on minor-league baseball by making it harder to recruit from abroad. https://shorturl.at/wTXpt

?? Conversé con El Pais a mi regreso de un viaje a la frontera entre Estados Unido y México. Hablamos sobre la movilidad humana en las Américas, las dinámicas en la frontera y la urgencia de políticas migratorias que reflejen la realidad sobre el terreno. Gracias a Carla Colome por su interés en el tema y nuestro trabajo. Algunas ideas clave, tanto de la entrevista como de mi experiencia reciente: ?? El concepto de emergencia, crisis migratoria, o caravana ha sido utilizado por diferentes gobiernos con el fin de crear una retórica errada sobre la migración. ?? La crisis migratoria ha sido creada o exacerbada en parte por la inacción o por políticas restrictivas que han dejado a miles de personas en movilidad sin opciones seguras y viables. ?? El número de cruces en la frontera sur de EE.UU. ha disminuido por el momento, pero la migración no ha cesado. Solo se ha desplazado más al sur y fuera del ojo público, empujando a más personas a rutas peligrosas. ?? La desaparición de vías legales no detiene la migración; la hace más caótica y peligrosa. En lugar de reducir los flujos migratorios, deja a miles de personas atrapadas en un limbo, obligadas a recurrir a redes informales y peligrosas. ?? Sin protecciones adecuadas y vías seguras, las personas en movilidad enfrentan más explotación y violencia. La eliminación del acceso al asilo en los Estados Unidos y de programas como CBP One ha llevado a muchos a depender de traficantes o redes clandestinas para sobrevivir. ?? Los retornos forzados o voluntarios sin mecanismos de integración, reintegración e inclusión agravan la situación. Las personas retornadas muchas veces enfrentan precariedad, violencia y falta de oportunidades en sus países de origen o en terceros países, lo que en muchos casos solo los obliga a intentar migrar nuevamente. Sin acceso a empleo, educación y protección social, los retornos se convierten en un ciclo de exclusión y movilidad forzada. Es fundamental que los países trabajen en estrategias de reintegración sostenibles, que incluyan acceso a medios de vida, apoyo psicosocial y estabilidad legal. ?? La sociedad civil es un actor fundamental en la respuesta migratoria y debe ser potenciado, no atacado. Los recortes de financiamiento en los Estados Unidos están golpeando a las organizaciones humanitarias que sostienen a las comunidades en la frontera, no sólo en México, pero en todas las Américas. ?? La migración bien gestionada puede ser una herramienta para el desarrollo. ?? La frontera no es una estadística: es una cuestión humanitaria y de voluntad política que demanda liderazgo y soluciones sostenibles. Les invito a leer la entrevista aquí ??

For the first time in recorded history, immigration accounts for entire growth of the U.S. population between 2022 and 2023. "The United States has long been home to more immigrants than any other country worldwide, and the U.S. immigrant population reached 47.8 million in 2023. While this represents a record number of immigrants, the foreign-born share of the U.S. population remains slightly below the record 14.8 percent set in 1890, standing at 14.3 percent in 2023." Other key facts from Migration Policy Institute's new article on US migration statistics: ??Nearly three-quarters of all immigrants in the United States are legally present, and almost half are naturalized citizens.? ????????26% of all children in the United States live with at least one immigrant parent—double the 13% recorded in 1990. ??Immigrant-led households tend to have slightly higher incomes: Median foreign-born household income was about $78,700 in 2023, compared to $77,600 for households headed by the U.S. born.? ??Immigrants participate in the workforce at a disproportionate rate: While representing about 14 percent of the total population, immigrants accounted for 18 percent of the civilian labor force.? ? Read more from Migration Policy Institute ??https://lnkd.in/gmU4fBFD