Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

The County-Level View of Unauthorized Immigrants and Implications for Executive Action Implementation

This Migration Policy Institute (MPI) webinar marks the release of new data profiles of unauthorized immigrants for counties in the United States with the largest populations potentially eligible for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program or the new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program (known as DAPA). Experts from MPI discuss some of the interesting county-level findings, and top officials from Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. and the National Council of La Raza talk about the implications of the data for implementation of the DACA and DAPA programs. The 94 detailed county-level profiles, along with topline estimates of unauthorized immigrant population size for 117 counties, are available here: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/unauthorized-immigrant-population

Lessons from DACA’s Implementation and its Impact on Education and Training

Given the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program’s unique position at the convergence of the immigration and education fields, the Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy has sought to capture the ways in which local educational institutions, legal service providers, and youth advocates have responded to DACA’s first phase. In this webinar, authors of the report Lessons from the Local Level: DACA's Implementation and Impact on Education and Training Success discuss key challenges facing legal service providers and educators serving DACA youth, along with lessons for new and ongoing efforts seeking to support the implementation of the DACA and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents programs. Read the report here: http://migrationpolicy.org/research/lessons-local-level-dacas-implementation-and-impact-education-and-training-success

A ‘Freer’ Flow of Skilled Labour within ASEAN: Aspirations, Opportunities, and Challenges in 2015 and Beyond

In 2007, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on an ambitious goal to fast-track the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015, which would transform the ASEAN region into a single market and production base. The transformation would be based on five core components, including a free flow of skilled labor. This briefing, held in Bangkok, Thailand and hosted by the International Organization for Migration and the Migration Policy Institute, explores these issues and launches the Issue in Brief, A ‘Freer’ Flow of Skilled Labour within ASEAN: Aspirations, Opportunities and Challenges in 2015 and Beyond, the eleventh in a joint publication series offering succinct insights on migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region today. To read the series, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/regions/asia-and-pacific.

Digging Deeper Into Executive Action: A Further Examination of the Impacts

While public attention surrounding President Obama's November 20 announcement of executive action on immigration has focused on the estimated 5.2 million unauthorized immigrants potentially eligible for deferred action, the president also announced a number of additional reforms that touch on other facets of the U.S. immigration system. In this webinar, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) experts discuss the impact of less-noted aspects of the president’s plan, including in the areas of immigration enforcement, changes to the legal immigration system, and efforts to promote immigrant integration by creating a White House Task Force on New Americans. To watch video of the webinar and download the Powerpoint files, click here: http://migrationpolicy.org/events/digging-deeper-executive-action-further-examination-impacts

Where Next? The Future of Integration Policy in Europe

This is the third and final panel from the day-long conference, "Better Work for Immigrants: Tackling Joblessness and Stunted Progression in the European Union," held in Brussels and organized by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Europe in collaboration with the International Labour Office (ILO) and the European Commission. The event concludes an MPI-ILO research project, funded by the European Commission, that examines employment prospects of foreign-born workers and the effectiveness of integration and workforce development policies in helping foreign-born workers overcome barriers and move up into middle-skilled positions in six case study countries: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Read reports from the series here.

Can Training Get Migrants into Middle-Skilled Jobs? Working More Effectively with Social Partners and Civil Society

This is the second panel from the day-long conference, "Better Work for Immigrants: Tackling Joblessness and Stunted Progression in the European Union," held in Brussels and organized by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Europe in collaboration with the International Labour Office (ILO) and the European Commission. The event concludes an MPI-ILO research project, funded by the European Commission, that examines employment prospects of foreign-born workers and the effectiveness of integration and workforce development policies in helping foreign-born workers overcome barriers and move up into middle-skilled positions in six case study countries: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Read reports from the series here.

Bleak Picture or Steady Progress? Labour Market Outcomes of New Arrivals in Europe

This panel discussion opens the day-long conference, "Better Work for Immigrants: Tackling Joblessness and Stunted Progression in the European Union," held in Brussels and organized by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Europe in collaboration with the International Labour Office (ILO) and the European Commission. The event concludes an MPI-ILO research project, funded by the European Commission, that examines employment prospects of foreign-born workers and the effectiveness of integration and workforce development policies in helping foreign-born workers overcome barriers and move up into middle-skilled positions in six case study countries: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Read reports from the series here.

Immigration Law and Policy Conference: Session IV, Immigrant Legal Services Innovations and Challenges in Adjudication

The last several years have witnessed extraordinary developments related to the adjudication and representation of persons facing possible removal from the United States. This panel from the 11th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference—organized in October 2014 by the Migration Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the Center for Migration Studies, and Georgetown University Law Center—highlights innovative new legal service-delivery programs, including government-funded counsel in New York City, the Immigrant Justice Corps fellowship program, the Justice Americorps Program, nongovernmental organization initiatives to represent the growing numbers of unaccompanied child migrants (UACs) and others. It also discusses challenges related to the accelerated adjudication of proceedings for minors, the expansion in non-court removals, legal representation of persons apprehended near the U.S.-Mexico border, and an economic analysis of government-funded legal counsel in immigration proceedings. Panelists are Austin T. Fragomen, Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy, LLP; Meredith Linsky, Director, American Bar Association Commission on Immigration; Hon. Dana Leigh Marks, President, National Association of Immigration Judges; and John Montgomery, Senior Vice President, NERA Economic Consulting. For more on the conference, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/events/11th-annual-immigration-law-and-policy-conference.

Immigration Law and Policy Conference: Session III, The Treatment of Unaccompanied Children from Central America

Children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have been coming to the United States without a parent or guardian for many years. In 2008, Congress enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act to provide special protections for this vulnerable population. In recent years, the number of unaccompanied child migrants (UACs) from these countries has increased significantly, culminating in much larger numbers arriving at US borders in 2014. This panel, from the 11th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference organized in October 2014 by the
Migration Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the
Center for Migration Studies, and Georgetown University Law Center, considers several key issues that have arisen with respect to U.S. and regional responses to the cross-border movements of these children, in particular with respect to due process, enforcement actions in the United States and Mexico, and Central American government plans to address the violence affecting these children in their home communities. Speakers are H.E. Francisco Altschul Fuentes, Ambassador of El Salvador to the United States; Barbara Leen, Counsel to the Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Department of Justice; and Maria Woltjen, Lecturer in Law and Director of The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, University of Chicago. The conversation was moderated by Andrew I. Schoenholtz, Director,
Center for Applied Legal Studies; Director, Human Rights Institute,
Professor from Practice, Georgetown University Law Center. For more on the conference, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/events/11th-annual-immigration-law-and-policy-conference.

Immigration Law and Policy Conference: Session II, Executive Action: Policy and Political Implications for the Future

This panel from the 11th annual Immigration
Law and Policy Conference—organized in October 2014 by the Migration
Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the Center
for Migration Studies, and Georgetown University Law Center—examines the use of executive action in implementing immigration policy, the numbers of those who may potentially be affected by such action, underlying legal issues, and any challenges in implementation. The panelists—Ana Navarro, a Republican political contributor to CNN, CNN en Español, and ABC News; Norman J. Ornstein, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute; Simon Rosenberg, President and Founder, New Democrat Network (NDN); and Marc R. Rosenblum, Deputy Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, Migration Policy Institute—discussed the possible political ramifications for future immigration reform policy during a conversation moderated by MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner. For more on the conference, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/events/11th-annual-immigration-law-and-policy-conference.

Immigration Law and Policy Conference: Session I, Immigration Reform on a State and Local Level

As federal immigration legislation continues to languish, state and municipal governments across the country are forging ahead and taking decisive action to integrate immigrants into their communities. This panel from the 11th annual Immigration
Law and Policy Conference—organized in October 2014 by the Migration
Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the Center
for Migration Studies, and Georgetown University Law Center—examines different approaches to advancing immigrant laws and policies at the state and local levels. Panelists discuss recent measures adopted by city and state governments to expand immigrants’ access to education and health care, limit local involvement in immigration enforcement, and enhance immigrants’ ability to participate in civic life and revitalize local economies. The panelists are: Nisha Agarwal, Commissioner, New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs; the Hon. Ricardo Lara, Senator, 33rd District, California State Senate; and Steve Tobocman, Director, Global Detroit. The conversation is moderated by Jeanne M. Atkinson, Executive Director, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. For more on the conference, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/events/11th-annual-immigration-law-and-policy-conference.

Immigration Law and Policy Conference: Keynote by Leon Rodriguez

The 11th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference—organized in October 2014 by the Migration
Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the Center
for Migration Studies, and Georgetown University Law Center—begins with keynote remarks by León Rodríguez, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. During his first major public address since being sworn in, Director Rodríguez discussed his agency's performance, including its handling of the hundreds of thousands of applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. For more on the 11th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/events/11th-annual-immigration-law-and-policy-conference.

The U.S. Deportation System: Trends from a Decade of Data

This panel discussion marks the release of the new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report, Deportation and Discretion: Reviewing the Record and Options for Change. The report and discussion provide a detailed description of formal removals from the United States, including the previous immigration and criminal records of deportees, as well as their country of origin, gender, length of residence in the United States, and other demographic characteristics. Marc Rosenblum, Deputy Director of MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program and lead author of the report, answers key questions about immigration enforcement: who is being removed, where are noncitizens being apprehended, how are they being removed, and how are DHS’s current enforcement priorities reflected in enforcement outcomes. Other issues covered in the discussion include MPI’s insights more broadly from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removals dataset, obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by The New York Times, as well as the work done by the Government Accountability Office in this area. This event offers a unique opportunity to review the past decade-plus of deportations and determine what lessons can be learned for future policy and possible administrative action.

Integrating Migration into the Post-2015 United Nations Development Agenda

This event held in Bangkok, Thailand and co-sponsored by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) marks the launch of Integrating Migration into the Post-2015 United Nations Development Agenda, the tenth Issue in Brief in a joint-MPI-IOM publication series offering insight on migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region. The discussion covers the role of migration as a driver for development and explores how to integrate migration-related targets and indicators into the post-2015 development agenda.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Discusses His Vision for the Agency

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, who assumed his duties in 2014, lays out his vision and discusses his priorities for the agency as part of the Migration Policy Institute's (MPI) Leadership Visions series. The discussion is moderated by Doris Meissner, Director of MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program.

Realizing the DACA and DREAM Promise: Actions to Support Educational Attainment of Potentially Eligible Immigrant Youth

With postsecondary degrees proving to be beyond the reach of many low-income immigrant youth, and a vastly under-resourced adult education system the weakest link in the U.S. educational pipeline, a lack of educational attainment and opportunities stands to block hundreds of thousands of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) youth from obtaining immigration protections for which they would otherwise qualify. This Migration Policy Institute (MPI) webinar discusses the findings of the report Diploma, Please: Promoting Educational Attainment for DACA- and Potential DREAM Act-Eligible Youth, from MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy. The discussion covers the education challenges facing DACA youth, targeted programs designed to address them, and recommendations for overcoming the education-success obstacles that key subgroups of DACA-DREAM youth face. The report highlights some of the promising programs, emerging models, and policy contexts in states such as California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Georgia, and Washington State.

Extending New Relief to Unauthorized Immigrants: Estimating the Impacts of Possible Executive Actions

This briefing marks the launch of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) brief, Executive Action for Unauthorized Immigrants: Estimates of the Populations that Could Receive Relief. With the Obama administration contemplating executive action in the immigration arena, immigrant-rights leaders, members of Congress, and others have proposed a number of options for actions that President Obama could take to provide relief to more of the nation’s estimated 11.7 million unauthorized immigrants. Among the options are extending deferred action to populations beyond those eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and further refining the enforcement priorities that guide deportations. In this briefing, MPI experts Randy Capps, Marc Rosenblum, and Michael Fix unveil the findings of new research that provides estimates of the numbers who may benefit from potential approaches to administrative relief.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) at Two: New MPI Findings as Renewal Approaches

This Migration Policy
Institute (MPI) webinar explores the findings of a new report about the Deferred Action
for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative and eligible
populations two years after its implementation. In
this briefing, MPI researchers present their analysis of the immediately and potentially eligible DACA
populations nationally and for leading states, as well as broader
sociodemographic findings, including English proficiency, educational
attainment, poverty level, and more. They also discuss the broader
implications of DACA for U.S. immigration
and integration policy, as well as lessons
that can be applied to the program’s next phase or possible
executive action that might expand deferred action to
other unauthorized immigrant populations. 
The webinar also
introduces MPI's latest data tool, which provides
estimates for the U.S. and 41 states of the current
and potentially eligible DACA populations, as well as detailed profiles for the
U.S. and 25 states.

Unaccompanied Minors: A Crisis with Deep Roots and No Simple Solutions

This Migration Policy Institute (MPI) telebriefing discusses factors behind the recent surge in flows of unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America to the United States as well as short- and longer-term policy options for improving how the U.S. immigration system interacts with this population with distinct needs. Speakers include Doris Meissner, Director of MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program, and Marc Rosenblum, Deputy Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program. The call previews a policy brief on unaccompanied minors that MPI will release in July.  

Detained or Deported: How Parents in the Immigration Enforcement System Can Protect their Children

This Migration Policy Institute (MPI) panel discussion, in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission, focuses on a new toolkit by the Women's Refugee Commission to provide detained and deported immigrants as well as unauthorized mothers and fathers with crucial information to protect and maintain their parental rights and make well-informed, critical decisions regarding the care and welfare of their children. In addition, speakers discuss the broader policy points surrounding detention and child protection issues and the implications for the immigration enforcement and child welfare systems. Speakers include Director Michelle Brane and Senior Program Officer Emily Butera of the Women's Refugee Commission Migrant Rights and Justice Program as well as Deputy Assistant Director of Custody Programs Andrew Lorenzen-Strait with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The discussion is moderated by Doris Meissner, Director of MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program. To view the toolkit online, click here.