Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

Growing Up in America: The Extent and Impacts of Discrimination on Young Children from Immigrant Families

While the effects of discrimination against immigrant adolescents and adults have been the subject of much study, discrimination’s impacts on young children of immigrants has gone largely unexamined. During this webinar, three scholars explored the educational, psychological, and social impact of discrimination on immigrant-origin children from birth to age 10. The three presenters discussed the types of discrimination that young children of immigrants may experience, particularly in the school setting, and its consequences for children, their families, and schools. The presenters also offered recommendations for addressing discrimination in school settings and explored ways to promote family and child resilience in the face of discrimination.

Regional Enforcement: A Profile of Migrants Deported from the United States and Mexico to the Northern Triangle

On this webinar, marking the release of an MPI report on these topics, authors presented an overview of regional immigration enforcement trends, including U.S. and Mexican apprehensions and deportations of both children and adults, along with a demographic, socioeconomic, and criminal profile of child and adult deportees. The researchers presented their analysis of how Mexico’s growing enforcement efforts are impacting migration from Central America to the United States, and discussed migration policies that establish workable enforcement and humanitarian protection.

The Unauthorized Population in the United States: New Data Trends

Marking the release of a new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report examining the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, currently estimated at 11 million, this webinar drew on U.S. Census Bureau data to detail the profiles of the overall U.S. unauthorized population, including first-ever estimates at the county level by country and region of origin for those potentially eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs.

DACA at Three: New Data on Potential Applicants and Analysis of the Renewal Process

August 2015 marks the three-year anniversary of the implementation of the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and approximately one year since U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began processing DACA renewal requests. Renewal offers current DACA beneficiaries an additional two-year reprieve from deportation as well as work authorization, yet not all those eligible to file for renewal have done so.MPI experts unveiled updated data on characteristics of the potential DACA applicant pool as well as a new brief examining who is signing up for DACA renewal and some of the administrative difficulties surrounding the renewal program in this latest webinar.

Targeted Enforcement: Projecting the Effects of Executive Action on Deportations

In November 2014, President Obama announced a series of executive actions on immigration policy. While much of the immediate attention focused on the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative and creation of a new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, the announcement also included major changes to federal immigration enforcement practices. MPI analysts presented findings from a new report, which explores these new enforcement priorities and estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants now considered priorities—and nonpriorities—for enforcement. Current and former DHS officials joined the discussion, commenting on the historical context for these enforcement actions and plans for implementation of these new policies.

Beyond Asylum: Adapting the Global Protection System to Better Meet Escalating Needs

An estimated 2.9 million people became refugees in 2014, with an average 42,500 forced to leave their homes each day. The unprecedented scale of displacement has placed the global refugee system under visible strain, as humanitarian agencies and host communities struggle to provide for ever-rising needs. This webinar digs more deeply into ways to empower refugees to use their skills and energies to provide for their own livelihoods, and enable refugees to legally take advantage of security or self-sufficiency opportunities beyond countries of first asylum by tapping into the potential of existing migration schemes.

Addressing Crisis at Europe's Borders: Are Policymakers Moving in the Right Direction?

This teleconference marks the first in a series of briefings, with a broad range of experts, as part of ongoing work by MPI Europe and the International Migration Initiative of the Open Society Foundations on the future of asylum policy in the European Union, and the role Europe plays within the global protection system. As the need for solutions becomes ever more urgent and ever more politically sensitive, MPI Europe is investing in a program of research, analysis, convening, and debate to identify new areas of cooperation for European actors, as well as recalibrate the current tensions concerning multiple and competing policy priorities—from protection of growing displaced populations through to the need to ensure cohesive and thriving European societies. 

Resettling Increasingly Diverse Refugee Populations in the United States: Integration Challenges and Successes

This discussion focuses on the Migration Policy Institute's new report, The Integration Outcomes of U.S. Refugees: Success and Challenges, which uses previously unpublished State Department data among other sources to examine refugee characteristics at arrival for the ten largest national-origin groups resettled between 2002-2013, as well as their integration outcomes. The discussion examines the report's findings with respect to refugee employment and incomes, English proficiency and education levels, public benefit use, as well as differing integration outcomes between refugee groups with similar characteristics at arrival. Read the report here: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/integration-outcomes-us-refugees-successes-and-challenges

Rethinking Integration for the Age of Superdiversity: How to Adapt Public Services? Session 3: The Future of Integration Policy

This Migration Policy Institute Europe public discussion explores how a coordinated approach to immigrant integration may create more effective and inclusive approaches to diversity across the policy-making spectrum. It also covers the findings of the UPSTREAM project, a multicountry study funded by the European Integration Fund that looks at the practice of mainstreaming in early childhood education, multilingual classrooms, antiracism, and equality strategies, and neighborhood and housing policy. Session 3, "The Future of Integration Policy," includes speakers  Elizabeth Collett, Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe, Carmen Blanco, Spanish Deputy Director of Legal Affairs, and Laura Corrado, Head of Legal Migration and Integration of the European Commission Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.

Rethinking Integration for the Age of Superdiversity: How to Adapt Public Services? Session 2: Inclusive Urban Spaces

This Migration Policy Institute Europe public discussion explores how a coordinated approach to immigrant integration may create more effective and inclusive approaches to diversity across the policy-making spectrum. It also covers the findings of the UPSTREAM project, a multicountry study funded by the European Integration Fund that looks at the practice of mainstreaming in early childhood education, multilingual classrooms, antiracism, and equality strategies, and neighborhood and housing policy. Session 2, "Inclusive Urban Spaces," includes speakers Patrick Simon of the French National Institute of Demographic Research, Di Robinson of the Bristol City Council, Jean-François Fougnet of the Centre for Social Development, Clémentine Vooren of the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, and Lorraine O’Deaof the U.K. Department for Communities and Local Government.

Rethinking Integration for the Age of Superdiversity: How to Adapt Public Services? Session 1: Rethinking Public Services for a Diverse and Mobile Age

This Migration Policy Institute Europe public discussion explores how a coordinated approach to immigrant integration may create more effective and inclusive approaches to diversity across the policy-making spectrum. It also covers the findings of the UPSTREAM project, a multicountry study funded by the European Integration Fund that looks at the practice of mainstreaming in early childhood education, multilingual classrooms, antiracism, and equality strategies, and neighborhood and housing policy. Session 1, "Rethinking Public Services for a Diverse and Mobile Age," includes speakers Peter Scholten, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Politics at Erasmus University, and Elizabeth Collett, Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe.

Ready to Meet the Needs of All Children? A Closer Look at Diversity in the Early Childhood Workforce

In this webinar, Migration Policy Institute analysts discuss their report, Immigrant and Refugee Workers in the Early Childhood Field: Taking a Closer Look, which shows that just as the number and share of children of immigrants have grown substantially, the foreign born also now represent nearly one-fifth of the overall early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. However, these immigrant workers—and the linguistic and cultural diversity that they bring to the field—are over-represented in lower-skilled and lower-paid positions. The discussion covers diversity within the existing ECEC workforce, along with recommendations for addressing barriers to entry and advancement that many immigrant workers appear to face. Read the report here: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigrant-and-refugee-workers-early-childhood-field-taking-closer-look

No End in Sight: The Worsening Syrian Refugee Crisis

To date, almost 4 million refugees have fled the Syrian civil war, the vast majority seeking shelter in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, but with growing numbers also moving to Egypt and Northern Iraq. At this Migration Policy Institute briefing, Erol Kekic from Refugee Council USA and Anastasia Brown from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who recently visited the region, report on their findings on the space for humanitarian protection. Also joining the panel is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Simon Henshaw, whose portfolio in the Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration includes Syrian refugees. He discusses recent developments in the region and in the U.S. humanitarian response. The discussion is moderated by Kathleen Newland, director of MPI's Refugee Protection and Humanitarian Response Program. 

The New National Integration Plan: Making the Most of a Historic Opportunity

On April 14, in a historic first, the recently convened White House Task Force on New Americans unveiled a report to the President that aims to improve and better coordinate federal strategies that support the successful integration of immigrants into U.S. communities. At this Migration Policy Institute event, Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Co-Chair of the Task Force on New Americans, Cecilia Muñoz, discusses the plan’s promise and implementation goals. The conversation also includes remarks by Director of MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Margie McHugh, and President Michael Fix, along with Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Eva Millona, and Special Assistant to the President for Immigration Policy, Felicia Escobar. For more information about the White House Task Force on New Americans, visit our webpage.

Child and Family Migration to the United States: Continuing Flows and Evolving Responses

The number of Central American unaccompanied children and family units arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border has surged in recent years, reaching a peak of 137,000 in 2014. In this Migration Policy Institute webinar, experts from MPI discuss the shifting pattern of Central American migration and expectations for 2015; why inflows present a particularly acute policy challenge; and how states, localities, the federal government, and other countries in the region are responding. Speakers Marc Rosenblum, Margie McHugh, and Doris Meissner provide recommendations on policies that advance both critical protection and enforcement goals in situations of complex, mixed-status flows as well as means to address impacts in communities where child migrants have settled.

The Asia-Pacific and Women’s Labour Migration

At this briefing, hosted by the International Organization for Migration and the Migration Policy Institute, speakers discuss the critical issues surrounding women's labour migration in the Asia-Pacific region and the related opportunities and challenges. The event marks the launch of the IOM-MPI Issue in Brief, Women’s Labour Migration from Asia and the Pacific: Opportunities and Challenges, the twelfth in a joint-publication series offering succinct insights on migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region today.Note: Due to technical errors, the audio does not include opening remarks and starts with the author's presentation. 

Cross-Cutting Needs and Opportunities: Language Access, Funding, Multi-Level Partnerships, and Planning for the Long Term

This Migration Policy Institute webinar, the final in a series on the development of the National Integration Plan by the newly-formed White House Task Force on New Americans, addresses cross-cutting topics (across agencies and across different levels of government) raised by a number of key stakeholders in their input to the task force. Speakers Margie McHugh of MPI, Charles Kamasaki of the National Council of La Raza, Nisha Agarwal of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs in New York City, and Cuc Vu of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs in Seattle discuss suggestions for greater leadership by the federal government in efforts to meet state and local language access needs, possible designs for a national Integration Success Fund, and building new partnerships between federal agencies and local governments to effectively address integration needs. The webinar also covers recommendations for creating a robust framework of integration goals and indicators to guide the work of each agency participating in the task force.

Integration Challenges and Opportunities in the Economic Development and Refugee Resettlement Arenas

This Migration Policy Institute webinar addresses two distinct, significant areas—economic development and refugee resettlement—that were a focus of robust discussion in recommendations submitted by a number of leading organizations and networks to the White House Task Force on New Americans. During the webinar, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Annie Wilson shares thoughts on how to better support the integration of refugees and the refugee resettlement process, Global Detroit Director Steve Tobocman talks about the WE Global Network and recommendations for the task force in the areas of international student retention, immigrant entrepreneurship, and rural economic development, and MPI’s Margie McHugh discusses recommendations on education and training, language access, and late-arriving immigrant and refugee students. 

Adult Education, English and Skills Training: Opportunities for Action and Investment in the Most Vital Integration Services

In this Migration Policy Institute webinar, part of a series exploring issues likely to be addressed by the new National Integration Plan, speakers examine the role of adult education and English language and skills training in the immigrant integration process. Margie McHugh, Director of MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, and representatives from the National Partnership for New Americans and the National Skills Coalition discuss their recommendations to the White House Task Force on New Americans, covering topics such as: meeting the particular needs of parents of young children and immigrants in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce; ensuring equitable access to services for those with low levels of underlying education; meeting the unique needs of those who received advanced education or training overseas; and ideas for ensuring more generally that implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the increasing emphasis on postsecondary transition and career pathways results in improved, rather than reduced, access to needed education and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees.For more information, visit http://migrationpolicy.org/events/adult-education-english-and-skills-training-opportunities-action-and-investment-most-vital

The Skills of Immigrants: What PIAAC Tells Us

This Migration Policy Institute event marks the launch of the report Through an Immigrant Lens: PIAAC Assessment of the Competencies of Adults in the United States, which uses data from the 2012 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to describe the literacy, numeracy, and computer skills of adults in the United States, including both immigrants and the native born. Report authors Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix of MPI present their findings and discuss what their analysis reveals about the literacy of the first- and second-generation immigrant population in the United States, the U.S. education and workforce training system, and the implications for the future of the U.S. labor market and its role in the global economy. Panelists Demetra Smith Nightingale of the U.S. Department of Labor and Andy Van Kleunen of the National Skills Coalition present commentaries setting the results in the context of the United States workforce and education policies. Finally, MPI’s Demetrios G. Papademetriou sets the results in the global context.