Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

Thailand at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in Leveraging Migration for Development

This joint Migration Policy Institute and International Organization for Migration breakfast briefing discuss the Issue in Brief, Thailand at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in Leveraging Migration for Development, the sixth in an eight-paper monthly joint-publication series offering succinct insights on current migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Jerry Huguet, Consultant on Population and Development, and Ms. Claudia Natali, Labour Migration Programme Manager, IOM Thailand, will present key findings of the report, while Mr. Jeffrey Labovitz, Chief of Mission, IOM Thailand, will moderate the panel. Mr. Rattanarut, Expert on foreign workers administration and Independent Consultant (TBC) reflects on the government’s role in formulating and implementing effective policies for migration and development.
Download the Issue Brief | Learn more on MPI’s Migration and Development Program

Refugee Protection, Territorial Access, and the Affirmative Asylum System

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

Serving Millions: Hot Topics in Legal Service Response

At the 9th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference sponsored by the Migration Policy Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC), and the Center for Migration Studies, CLINIC’s Training and Legal Support Attorney Jennie Guilfoyle moderates a session on charitable legal service programs with Immigrant Legal Resource Center Executive Director Eric Cohen; William Hornsby, Staff Counsel in the American Bar Association’s Division for Legal Services; and Mark O’Brien, Pro Bono Net’s Executive Director.  The session provides an overview on legal service provision, and covers new trends, best practices, challenges, and possible pitfalls in using technology for legal service provision. Panelists also discuss organizing large-scale legal service responses (like in the cases of deferred action, past legalizations, or naturalization); and other issues in organizational capacity, associated expenses, and coordination when providing charitable legal services.
For more information on the conference, click here.

A Discussion with Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

At the 9th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference on October 1, 2012 sponsored by the Migration Policy Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. and the Center for Migration Studies, US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas discusses the implementation of the Obama administration's Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals initiative; the pre-adjudication of waivers; the agency's promulgation of policies and public engagement efforts; possible fiscal cuts to the agency's budget; and other steps the agency is taking to respond to changing demographics, customer service needs, and national security concerns. The session was moderated by Charles Wheeler, Director of CLINIC's National Legal Center for Immigrants.
For more information on the conference, click here.

Immigration and the 2012 Elections and Campaigns

At the 9th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference sponsored by the Migration Policy Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., and the Center for Migration Studies, Migration Policy Institute Senior Fellow Doris Meissner moderates a plenary panel focused on immigration and the 2012 campaigns. The panelists, Alfonso Aguilar, Executive Director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles; Maria Cardona, Principal of the Dewey Square Group; and Brian Bennett, a reporter with the Los Angeles Times/Tribune-Washington Bureau, offer their perspectives on the role immigration is playing in the US presidential election and the future of US immigration policy in the near term.
For more information on the conference, click here.

Assistant Atty General Tom Perez Remarks at 2012 Immigration Law and Policy Conference

At the 9th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference on October 1, 2012 sponsored by the Migration Policy Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. and the Center for Migration Studies, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez discusses the work his division and the Justice Department are pursuing in the areas of equal educational opportunity, public safety and policing, the prevention of bullying and harassment, the elimination of racial profiling, anti-discrimination efforts in the workplace, equal housing rights, access to justice in state courts, voting rights, and improving access to services for persons with Limited English Proficiency. He also touches the history of immigration in the United States in his remarks.
For more information about the conference, click here.

Migration Policy Institute 2012 E Pluribus Unum Prize Awardees Discuss Immigrant Integration

The winners of the Migration Policy Institute's 2012 E Pluribus Unum Prizes, honoring exceptional immigrant integration work happening in the United States, discussed their initiatives during a plenary luncheon on September 24, 2012 at the National Immigrant Integration Conference held in Baltimore, MD. During a Q&A with MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix, leaders with ACCESS (the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services), Building Skills Partnership, Californians Together, and Citi Community Development discussed key aspects of their work. At discussion's end, the winners received their E Pluribus Unum Prizes from Brad Davidson, a trustee of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, which generously funds the prizes program.
For more information, visit www.integrationawards.org.

Making It Work: Lessons in Collaboration on Language Access Contracting

A webinar on language access contracting for federal, state, and local officials, agency administrators, and community stakeholders concerned with the oversight and implementation of language access provision. Presenters will include Neel Saxena, Grant Manager and Program Coordinator in the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs within the District of Columbia 's Executive Office of the Mayor, and Simone Richardson, Contracting Officer in the District of Columbia’s Office of Contracting and Procurement. The webinar was moderated by MPI Policy Analyst Chhandasi Pandya.
View the PowerPoint slides |  Read DC’s citywide translation and interpretation contract and DC government’s quality assurance standards.

Strengthening Pre-Departure Orientation Programmes in Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines

This joint Migration Policy Institute and International Organization for Migration event marks the Issue brief launch of Strengthening Pre-Departure Orientation Programmes in Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines, which explored issues affecting migrant workers in relation to the pre-departure orientation program.  Andrew Bruce, Regional Director, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific moderated the panel; Ms. Yuko Hamada, Senior Labour Migration and Development Officer, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, presented key findings, and H.E. Mr. Lutfi Rauf, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Indonesia to Thailand, provided commentary on the report and discussion.
Download the Issue Brief | Learn more on MPI’s Migration and Development Program

Regulating Private Recruitment in the Asia-Middle East Labour Migration Corridor

This joint Migration Policy Institute and International Organization for Migration event marks the Issue brief launch of Regulating Private Recruitment in the Asia-Middle East Labour Migration Corridor, with author Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, Regional Research Officer, IOM and Policy Analyst, MPI; Supang Chantavanich, Professor, Chulalongkorn University and Director, Asian Research Center for Migration; Jaewon Kim, Manager, Business for Social Responsibility; and Rabab Fatima, Regional Coordinator and Advisor for South Asia, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Panelists discussed the Asian migrant worker experience in the Middle East and offered insights on migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region today.  

Download the Issue Brief | Learn more on MPI’s Migration and Development Program

The New Deferred Action Program: Strategies for Success

In this Migration Policy Institute event, US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas discusses the application process and policies that his agency has announced to implement the deferred action program that will grant a two-year reprieve from deportation to as many as 1.76 million unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as children (and are known as DREAMers). After initial comments, Director Mayorkas engages in a conversation moderated by MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner with panelists David A. Martin, Professor of International Law at the University of Virginia and former Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security; Muzaffar Chishti, Director, MPI Office at NYU School of Law; and Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center.
Download the MPI Fact Sheet with the latest estimates on the potential beneficiary population: Relief from Deportation: Demographic Profile of the DREAMers Potentially Eligible under the Deferred Action Policy.

Unaccompanied Minors and Their Journey through the US Immigration System

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

MPI/IOM Asia-Pacific Launch of Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development

This joint Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) event convenes a discussion on the recently published handbook, titled Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development, with Andrew Bruce, Regional Director, IOM; Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, Regional Research Officer, IOM, and MPI Policy Analyst; Todd Cleaver, Deputy Head of Mission, New Zealand Embassy Bangkok, Thailand; Dr. Noppawan Tanpipat, Vice President, National Science and Technology Development Agency; and Kathleen Newland, Director of MPI’s Migrants, Migration, and Development program.
To download for free or purchase a hard copy of Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development, please visit www.thediasporahandbook.org.

Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development

In this Migration Policy Institute event, Kathleen Newland, MPI Co-Founder and Director of the Refugee Policy and Migrants, Migration, and Development Programs and William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) discuss the highlights and best practices from the recently published handbook, Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development.
To order the handbook or download for free, visit www.thediasporahandbook.org.
Additional Resources: Diasporas: New Partners in Global Development Policy
Closing the Distance: How Governments Strengthen Ties with Their Diasporas

Update on the 2012 Global Forum on Migration and Development

In this Migration Policy Institute event, Ali Mansoor, Financial Secretary of the Republic of Mauritius and Chair of the 2012 Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), gives an overview of preparations for the forthcoming GFMD, which is scheduled to take place in Mauritius in November. MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou offers his insights with a broad perspective on global migration.

Engaging Diasporas in Europe for Development

In this Migration Policy Institute Europe event in Brussels, the co-author of a diaspora engagement handbook published by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), Kathleen Newland, leads a discussion on the newly released book entitled Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development. Panelists are: Frank Laczko, Head of Research and Publications, IOM; handbook co-author Dovelyn Agunias, a policy and research analyst for both MPI and IOM; Eva Åkerman-Börje, Swedish Ambassador for the Global Forum on Migration and Development; Rodrigo Ballester, Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Home Affairs, European Commission; Santo Deng, President, Board of the Diaspora Forum for Development.
For more information on visit www.thediasporahandbook.org. For more information, visit www.MPIEurope.org.

The Role of National Governments in Promoting Immigrant Integration

Migration Policy Institute (MPI) President Demetrios G. Papademetriou leads a discussion on the complexities of managing an effective immigrant integration system and creating policies and initiatives that support the success of immigrants and their families in their new host societies. Discussants include Rosario Farmhouse, High Commissioner for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue in Portugal; Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Department of Homeland Security; Jasenko Selimovic, State Secretary to the Minister for Integration in Sweden; and Peter Sylvester, Associate Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
For immigrant integration resources from MPI, visit www.migrationpolicy.org/integration. For international migration resources, visit www.migrationpolicy.org/transatlantic.

How UNHCR Is Facing a World of New Protection Challenges

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

Labour Migration from Colombo Process Countries

This joint Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) event marks the launch in Bangkok, Thailand of an issue brief series on labor migration in Asia. Speakers  include H.E. Phadermchai Sasomsub, Minister of Labour, Government of Thailand; H.E. Kazi Imtiaz Hossain, Ambassador, Government of Bangladesh; H.E. Linglingay Lacanlale, Ambassador, Government of the Philippines; Andrew Bruce, Regional Director, IOM; and Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, IOM Regional Research Officer and MPI Policy Analyst. Download Mrs. Agunias' PowerPoint presentation here.
Read the first of the issue brief series, Labour Migration from Colombo Process Countries: Good Practices, Challenges and Ways Forward.

Federal Update: A Conversation on Language Access with the US Dept. of Justice

Photo by Flickr user Greg115, Creative Commons

This MPI webinar features US Department of Justice (DOJ) officials discussing the department’s efforts to improve communications with Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities in federal and federally-funded programs and activities. Laureen Laglagaron, an Attorney-Advisor in the department’s Federal Coordination and Compliance Section of the Civil Rights Division and Christine Stoneman, Special Counsel in the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section will an update on the progress of language access compliance at the federal level and discuss how the agency is continuing to provide oversight and technical assistance to states and localities as they too attempt to meet their language access responsibilities. This webinar is moderated by Chhandasi Pandya, a policy analyst at MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy.
Download the PowerPoint |  View other webinars on MPI's Language Portal