Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

Seasonal Worker Programs in Europe: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward

Across Europe, employers with seasonal labor needs in sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, and tourism often rely on hiring workers from other countries. Some, such as Germany, source these workers from other EU Member States, especially in Eastern and Central Europe. Others rely on programs that recruit seasonal workers from non-EU countries such as Morocco. While low-skilled workers generally have limited opportunities to legally migrate to the European Union, seasonal migration forms an important exception.
Designing and implementing seasonal worker programs that are responsive to labor market needs but also prioritize the well-being of seasonal workers and deter overstays remain challenging. Likewise, while studies point to the potential development contributions of seasonal migration for origin countries, policymakers can struggle to translate this potential into practice. 
As the European Union prepares to review the implementation of its Seasonal Workers Directive, as well as countries such as the United Kingdom continue to explore new approaches to selecting seasonal workers, this webinar features findings from a policy brief, Seasonal Worker Programs in Europe: Promising Practices and Ongoing Challenges.  On this webinar MPI Policy Analyst Kate Hooper was joined Concordia CEO Stephanie Maurel and Jan Schneider, Head of the Research Unit at the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration (SVR), for a discussion recent trends in European seasonal migration programmes and best practices.
This webinar is part of a project by MPI Europe and the Expert Council’s Research Unit on mobility options to Europe for those not in need of protection, supported by the Mercator Foundation.

An Uneven Landscape: The Differing State Approaches to English Learner Policies under ESSA

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) elevated states’ responsibility to improve English language proficiency for English Learners (ELs), as well as their academic achievement. ESSA’s first stage of implementation required states to develop and submit their plans for executing the new law to the U.S. Department of Education. Highly technical, these state plans are usually difficult for parents and even educators to understand.
The Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, in partnership with state-based EL organizations and immigrant policy organizations, has endeavored to ensure that state ESSA plans create the optimal conditions for EL achievement.
On this webinar MPI released the results of its comprehensive review of state ESSA plans for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with a focus on EL policies. The compendium, The Patchy Landscape of State English Learner Policies under ESSA, reveals a picture of great variability across states’ approaches to ensuring accountability for the success of their EL students.
MPI's Delia Pompa and Julie Sugarman were joined by Kim Sykes, Director of Education Policy at New York Immigration Coalition, in a discussion on how states have approached ESSA implementation, and areas where the law and state efforts to support ELs can be improved.

¿Se Están Cerrando las Puertas? Respuestas a la Migración Venezolana en América Latina y el Caribe

En los últimos años, más de 4 millones de venezolanos se han desplazado a otros países en América Latina y el Caribe, debido al deterioro económico y el agravamiento de las tensiones políticas de ese país. La magnitud y la velocidad en la que ha ocurrido este fenómeno migratorio lo han convertido en una de las mayores crisis de migración forzada en la historia de la región y del mundo.   En general, los países receptores han intentado acomodar la llegada de migrantes venezolanos, ofreciendo el acceso a educación básica, atención médica de emergencia, así como la implementación de medidas para regularizar el estatus migratorio de muchos de ellos. Sin embargo, a medida que continúa el éxodo de venezolanos, algunos gobiernos han empezado a imponer barreras de entrada. Así mismo, los gobiernos están afrontando otros retos relacionados a la inclusión de la población migrante y las comunidades de acogida.
El Migration Policy Institute (MPI) ha venido monitoreando de cerca el panorama regional y los cambios en materia de política pública y tendencias migratorias en la región. En este seminario en línea, MPI lanzó dos recursos importantes relacionados a esta materia:
Portal sobre Migración en América Latina y el Caribe: un sitio web que ofrece acceso a estadísticas, investigación y análisis riguroso sobre las tendencias y la política de inmigración de los países en la región.
Un informe que examina los efectos de las políticas migratorias y de integración en 11 países en América Latina y el Caribe ante el aumento de la migración venezolana y nicaragüense.
El presidente del MPI, Andrew Selee, en compañía de Jessica Bolter, coautora del informe, compartiero un panel con tres expertos en la materia de la región—Diego Beltrand, Enviado Especial de la OIM para la Situación de Venezuela, Dra. Luciana Gandini, Profesora de UNAM y Coeditora del libro Crisis y migración de población venezolana. Entre la desprotección y la seguridad jurídica en Latinoamérica, y Luis Carlos Rodríguez, Director de Incidencia del Servicio Jesuita de Refugiados en América Latina—para analizar las políticas más relevantes.

Is the Door Closing? Latin American and Caribbean Responses to Venezuelan Migration

Nearly 4 million Venezuelans have moved to other Latin American and Caribbean countries over the past few years as Venezuela’s economy imploded and internal political tensions worsened, making this movement the largest forced migration crisis in recent Latin American history and one of the largest emergencies in the world. 
These host countries have generally tried to accommodate the arrivals, most offering basic education and emergency health care, as well as legal status for many. But as the exodus from Venezuela continues, some governments are beginning to erect barriers to entry and to struggle with the challenges of integrating newcomers into local communities. 
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) is tracking the changing policy landscape and migration trends, and on this webinar launched two resources useful to publics, service providers, and policymakers alike: 
a Latin American and Caribbean Migration Portal that offers up-to-date, authoritative research and data on migration and policies in the region, and 
a report examining the migration and integration policy responses of 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to increased Venezuelan and Nicaraguan migration.
MPI President Andrew Selee and report co-author Jessica Bolter were joined by Luisa Feline Freier, Assistant Professor of Social and Political Science, Universidad del Pacífico (Peru) and Juliana Miranda Rocha, Coordinator, Serviço Jesuíta a Migrantes e Refugiados (SJMR) Brasil, who discussed relevant policies, in particular with regards to entry requirements and legal status.
MPI held a related Spanish-language webinar; click here to access that recording. 

Employment Services for Refugees: Leveraging Mainstream U.S. Systems and Funding

A key goal of the U.S. refugee resettlement program is to help refugees rapidly find employment. While refugees do work at high rates, and entry-level jobs are often available in today’s tight labor market, service providers sometimes struggle to help refugees into jobs that provide long-term career pathways and upward mobility.
Such challenges are compounded by the pressures and challenges of the current environment around refugee resettlement, in a context of greatly reduced refugee arrivals, strains on local resettlement organizations—many of which have ended or reduced operations—and uncertainty about which states and counties will be resettling refugees in the years ahead. Under these circumstances, two activities can be key parts of a broader strategy for sustaining and improving employment services for refugees: Partnerships with experts in workforce development strategies, and access to federal workforce development funding.
On this webinar MPI's Essey Workie is joined by Amanda Bergson-Shilcock from the National Skills Coalition, Washington State Refugee Coordinator Sarah Peterson, and Karen Phillippi, Director of New American Integration in the Office of Global Michigan for a discussion on what these approaches can look like in practice. They explore the possibilities for collaboration between refugee resettlement and mainstream workforce services, and funding streams such as Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs, SNAP Employment and Training funds, Pell grants, and more to help refugees find better jobs. State leaders in Michigan and Washington State also share how they have leveraged such funding to support their refugee employment services.

Turning the Tide: Addressing the Long-Term Challenges of EU Mobility for Sending Countries

More than a decade after EU eastern enlargement, some eastern Member States are still grappling with the consequences of large-scale emigration for their communities, economies, and societies. Emigration may come with certain advantages: it can relieve pressure in situations of high unemployment, generate remittances, and allow mobile EU citizens to pursue better job opportunities and living conditions. In the long run, however, brain drain, demographic decline, and eroding tax bases can put a massive strain on countries of emigration, and may even trigger a downward spiral that ultimately stands in the way of EU convergence.
Amid ongoing debates about the costs and benefits of free movement, this Migration Policy Institute Europe webinar examines evidence from the EU-funded REMINDER (Role of European Mobility and Its Impacts in Narratives, Debates and EU Reform) project on different types of East-West mobility. Among the topics of discussion: mobility of care workers, short-term cross-border movement in frontier regions, and return migration to countries of origin—and their impact on sending countries’ communities and societies. Speakers--MPI's Meghan Benton and Liam Patuzzi, Bernhard Perchinig of International Centre for Migration Policy Development, and Marcin Wiatrów from the Polish Ministry of Family, Labour, and Social Policy--examine big-picture trends of East-West migration; consider possible policy responses at regional, national, and EU levels to alleviate some of the challenges; and reflect on realistic actions that could be taken under a new European Commission.

16th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference- Volleying among the Branches of Government: DACA, TPS, Asylum, and Other Policies That Hang in the Balance

In an unprecedented era of executive branch policy-making in the immigration arena, the nation’s federal judiciary has been called to decide a raft of major cases that hold the lives of more than 1 million recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status in the balance, and govern the conditions of care for children in immigration detention and the ability to apply for asylum. The administration’s action on the "public charge" rule may end up in the courts as well, and the fallout from the controversy of including a citizenship question on the 2020 census remains unsettled. What are the legal underpinnings, the stakes, and the possible outcomes as the nation’s courts, from district courts all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, hear and rule on a consequential portfolio of legal challenges? And what is or will be Congress’ response given the dynamic interplay of litigation and executive action? This panel tackles these big questions.
Speakers include:
Kim Johnson, Director, California Department of Social Services
David Shahoulian, Chief Counsel, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, U.S. House of Representatives
Cecillia Wang, Deputy Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union
Muzaffar Chishti, Director, MPI's office at New York University School of Law

16th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference- The Humanitarian and Migration Crisis Originating in Central America: The Need for Regional Approaches

In recent years, the humanitarian and migration crisis in the three Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras has resulted in increasing international migration, particularly of women and children as well as unaccompanied minors. Most of them cross the Guatemala-Mexico border to head towards the United States, while some migrate to countries in the region, such as Costa Rica. Many are fleeing serious violence carried out by gangs and other non-state actors, though the search for better livelihoods and family reunification with relatives already in the United States plays a role as well. Governments do not control territories where gangs and drug cartels rule, nor are they able to protect women and girls from domestic abuse and other forms of violence or insecurity. Natural disasters, climate change, food insecurity, and poor economic conditions exacerbate the situation for vulnerable people. This panel discussed the best ways for governments, international organizations, and NGOs in the region to address this crisis, particularly in terms of root causes and the protection of families and children.
Speakers include:
Chiara Cardoletti-Carroll, Deputy Regional Representative for the United States of America and the Caribbean, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
Anthony Fontes, Assistant Professor, School of International Service, American University
Maureen Meyer, Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights, WOLA
Andrew Schoenholtz, Professor from Practice, Georgetown Law; Director, Human Rights Institute; Co-Director, Center for Applied Legal Studies

16th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference- Drawing a New Line: Recent Changes in U.S.-Mexico Border Policy

Under the current administration, U.S.-Mexico border polices have dominated headlines, becoming both the symbol and testing ground of hardline immigration policy. Family separation, the deaths of children in immigration custody, and the detention of men, women, and children in unsafe, overcrowded conditions have stirred national concern.
The asylum system alone has been hamstrung by “metering” that slows entry to a trickle, enormous court backlogs, the wholesale return to Mexico of asylum applicants awaiting their court appearances, and policies that attempt to force applicants to first seek protection in other countries.
This panel explores what these policies have meant to asylum seekers and the communities that straddle the 2,000-mile-long line. Topics include family separation, Remain in Mexico, the wall, state and local work, and more. The panelists also considered whether the administration is achieving results with its efforts to reshape overall enforcement, the responses from local border communities, and related litigation.
Speakers include:
Dylan Corbett, Founding Director, Hope Border Institute
Sue Kenney-Pfalzer, Director Border and Asylum Network, HIAS
Joel Rose, Correspondent, National Desk, National Public Radio
Anna Gallagher, Executive Director, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

16th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference- State of Play: Central to the Trump Administration’s Record, Immigration Looms as the Major 2020 Issue

From Donald Trump’s first utterances as a presidential candidate in 2015 to the hundreds of policy actions undertaken during his administration, immigration has loomed as the major touchstone for his political base. It is the issue to which the president and his administration return again and again. Chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border resulted from a sharp uptick in flows, as well as outmatched policies, infrastructure, and resources. Now, a growing number of Americans cite immigration as one of the most crucial national issues. Yet Congress remains incapable of even small-bore fixes, continuing its nearly two-decade inability to undertake substantive immigration legislation. Vast differences exist among Republican and Democratic politicians and other stakeholders—from “build the wall” and narrowing humanitarian protections on one side, to #AbolishICE and pressing to decriminalize illegal crossings on the other.
Whither immigration as high-stakes elections approach in 2020? In this lively State of Play conversation, political and policy experts will explore the politics of immigration, the pitfalls for both political parties, and the potential for a post-election pause in the brinkmanship, along with what other pressing challenges may converge to force action in Washington.
Speakers included:
Casey Christine Higgins, Former Assistant to the Speaker for Policy and Trade Counsel for former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI); Senior Policy Advisor, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP
Lomi Kriel, Immigration Correspondent, Houston Chronicle
Lorella Praeli, President of Community Change Action and Vice President of Community Change
Julia Preston, Contributing Writer, The Marshall Project
Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, MPI

Panel: La Respuesta Internacional ante las Crisis Humanitarias Migratorias de Venezuela y Nicaragua

La respuesta internacional ante las crisis humanitarias migratorias de Venezuela y Nicaragua (Panel 3)
Chiara Cardoletti-Carroll, Representante Regional Adjunto del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados para los Estados Unidos de América y el Caribe (UNHCR)
Luca Dall’Oglio, Jefe de Misión, Organización Internacional para la Migraciones (OIM) de EE. UU.
Dana Francis, Directora, Oficina de Asistencia para Europa, Asia Central, y las Américas, Oficina de Población, Refugiados y Migración, Departamento de Estado de EE. UU.
Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, Directora, Departamento de Inclusión Social, Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA)
Moderador: Juan F. Jiménez Mayor, Ex Primer Ministro y Ex Ministro de Justicia de los Derechos Humanos del Perú
¿Nuevos enfoques hacia la protección y la integración de migrantes y refugiados en la región?
Diego Chaves, Investigador Visitante, MPI
Jessica Bolter, Analista de Políticas Públicas, MPI
Mientras las crisis continúan desarrollándose en Venezuela y Nicaragua, más de 4,5 millones de personas han dejado a esos países, con la mayoría instalándose en países vecinos en la región. Hasta la fecha, los países latinoamericanos generalmente han respondido por buscar maneras pragmáticas para recibir e integrar migrantes y refugiados de Venezuela y Nicaragua.
Esta serie de debates en panel examina los desafíos futuros mientras países de la región busca establecer estrategias futuras para responder a flujos migratorios a gran escala. Responsables políticos y principales interesados de la región, así como representantes de instituciones internacionales destacadas involucradas en la respuesta regional, ofrecen sus puntos de vista sobre requisitos de entrada cambiantes; vías legales y proceso de asilo; acceso a la educación, servicios de salud y servicios públicos; y las oportunidades y retos que esos flujos migratorios exponen por el futuro de la región.
Las observaciones dadas en inglés fueron traducidas al español en esta grabación.

Panel: Respuestas Regionales a Migrantes y Refugiados Nicaragüenses

Respuestas regionales a flujos migratorios nicaragüenses (Panel 2)
Carlos Andrés Torres Salas, Viceministro de Gobernación y Policía, Ministro de Gobernación y Policía de Costa Rica
Harold Villegas-Román, Asesor al Viceministro del Interior y la Policía; y Comisionado, Comisión de Visas Restringidas y Refugio del Estado de Costa
Alberto Cortés Ramos, Profesor, Departamento de Ciencias Políticas, Universidad de Costa Rica
Manuel Orozco, Director del Programa de Migración, Remesas y Desarrollo, Diálogo Interamericano
Mientras las crisis continúan desarrollándose en Venezuela y Nicaragua, más de 4,5 millones de personas han dejado a esos países, con la mayoría instalándose en países vecinos en la región. Hasta la fecha, los países latinoamericanos generalmente han respondido por buscar maneras pragmáticas para recibir e integrar migrantes y refugiados de Venezuela y Nicaragua.
Esta serie de debates en panel examina los desafíos futuros mientras países de la región busca establecer estrategias futuras para responder a flujos migratorios a gran escala. Responsables políticos y principales interesados de la región, así como representantes de instituciones internacionales destacadas involucradas en la respuesta regional, ofrecen sus puntos de vista sobre requisitos de entrada cambiantes; vías legales y proceso de asilo; acceso a la educación, servicios de salud y servicios públicos; y las oportunidades y retos que esos flujos migratorios exponen por el futuro de la región.
Las observaciones dadas en inglés fueron traducidas al español en esta grabación.

Panel: Respuestas Regionales a Migrantes y Refugiados Venezolanos

Palabras de bienvenida y descripción general: Andrew Selee, Presidente, Instituto de Políticas Migratorios (MPI)
Respuestas regionales a la migración venezolano (Panel 1)
Frieda Roxana Del Águila Tuesta, Superintendente Nacional de Migraciones, Perú
Christian Krüger Sarmiento, Director General, Migración Colombia
Andrés Alfonso Ramírez Silva, Coordinador General, Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados (COMAR)
Hernán Yánez González, Subsecretario de Protección Internacional y Atención a Inmigrantes, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana del Ecuador
José Tomás Vicuña, Director Nacional, Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes, Chile  
Raísa Ortiz Cetra, Miembro, Equipo Internacional, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales en Argentina
Moderador: Andrew Selee, Presidente, MPI
Mientras las crisis continúan desarrollándose en Venezuela y Nicaragua, más de 4,5 millones de personas han dejado a esos países, con la mayoría instalándose en países vecinos en la región. Hasta la fecha, los países latinoamericanos generalmente han respondido por buscar maneras pragmáticas para recibir e integrar migrantes y refugiados de Venezuela y Nicaragua.
Esta serie de debates en panel examina los desafíos futuros mientras países de la región busca establecer estrategias futuras para responder a flujos migratorios a gran escala. Responsables políticos y principales interesados de la región, así como representantes de instituciones internacionales destacadas involucradas en la respuesta regional, ofrecen sus puntos de vista sobre requisitos de entrada cambiantes; vías legales y proceso de asilo; acceso a la educación, servicios de salud y servicios públicos; y las oportunidades y retos que esos flujos migratorios exponen por el futuro de la región.
Las observaciones dadas en inglés fueron traducidas al español en esta grabación.

The International Response to the Venezuelan & Nicaraguan Humanitarian Crises (Panel 3) & New Approaches (Conclusion) - Latin American Responses to the Venezuelan & Nicaraguan Migration Crises

The International Response to the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan Humanitarian Crises (Panel 3)
Chiara Cardoletti-Carroll, Deputy Regional Representative for the United States and the Caribbean, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Luca Dall’Oglio, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM) USA
Dana Francis, Director, Office of Assistance for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of State
Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, Director, Department of Social Inclusion, Organization of American States (OAS)
Moderator: Juan F. Jiménez Mayor, former Prime Minister and former Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Peru
New Approaches toward Protection and Integration in the Region?
Diego Chaves, Visiting Fellow, MPI
Jessica Bolter, Associate Policy Analyst, MPI
 
As crises continue to unfold in Venezuela and Nicaragua, more than 4.5 million people have left both of those countries, with most settling in neighboring countries in the region. To date, Latin American countries have generally responded by finding pragmatic ways to receive and integrate migrants and refugees from Venezuela and Nicaragua.
This series of panel discussions examines the challenges ahead as countries in the region seek to chart future strategies for responding to large-scale forced migration flows. Leading policymakers and key stakeholders from the region, as well as representatives of major international institutions involved with the regional response, offer their views on changing entry requirements; legal pathways and asylum processes; access to education, health care, and public services; and the opportunities and challenges that these migration flows present for the future of the region.
Remarks given in Spanish have been translated into English in this recording.

Regional Responses to Nicaraguan Outflows (Panel 2) - Latin American Responses to the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan Migration Crises

Regional Responses to Nicaraguan Outflows (Panel 2)
Carlos Andrés Torres Salas, Vice Minister of the Interior and Police, Costa Rica
Harold Villegas-Román, Advisor to the Vice Minister of the Interior and Police; and Commissioner, Restricted Visa and Refugee Commission, Costa Rica
Alberto Cortés Ramos, Professor, Political Science Department, University of Costa Rica
Moderator: Manuel Orozco, Director, Migration, Remittances, and Development Program, Inter-American Dialogue
As crises continue to unfold in Venezuela and Nicaragua, more than 4.5 million people have left both of those countries, with most settling in neighboring countries in the region. To date, Latin American countries have generally responded by finding pragmatic ways to receive and integrate migrants and refugees from Venezuela and Nicaragua.
This series of panel discussions examines the challenges ahead as countries in the region seek to chart future strategies for responding to large-scale forced migration flows. Leading policymakers and key stakeholders from the region, as well as representatives of major international institutions involved with the regional response, offer their views on changing entry requirements; legal pathways and asylum processes; access to education, health care, and public services; and the opportunities and challenges that these migration flows present for the future of the region.
Remarks given in Spanish have been translated into English in this recording.

Regional Responses to Venezuelan Migration (Panel 1) - Latin American Responses to the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan Migration Crises

Latin American Responses to the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan Migration Crises
Welcome Remarks and Overview: Andrew Selee, President, Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Regional Responses to Venezuelan Migration (Panel 1)
Frieda Roxana Del Águila Tuesta, Superintendent of Migration, Peru
Christian Krüger Sarmiento, Director, Migration Colombia
Andrés Alfonso Ramírez Silva, Director, Mexican Refugee Commission (COMAR)
Hernán Yánez González, Under Secretary of International Protection and Assistance for Immigrants, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador
Jose Tomás Vicuña, National Director, Servicio Jesuita de Migrantes, Chile
Raísa Ortiz Cetra, Member, International Team, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, Argentina
Moderator: Andrew Selee, President, MPI
As crises continue to unfold in Venezuela and Nicaragua, more than 4.5 million people have left both of those countries, with most settling in neighboring countries in the region. To date, Latin American countries have generally responded by finding pragmatic ways to receive and integrate migrants and refugees from Venezuela and Nicaragua.
This series of panel discussions examines the challenges ahead as countries in the region seek to chart future strategies for responding to large-scale forced migration flows. Leading policymakers and key stakeholders from the region, as well as representatives of major international institutions involved with the regional response, offer their views on changing entry requirements; legal pathways and asylum processes; access to education, health care, and public services; and the opportunities and challenges that these migration flows present for the future of the region.
Remarks given in Spanish have been translated in this recording.

Legal Migration Pathways to Europe for Low- and Middle-Skilled Migrants

Against a backdrop of large-scale spontaneous migration flows towards Europe, facilitating legal migration is often called for as an alternative to irregular migration for individuals and groups not in need of international protection. Moreover, with populations aging and workforces slated to shrink over the next few decades in many European countries, policies that can efficiently recruit migrants to meet labor and skills shortages will be at a premium. While the conversation to date has focused on high-skilled migrants, short-to-medium term projections suggest that demand may also grow for low- and middle-skilled workers in sectors such as health and elder care, manufacturing, and construction. But the changing political environment around migration means that the space for reforms to legal migration policies has narrowed in many countries. At the national level, for example, policymakers must strike a fine balance between accommodating employer demand for more flexible and responsive selection policies and meeting their obligations to protect and promote the labor market participation of local populations. And while expanding legal migration pathways is a common theme of negotiations with third countries, both political and practical considerations (such as how to test demand and scale up initiatives) have stymied efforts to deliver on this pledge.
This event hosted by MPI Europe and the Research Unit of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration includes a discussion of research into legal migration pathways for work and training for low- and middle-skilled migrants not in need of protection.Speakers consider several questions:• What opportunities for work or training in Europe can low- and middle-skilled third-country nationals access? What policies and programs have been tried and tested at EU and Member State levels and how successful have they been? • What practical reforms can governments consider to their selection policies to ensure they are primed to assess and respond to fast-changing labor market needs? What lessons can we learn from bilateral partnerships on legal migration in this regard?• What role can the European Union play in supporting efforts by Member States to reform or expand their legal migration channels? Where is the European Union’s added value most keenly felt?
“Legal migration for work and training: Mobility options to Europe for those not in need of protection” is a project of the Research Unit of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration in cooperation with MPI Europe, and is funded by Stiftung Mercator.

The Colombian Response to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis: A Dialogue with Colombia’s Migration Czar

The political and economic unraveling of Venezuela has sparked the flight of more than 4 million people in what now stands as the largest exodus of migrants in the western hemisphere—a number that could exceed 5 million by year’s end. More than 1.4 million Venezuelans have settled in Colombia, which has generously opened its doors.
As the primary destination for Venezuelans, Colombia is providing a variety of legal pathways through temporary programs that allow the new arrivals access to work permits, public services, and protection from possible exploitation. And in September 2018, Colombia joined other countries in adopting the Declaration of Quito on Human Mobility of Venezuelan Citizens in the Region and launched an action plan emphasizing regularization and integration for migrants.
However, Colombia’s capacity to continue to host further arrivals is being stretched amid increasing pressure on public services and local economies, the growing recognition these arrivals will be more than short-term guests, and the strong possibility of additional inflows. Also at play is the slow arrival of international assistance. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has deemed the Venezuelan crisis one of the most underfunded humanitarian appeals in the world.
As the crisis continues to unfold, the Migration Policy Institute and Inter-American Dialogue hosted a conversation--with Felipe Muñoz, Advisor to the President of Colombia for the Colombian-Venezuelan Border; Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan, MPI's International Program Associate Director;Michael Camilleri, Director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program at the Inter-American Dialogue; and MPI's President Andrew Selee--on how Colombia is coping with this influx, plans for future policy decisions, and developments in regional and international cooperation, including with the United States.

Effectively Serving Immigrant and Dual Language Learner Families through Home Visiting Programs

Home visiting, a two-generation program model that serves young children alongside parents and caretakers to promote their healthy physical, socioemotional, and cognitive development, has the potential to promote improved outcomes for children and families alike.
Young children of immigrants and Dual Language Learners (DLLs), who make up one in four and nearly one in three young children in the United States, respectively, are important targets for home visiting programs as they are disproportionately more likely to face risk factors such as poverty and low parental education levels.
This webinar marks the release of a policy brief that explores program and policy opportunities to improve home visiting services for immigrant and DLL families currently underparticipating in these programs due to a lack of culturally and linguistically responsive programming and other barriers. On the webinar, MPI's Maki Park, Jamie Colvard of Zero to Three, and ParentChild+'s Pamela Williams provide an overview of the home visiting services landscape in the United States and discuss promising strategies to build effective partnerships with immigrant parents to support their young children’s school readiness and success. The conversation also examines opportunities for states to expand the participation of immigrant and DLL families in home visiting services.  

Chronicling Migration in the 21st Century Through One Family's Journey

The story of global migration as a force shaping economies, politics, and cultures around the world is typically told via analysis of data and policies, with a focus on trends rather than individuals. Yet at the end of the day, migration is the most human of phenomena, and one that has been around as long as humans have been on the planet. This discussion with award-winning New York Times reporter Jason DeParle traces the arc of migration and its impacts through the life of an extended family of Filipino migrants that he has followed from the slums of Manila to the Houston suburbs over three decades.
Marking the launch of DeParle's new book, A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century, this conversation with MPI's Andrew Selee and the World Bank's Dilip Ratha explores migration at both a global and very personal level.
As he chronicles the story of three generations of a Filipino family, DeParle documents the personal, cultural, and economic challenges and opportunities the family faces, whether as migrants or those remaining behind. His reporting and analysis on immigration trends, the costs and rewards of migration to both sending and receiving communities, and examination of the political and economic questions surrounding migration offer the opportunity for a rich discussion.