Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

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

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.