Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

Engaging Diaspora Talent: How Countries Can Integrate their Diaspora and Development Agendas

Diaspora engagement has become a key and accepted component in the arsenal of development strategies. The question of how to effectively and efficiently harness the force of a country’s diaspora through government intervention and policy remains one that many governments and international organizations are grappling with as they move forward with development policy and strategy. Diaspora interventions tend to be organic in nature and outside the confines of the typical government and institutional structures. The Migration Policy Institute has released an edited volume, How Can Talent Abroad Induce Development at Home? Towards a Pragmatic Diaspora Agenda, which includes commentary from leading experts in the field. During this book launch discussion at MPI, volume editor Yevgeny Kuznetsov, a World Bank senior consultant and MPI nonresident fellow, discusses findings with Kathleen Newland, Director of MPI’s Migrants, Migration, and Development program; and Lev Freinkman, author of research in the volume and former World Bank senior economist. The discussion offers new insight into how governments and international organizations can effectively implement diaspora engagement strategies that utilize institutions, the private sector, and individuals to their full potential.

A House Divided: Divergent Views in Congress Over Immigration Reform

Senate passage of comprehensive immigration reform legislation in June 2013 stands as a major accomplishment on the road to restructuring the U.S. immigration system. At this mid-point in the legislative debate, House committees have passed five separate bills, but are still grappling with key elements of the Senate plan, especially legalization for the nation’s estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants. The big question surrounding the debate remains whether compromises that reconcile the approaches by both chambers can be found to produce legislation that improves the U.S. immigration system. This online discussion with Migration Policy Institute policy experts Doris Meissner and Muzaffar Chishti was held shortly after MPI released an analysis comparing the major provisions of the Senate bill against those of the individual House bills considered to date in House committees. The discussion outlines the differing policies crafted by the House and Senate, their likely implications for the U.S. immigration system, and offers a look ahead to where the debate might be headed when Congress returns from its summer recess.

A Year In: A Review of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA)

August 15, 2013 marked the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which offers a two-year reprieve from deportation as well as work authorization for eligible unauthorized immigrants under the age of 31 who entered the United States before the age of 16 and meet a number of education and other requirements. During this online chat, Migration Policy Institute researchers discuss their findings in a new MPI brief that provides the most up-to-date estimates of the current and prospective DACA population by educational attainment, English proficiency, state of residence, country of origin, age, gender, labor force participation, poverty, and parental status. Researchers Michael Fix, Jeanne Batalova, and Sarah Hooker also answer questions from chat participants.

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.

Leveraging Migration and Human Capital in the U.S., Mexico, and Central America

This joint Migration Policy Institute and Woodrow Wilson Center event at the National Press Club in D.C marks the release of the Regional Migration Study Group’s final report, Thinking Regionally to Compete Globally: Leveraging Migration and Human Capital in the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. Discussants outline the report’s findings and offer recommendations to policymakers in the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou begins with the vision behind the Study Group’s work, followed by a video from Study Group Co-Chair Ernesto Zedillo, the former President of Mexico. Speakers include Study Group Co-Chair Carlos Gutierrez, former US Secretary of Commerce; Doris Meissner, Director of MPI's US Immigration Policy Program; Study Group Co-Chair Eduardo Stein, former Vice President and Foreign Minister of Guatemala; Luis Rubio, Chairman of the Center of Research for Development (CIDAC); James R. Jones, Former US Ambassador to Mexico and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma; and Andrew Selee, Vice President for Programs, Wilson Center.
For more information and to download the report, visit www.MigrationPolicy.org/RegionalStudyGroup.

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.

Changing Dynamics: Immigration, Mexico, and the United States

The Migration Policy Institute hosts a discussion with H.E. Eduardo Medina Mora, Mexico’s Ambassador to the United States, on the changing dynamics of Mexico’s economy, demographics, and large-scale emigration, and their implications for both Mexico and the United States. MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou moderates the discussion, joined by Senior Fellow Doris Meissner, who directs MPI’s U.S. immigration policy program.

Discussion on Ways to Make the U.S. Immigration System Better Meet U.S. Labor Market Needs

This Migration Policy Institute event marks the release of the book Immigrants in a Changing Labor Market with a discussion on how to make the U.S. immigration system more effective in meeting labor market needs. The discussion features Jason Furman, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Principal Deputy Director of the National Economic Council; Georgetown Professor Harry Holzer, who was chief economist at the U.S. Labor Department; and the book’s editors, MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix, President Demetrios Papademetriou, and Senior Policy Analyst Madeleine Sumption. The panelists discuss immigration at high-, middle-, and low-skill levels, current and proposed policy, how to measure labor shortages, and the flexibility that should be built into the U.S. immigration system.
For more on MPI’s Labor Markets Initiative, visit, www.migrationpolicy.org/lmi
Purchase a copy of the book at http://www.migrationpolicy.org/bookstore/labormarkets.php

Avoiding Pitfalls on the Road to Immigration Reform: Building an Effective US Immigration System

In this Migration Policy Institute event, immigration experts with decades of policy experience in and out of government examine issues at the heart of immigration reform, including: How would the registration process of a legalization program for unauthorized immigrants best be designed and implemented? How should future flows for needed workers be determined? And what will be the effects of barring access to services for the newly legalized? MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou discusses lessons from IRCA, economic issues, and mechanisms to allow for future immigration flows; Muzaffar Chishti, Director, MPI Office at NYU School of Law, discusses labor concerns and provides a conclusion on political realities; Michael Fix, Senior Vice President and Director of Studies and Co-Director, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, addresses impacts on immigrant integration, including impacts on healthcare costs; and Doris Meissner, Director of MPI’s US Immigration Policy Program, provides an overview on issues associated with a legalization program.
Visit www.migrationpolicy.org/CIR for research on US immigration policy.

Children of Immigrants: Moving Forward on Policies Affecting Young Children of Immigrants (S4)

Michael Fix and Margie McHugh, Co-Directors of the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, conclude a day-long MPI conference on the children of immigrants in the United States with the key facts from the research papers and policy responses. Read the agenda and topics here.

Children of Immigrants: Children of the Unauthorized and Immigration Policy (S3)

Doris Meissner, Migration Policy Institute Senior Fellow, moderates a discussion on the intersections of immigration policy as it is in the law, current practices, and what may change in the context of immigration reform. Presenting research papers for a day-long MPI conference on the children of immigrants are David B. Thronson, Professor of Law, Michigan State University College of Law, and Hiro Yoshikawa, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Academic Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Kelly Ryan, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Immigration, Office of Policy, US Department of Homeland Security, remarks on how current immigration law affects immigrant children. Read the agenda and topics here.

Children of Immigrants: School Readiness and Education Policy (S2)

Margie McHugh, Co-Director, MPI National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, moderates a discussion on the school readiness and education policy affecting the children of immigrants. Two experts discuss the issues of early learning and school readiness:  Robert Crosnoe, Elsie and Stanley E. (Skinny) Adams, Sr., Centennial Professor in Liberal Arts, Departments of Sociology and Psychology, University of Texas at Austin; and Linda Espinosa, Co-Principal Investigator for the Center for Early Care and Education Research—Dual Language Learners, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Professor Emeritus of Early Childhood Education, University of Missouri, Columbia.  Read the agenda and topics here.

Children of Immigrants: Health and Health Insurance Policy (S1)

Randy Capps, Senior Policy Analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, moderates a discussion on the health outcomes for the children of immigrants and health care. The following speakers present their research papers: Jennifer Van Hook, Director, Population Research Institute, and Professor of Sociology and Demography, Pennsylvania State University;  and Leighton Ku, Professor of Health Policy and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research, The George Washington University. And Ajay Chaudry, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy in the US Department of Health and Human Services, offers remarks. This session is part of a day-long MPI conference, “Critical Immigration, Health, and Education Policies Affecting Young Children of Immigrants.” Read the agenda and topics here.

Policies Affecting Young Children of Immigrants: Keynote Address by Doris Meissner

Doris Meissner, Migration Policy Institute Senior Fellow, discusses the current political environment regarding immigration policy in the United States at a day-long MPI conference on the children of immigrants in the United States, “Critical Immigration, Health, and Education Policies Affecting Young Children of Immigrants.” Read the agenda and topics here.

Critical Immigration, Health, and Education Policies Affecting Young Children of Immigrants - Intro

Michael Fix, Senior Vice President and Director of Studies at the Migration Policy Institute, gives an overview of a day-long MPI conference on critical immigration, health, and education policies affecting young children of immigrants, introducing speakers and session topics.  Deborah A. Phillips, President of the Foundation for Child Development, which provided a grant for the conference, talks about the Young Scholars Program and some of the research leading up to the conference. Read the agenda and topics here.

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.

Immigration Enforcement in the United States: The Rise of a Formidable Machinery

This Migration Policy Institute event discusses the findings of MPI’s major report, Immigration Enforcement in the United States: The Rise of a Formidable Machinery, which assesses the evolution of the current-day immigration enforcement system in the United States. Moderating the discussion is MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou. The report authors discuss the following topics: MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner provides an overview of the report and its findings on border enforcement and data systems; Muzaffar Chishti, Director, MPI Office at NYU School of Law, discusses workforce enforcement and the interplay of immigration enforcement and the criminal justice system; and MPI Nonresident Senior Fellow Donald Kerwin discusses the report’s review of detention and removals.
Download the Full Report | Download the Report in Brief | Watch the full event

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

Rethinking National Identity in the Age of Migration

In this Migration Policy Institute event on October 24, speakers discuss the anti-immigrant political movement in Europe (particularly France and the Netherlands) and the United States, the players who contribute to this environment, an analysis on the current situation in these countries, and the implications for community cohesion and national identity. Speakers: Patrick Simon, Director of Research, Institut national d’études démographiques, and Researcher at the Center for European Studies at Sciences Po, Paris; Cas Mudde, Assistant Professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia; National Council of La Raza Executive Vice President Charles Kamasaki; and America’s Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry. Moderated by MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou.
View Cas Mudde's PowerPoint Presentation |  View Patrick Simon's PowerPoint Presentation