Syrians on the Edge: The Status of Refugees in Neighboring Countries

This MPI panel discussion, in partnership with the Middle East Institute and the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM), examines the status of Syrian refugees abroad and the effect of the ongoing Syrian crisis on Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. Panelists Oytun Orhan, ORSAM Project Coordinator and Researcher, Peri-Khan Aqrawi-Whitcomb, Middle East Research Institute Junior Research Fellow, Faysal Itani, Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, and Saban Kardas, ORSAM President discuss the experiences of each country as outlined in ORSAM’s report. The project team visited each country and after six months of boots-on-the-ground research, found that women and children account for more than 75 percent of the refugees, making education in particular a devastating issue for the next generation of Syrians. In addition, Syrian emigrants settle not only in camps but also in cities, raising prices and lowering wages all along the Syrian borders. The discussion is moderated by Kathleen Newland, Director of the Refugee Protection Program at MPI.The panel makes the case that because of the heavy financial and social costs, Syrian displacement is not merely a problem for Syria or even the greater Middle East; the destabilization is a global problem requiring significant outreach to the global community.To read the report from ORSAM, click here: www.orsam.org.tr/en/showReport.aspx?ID=2638

A Discussion on the Global Forum on Migration and Development: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific

This International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Migration Policy Institute (MPI) meeting launches the Issue in Brief, The Global Forum on Migration and Development: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific, the ninth in this MPI/IOM joint-publication series that offer succinct insights on migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region today. The discussion explores the Asia-Pacific priorities for the GMFD 2014 and provides recommendations on how the GMFD can be a development focused and results-oriented forum.Over the last seven years, many governments in the Asia-Pacific region have been actively engaged in the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) not only as participants to the process but also as leaders driving its direction and continuity. The region’s active engagement has clearly made an impact judging on the themes and topics of the GFMD since 2007. To continue its success and to remain as relevant, the GFMD has to be as instrumental in shaping the reality on the ground as much as the global discourse on migration and development.

Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm

This MPI event, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), discusses the critical issue of climate-related displacement in the Asia-Pacific region, explored in depth in the joint MPI and IOM brief Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm. Climate change and environmental degradation are predicted to displace millions of people in the coming years, either directly or indirectly. While today’s international legal framework provides a degree of protection to those displaced by environmental factors and climatic events, there is no global consensus on a definition for such a group. In the absence of this, gaps in the legal system, and in implementation, how can recognition of the vulnerability of environmental migrants be facilitated and their protection ensured? This discussion explores how to protect climate change-induced migrants, particularly in the highly vulnerable Asia-Pacific region.

A Treacherous Journey: Child Migrants Navigating the U.S. Immigration System

This
Migration Policy Institute panel discussion on unaccompanied minors focuses on a report by Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) at UC
Hastings College of the Law, A
Treacherous Journey: Child Migrants Navigating the U.S. Immigration System. The panel moderated by Kathleen Newland, Director of the Refugee Protection and Migrants at MPI, includes speakers Elizabeth Dallam, KIND National Legal Services Director, Lisa Frydman, CGRS Associate Director
and Managing Attorney, Karen Musalo, CGRS Director, and KIND Executive Director Wendy Young. The discussion focuses on the conclusion that children face a
system created for adults that is not required to consider the child’s best
interests. Despite the potentially enormous impact of the proceedings on their
lives and futures, unaccompanied children are not provided lawyers to help them
navigate the complex requirements of immigration proceedings.The report is available at www.supportkind.org and www.cgrs.uchastings.edu.

A Transatlantic Conversation: Managing Migration in the Era of Mobility

This Migration Policy Institute panel discussion, presented in cooperation with the Greek Embassy, explores how the 2014 Greek Presidency of the
European Union and the United States can work to address the challenges of
managing migration while meeting humanitarian obligations and nurturing
economic growth. Speakers are: Ambassador of Greece to the United States
Christos P. Panagopoulos; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population,
Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard; MPI CEO Michael Fix;
and moderator Demetrios G. Papademetriou, the President of MPI. 
As the 2014 Greek Presidency of the Council of
the European Union works to formulate the European Union’s next five-year
program, two interconnected challenges have come to the fore: building a
comprehensive migration system whose parts work harmoniously to meet
humanitarian obligations and nurture economic growth and social cohesion, and
doing so with very limited resources. Europe is not alone in the difficulties it faces in meeting these goals—and in
fact shares many of these challenges with the United States. This discussion bridges these critical themes and offer ideas on how to manage more effectively the opportunities and responsibilities migration writ large creates.

A Conversation with the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff about the Syrian Crisis, Other UNHCR Work

More than two and a half years of violent conflict in Syria have left between one-quarter and one-third of the Syrian population displaced internally or seeking refuge abroad, with many still departing the country. UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff joined Kathleen Newland, who directs MPI's refugee protection work, for a discussion on what is now considered one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies in a generation. In addition to discussing the key concerns UNHCR has identified in the Syrian crisis and the regional and international responses, Mr. Aleinikoff and Ms. Newland discussed some of UNHCR’s other priorities and areas of action, such as the Somalian refugee situation and prospects for innovation in UNHCR.

Stranded Migrants: A New Challenge for the International Community

With global mobility on the rise, the international community is finally grappling with the challenge of stranded migrants, one of the main agenda items for the High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development in the UN General Assembly in October 2013. In this podcast, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General William Lacy Swing reflects on IOM’s long experience with stranded migrants and the ways in which the organization is preparing proactively to address their needs. He explains IOM’s approaches in the context of the High-Level Dialogue and the opportunity it presents for states to come together to address the new migration challenges of the 21st century. InterAction President and CEO Sam Worthington joins Ambassador Swing to discuss how NGOs work with governments and other organizations to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations and protect them from abuses often suffered by migrants. This event was moderated by Kathleen Newland, who directs MPI’s Migrants, Migration, and Development Program.
For more information, visit http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/migration_development.php.

Sharing Lessons, Sharing Responsibility: Combating Human Trafficking

This Migration Policy Institute event discussed the Dutch model for fighting human trafficking and the strategic and operational dilemmas that public prosecutors in the Netherlands face. The event discussion also covered international efforts to engage private-sector organizations and the public in reducing organized crime; ways to strengthen law enforcement’s operational capacity and ability to apply collaborative and interagency approaches; and strategies for framing the public and political discourse on the issue. Demetrios G. Papademetriou, MPI President, moderates a discussion on the international efforts to engage private-sector organizations, law enforcement, governments, and the public in reducing organized crime to combat human trafficking. Panelists include Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen, National Rapporteur for Human Trafficking in The Netherlands; Jane Nady Sigmon, Senior Advisor to the Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, US Department of State; Herman Bolhaar, Chair of the Dutch Public Prosecution Service; Jack Blakey, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Bureau, Cook County, Illinois State Attorney’s Office; and Ruud Bik, Deputy Chief, National Police of the Netherlands.

Hospitals and Doctors under Attack in Syria: Q&A with with Syrian Physician Marshalling Aid

This Migration Information Source Q&A explores the dire medical emergency and refugee health concerns resulting from the ongoing Syrian crisis. Amber French, editor of the Migration Information Source, which is the online journal of the Migration Policy Institute, conducts a Q&A with Dr. Fadi Al Khankan of the Syrian Expatriates Organization and MPI’s Kathleen Newland, both panelists at the January 14, 2013 MPI event unveiling the International Rescue Committee’s report, Syria: A Regional Crisis.
Read the transcript of the Q&A here.

A Bleak Winter: Providing Needed Aid to Those Fleeing Conflict in Syria

This joint Migration Policy Institute and International Rescue Committee (IRC) event offers insights from an IRC delegation that visited Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq in November 2012 to discuss the Syrian humanitarian crisis. The briefing offers a firsthand look at the work of IRC partners and staff who are directly involved in providing assistance to refugees and to Syrians trapped inside the country. Presenting findings of an IRC report on the topic: George Rupp, President and Chief Executive Officer, IRC; Mort Abramowitz, a Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation, former US Ambassador to Turkey, and IRC Overseer; and Fadi Al Khankan, Chair of the Humanitarian Aid Committee, Syrian Expatriates Organization. The briefing is moderated by Kathleen Newland, Director of the Migration Policy Institute’s programs on Refugee Policy and Migrants, Migration, and Development. Ms. Newland is also an IRC Overseer.

Young Children of Black Immigrants in America

Capping a two-year research initiative on young children in Black immigrant families from Africa and the Caribbean, this Migration Policy Institute (MPI) book launch and discussion in December 2012 features research contained in Young Children of Black Immigrants in America: Changing Flows, Changing Faces. The discussion, moderated by MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix (book co-editor), features researchers Kevin Thomas (book co-author) of Penn State University, Randy Capps of MPI (book co-editor), Dylan Patricia Conger (book co-author) of George Washington University, and Gerald Jaynes of Yale University. Ajay Chaudry, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy in the US Department of Health and Human Services, offers a policy perspective on the research. For more on the research initiative, visit www.migrationpolicy.org/cbi.
Purchase a copy of the book
View Kevin Thomas's Power Point |  View Dylan Conger's Power Point

Refugee Protection, Territorial Access, and the Affirmative Asylum System

At the 9th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference sponsored by the Migration Policy Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC), and the Center for Migration Studies, Don Kerwin from the Center for Migration Studies moderates a session on US refugee policy and the system in place for processing and protection.  US Coast Guard Senior Maritime Law Enforcement Advisor Louis Orsini discusses the logistics of interdiction at sea, including the process for identifying those who may fear persecution or torture; US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Refugee Affairs Division Chief Barbara Strack presents on USCIS's coordination with the Coast Guard, the protection screening for those interdicted at sea, and broader refugee screening and resettlement process; and Andrew Schoenholtz, Deputy Director at Georgetown's Institute for the Study of International Migration and Georgetown Law Professor, discusses his recent findings on asylum data.
For more information on the conference, click here.

Unaccompanied Minors and Their Journey through the US Immigration System

In this Migration Policy Institute (MPI) event, experts focus on the causes of the increase in unaccompanied minor migrants, the situation these minors face once detained or apprehended, and the challenges confronting both nongovernmental organizations trying to provide aid and the US government agencies responsible for processing minors through the US immigration system. Speakers include Wendy Young, Executive Director of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND); Jessica Jones, Equal Justice Works Fellow, Detention and Asylum Program, Women's Refugee Commission; and Michelle Brané, Director of the Detention and Asylum program, Women's Refugee Commission. Kathleen Newland, MPI Co-Founder and Director of the Refugee Policy and Migrants, Migration, and Development Programs moderates the panel.

How UNHCR Is Facing a World of New Protection Challenges

In this MPI event, Volker Türk, UNHCR Director of International Protection, discusses the current global challenges of protecting refugees. Kathleen Newland, Migration Policy Institute Co-Founder and Director of MPI's Refugee Policy and Migrants, Migration, and Development Programs, guides the discussion around three main themes: protection gaps, burden-sharing, and reducing statelessness.
MPI Resources:
A Comprehensive Approach to Refugee Protection
The United States Refugee Admissions Program: Reforms for a New Era of Refugee Resettlement

Uyen Nguyen and James Huy Bao Accepts MPI’s Young Innovators Award

MPI Co-Founder and Director of MPI’s Migrants, Migration, and Development, and Refugee Policy Programs Kathleen Newland presents OneVietnam Network Co-Founders Uyen Nguyen and James Huy Bao for their vision and dynamism in engaging the Vietnamese diaspora in action for good through the use of new media, arts, culture, and social entrepreneurship. Their initiative is being examined as a model for other diaspora groups.
Visit www.migrationpolicy.org/celebrate10thevent

Open Society Foundations President Aryeh Neier Accepts MPI’s Global Visionary Award

MPI President Demetrious G. Papademetriou presents the Global Visionary Award, to honor Open Society Foundations (OSF) President Aryeh Neier for his career-long dedication to the protection and advancement of rights for the most vulnerable populations throughout the world, including refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants. In the mid-1990s, the foundation created a $50 million fund in the United States to provide naturalization and other services to immigrants and to build capacity among immigrant-rights organizations. And with the creation of OSF’s International Migration Initiative, the foundation is making a major commitment to protecting migrants around the world.
Visit www.migrationpolicy.org/celebrate10thevent

Hon. Alan K. Simpson and Hon. Romano “Ron” Mazzoli Accepts MPI’s Leadership in Public Policy Award

On the 25th anniversary of implementation of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, MPI honors Senator Alan Simpson for his leadership and bipartisanship in working to enact a major immigration reform measure with the interests of the country squarely in mind. Their work serves as reminder of a time when Congress was able to set aside its divisions to accomplish big things in the immigration arena. Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director of MPI’s US Immigration Policy Program, discusses with Rep. Mazzoli the implementation of IRCA.
Visit www.migrationpolicy.org/celebrate10thevent

Colombian Refugees in Panama and Ecuador

At this Migration Policy Institute (MPI) event, representatives from refugee groups who made a November 2010 trip to Panama and Ecuador present their findings and discuss their report, Living on the Edge: Colombian Refugees in Panama and Ecuador. The speakers are: Shaina Aber, Associate Advocacy Director for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA; and Melanie Nezer, Senior Director for US Policy and Advocacy at the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Commenting is Andrea Lari, Regional Director at Refugees International. The event is moderated by Kathleen Newland, Director of MPI’s Migrants, Migration, and Development, and Refugee Policy Programs.
Watch the event here.

Refugee Resettlement in the United States

This briefing at the Migration Policy Institute focuses on a report examining the challenges of refugee resettlement in the United States. The report,  Refugee Resettlement in the United States: An Examination of Challenges and Proposed Solutions, was the work of a team at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), in conjunction with the International Rescue Committee. The report reviews the structure and functioning of the resettlement program and offers recommendations for improvements ranging from pre-arrival orientation through the arrival and settlement process to secondary migration from initial resettlement. The discussion was moderated by Kathleen Newland, Director of the Refugee Protection Program at the Migration Policy Institute; and the speakers were one of the report’s authors, MPI Associate Policy Analyst Kate Brick, and Robert Carey, Vice President of Resettlement and Migration Policy, International Rescue Committee. The report’s co-authors, Samia Elshafie, Alan Krill, and Megan McGlynn Scanlon also offered some comments.

MPI Leadership Visions: United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff

During this MPI speakers series, T. Alexander Aleinikoff, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, discusses voluntary repatriation, local integration, and resettlement. Panelists include Demetrios Papademetriou, MPI President, and Kathleen Newland, MPI Director of the Migrants, Migration, and Development, and Refugee Policy Programs. Click here for the Leadership Visions discussion with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chief John Morton and here for the discussion with US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas.