Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

World of Migration: A Complex Picture: Diversifying Migration Flows & Policies at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, once overwhelmingly a Mexican phenomenon, has diversified and become increasingly hemispheric in nature. As the immigration flows become more complex and the encounters of arriving asylum seekers and other migrants surge to record levels, how are U.S. border operations and policies evolving? And what is driving rising immigration from across Latin America, the Caribbean, and beyond? Migration Policy Institute President Andrew Selee speaks with two colleagues who traveled from one end of the nearly 2,000-mile boundary to the other, touring U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities and interviewing U.S. and Mexican officials, NGO leaders, and others.

Career and Technical Education as a Bridge to High School English Learner Success

Career and technical education (CTE) is frequently touted as an effective strategy to encourage high school students to persist to graduation and set themselves on a path to jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage. For English Learners (ELs), who disproportionately come from low-income families and are less likely than their peers to graduate on time, participating in CTE can be especially rewarding—if they have meaningful access to such classes and support to successfully complete them. Federal rules and state oversight play important roles in ensuring ELs are allowed to enroll in CTE, but challenges to serving them are numerous, from student schedules already packed with required classes to faculty unprepared to meet unique learning needs.
ELs’ meaningful participation in CTE requires a holistic approach to program planning and student recruitment. For example, school counselors—who play a gatekeeping role in determining the courses students can access—can benefit from working closely with EL specialists to understand student and family perspectives. Regular, two-way communication with higher education and industry partners ensures that high school staff understand local opportunities, and that those partners are ready to take advantage of the assets current and former EL students bring with them and to support their continued career growth.
This webinar marks the release of a report from MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy on CTE and ELs that describes federal and state policies that support EL inclusion in CTE, as well as local challenges and opportunities. The conversation highlights a Texas school district program in which collaborative practices between the CTE and multilingual departments are taking place to ensure ELs are appropriately supported.

Changing Climate, Changing Migration: Are Orderly Borders Possible in an Era of Rising Climate Migration?

When large numbers of asylum seekers and other migrants arrive at the borders of Western countries without prior authorization to enter, they are often treated as “spontaneous” arrivals. But migration is almost never truly spontaneous. Usually, human mobility across international borders is the result of complicated decision-making and a careful weighing of the costs and benefits. This episode features David Leblang, a professor of politics and public policy at the University of Virginia, who discusses how climate change fits into the migration calculus.

Meeting Global Skills and Talent Needs in Changing Labor Markets

Marking the launch of MPI’s Global Skills and Talent Initiative, this webcast features senior policymakers and other experts discussing the extent to which labor market needs should shape future immigration policy decisions, and how countries are adjusting—and could adjust—their immigration systems to meet human capital and competitiveness needs. We were delighted to have remarks from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou; the Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, Christiane Fox; the Director of the Migration and Asylum Directorate at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Michael Shotter; and Patrick Hallinan, Minister Counsellor Home Affairs and Regional Director - Americas, Department of Home Affairs, Australia.

World of Migration: New Avenues to Help Refugees Get to Safety and Restart Their Lives

Pressures on the global humanitarian protection system have only worsened as the Afghan and Ukrainian refugee crises come on top of longstanding displacement from Syria, Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and other countries. These crises have given new urgency to finding ways to connect displaced peoples with opportunities to find safety and resume their lives. The use of complementary pathways, such as existing work and study visa channels, has been touted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and others as an option running alongside traditional avenues such as asylum and refugee resettlement. But how can humanitarian migrants with skills and experience potentially use existing work or study pathways to fill labor market needs in destination countries? In this episode, MPI’s Susan Fratzke speaks with Betsy Fisher, U.S. Director of the nonprofit Talent Beyond Boundaries, about complementary pathways. Learn more about innovative solutions to support displaced peoples and connect them with job opportunities.

World of Migration: The Golden Ticket? Exploring the World of Investor Visas

Investor visa programs have become popular for countries seeking to attract foreign investment and stimulate economic growth. Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, however, there has been greater scrutiny on these programs and who is using them. This new controversy has added to a longstanding debate about whether countries should sell residency rights in exchange for passive investment. But how exactly do these programs work, and what are the potential benefits and drawbacks? In this episode, MPI’s Kate Hooper speaks with Madeleine Sumption, the director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, about the range of investment visa programs, applicants’ motives, and more.

Migración en el Caribe: Desafíos y oportunidades para una región en transformación

La migración ha sido durante mucho tiempo parte de la realidad de las países del Caribe.A menudo asociadas con la emigración a América del Norte y Europa, los movimientos dentro del Caribe son una parte igualmente importante de su historia. En las últimas décadas el cambio climático, los desastres naturales y los cambios en los patrones de movilidad global han modificado el panorama migratorio en el Caribe.En este webinar, expertos del Banco Interamericano (BID) y el Migration Policy Institute (MPI) presentaron las principales conclusiones de su nueva publicación sobre la realidad migratoria de la región. Además, compartieron algunos de los desafíos y oportunidades para la integración de la población migrante, así como para capitalizar el potencial de sus diásporas como un impulso para el desarrollo.
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Migration in the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities for a Changing Region

Migration has long been part of Caribbean nations’ reality. Often discussed in the context of emigration to North America and Europe, movements to and within the Caribbean are an equally important part of its history. In recent decades, climate change, natural disasters, and shifts in global mobility patterns have reshaped the migration landscape in the Caribbean.
In this webinar, offered in English and Spanish, experts from the Inter-American Bank and the Migration Policy Institute present a policy review, Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean, on migration in nine Caribbean countries, outlining challenges and opportunities for the integration of the migrant population and a successful engagement with diasporas to advance the development of the region. The conversation also focuses on recommendations for key Caribbean stakeholders and external partners interested in strengthening the region’s capacity to accommodate changing patterns of migration.

Changing Climate, Changing Migration: Climate Migration to Cities: Does the Move to Urban Areas Reduce Risk?

Increasingly, human beings are city dwellers. More than half the global population lives in an urban area, and the rates are increasing. Some new urban residents may be fleeing rural areas vulnerable to the impact of climate change. But are they likely to fare much better in the city when it comes to climate impacts? And are fast-growing cities around the world prepared to confront environmental challenges that come with rising populations? This episode discusses these questions with noted climate expert Neil Adger, a professor of human geography at the University of Exeter.

Ukrainian Displacement in Europe, One Year Later

The war in Ukraine reaches its one-year milestone on February 24, 2023. Whilst the fallout of the Russian invasion, whether geopolitical, economic, energy- or food-related, has left few countries untouched, the European Union has had to gear up for the prolonged stay of nearly 5 million displaced Ukrainians and face the prospect of new arrivals amid unrelenting violence. This has presented policymakers with the multi-pronged challenge of integrating Ukrainian refugees into housing, education, and labor markets while also preparing for the eventual rebuilding of Ukraine and return of millions of its citizens. Nearly one year into the massive displacement and the relief effort, this MPI Europe webinar examines what has been done to foster the integration of those staying long(er) in host societies, to organize first reception services for any additional newcomers, and to prepare the return of those set on going home and rebuilding Ukraine. Speakers explore responses ranging from swift implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive to improvements in labor market integration, as well as efforts to facilitate social and economic reintegration for those intent on returning. The speakers also consider how the tension between reception, integration, and return (to rebuild) has materialized in the context of the Ukrainian response, and the challenges that lie ahead. The time is ripe to devise a range of approaches that can serve the interests of displaced Ukrainians, host societies, and Ukraine alike. This webinar examines whether the emerging practices are adequate.
Read the related commentary.
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Changing Climate, Changing Migration: In from the Cold? Should Climate Migrants Get Special Legal Migration Pathways?

People displaced by climate change are not eligible for refugee status. But should countries extend any sort of legal protections to them? Our guest, Ama Francis, a climate displacement project strategist with the International Refugee Assistance Project and Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, thinks so. In this episode, we discuss some small ongoing initiatives and what new legal pathways might look like. 

Changing Climate, Changing Migration: A Century of Climate Migration Upheaval? An Audacious Prediction for the Future

Is the world facing a chaotic century of mass migration spurred by climate change? As the planet’s temperature warms, award-winning environmental journalist Gaia Vince thinks so. In her book, Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World, she contemplates a future in which hundreds of millions of people move from one part of the globe to another in a planned and deliberate migration. We discuss her bold solutions for managing what she terms a species emergency in this episode.

The Ukrainian Displacement Crisis: A Conversation with the European Commission’s Director General for Migration and Home Affairs

As of November, more than 12.7 million crossings had been recorded into the European Union from Ukraine, with 4.5 million registered under the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) or similar national protection. The exodus of those fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in February exceeded that of any recent humanitarian crisis in speed and scale and represents the largest displacement in Europe since World War II. European policymakers, the general public, and volunteers mobilized rapidly to respond.
Across the European Union there has been a generally strong welcome for those displaced from Ukraine, including the first-ever activation of the TPD, which opened quick residence and work rights. Recently, the European Commission extended TPD until March 2024.
But as winter approaches and the brutal conflict in Ukraine drags on, Europe is facing another set of challenges related to longer-term protection and integration for the newcomers. During this armchair discussion, Monique Pariat, the European Commission’s Director General for Migration and Home Affairs, reflects on Europe’s rapid and unprecedented response to the crisis; the tangible outcomes of TPD activation for Ukrainians and host societies alike; Ukrainians’ access to labor markets, education systems, and housing; and reform of the European asylum system.

The “Great Replacement” Theory and the Often-Toxic Stew of Immigration and Nationalism

Anxiety around immigration is far from recent, yet there are concerns that it is reaching a new peak with far-right parties attaining positions of power in places such as Sweden and Italy, and nationalistic rhetoric entering the daily mainstream. Populist and radical-right politicians from the United States to France, Denmark, and beyond have exploited anxiety around large-scale demographic change, stoking fears of immigrants “replacing” natives and erasing their culture and way of life. Our Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan discusses with researcher Justin Gest (author of “Majority Minority”) the ways in which the confluence of polarization, nationalism, and immigration seen today can be interpreted. How can increasingly diverse societies come up with a new definition of “we” that is both meaningful and inclusive?  

Changing Climate, Changing Migration: Climate Change in the World’s Fastest Growing Economy

Guyana is a small country in South America that undoubtedly will be greatly transformed by the recent discovery of massive offshore oil reserves. Extremely vulnerable to climate change, with predictions that its capital will be underwater by 2030, Guyana has been known as a green champion, trapping more carbon dioxide than emits. How will the world’s fastest growing economy manage environmental change, particularly with economic growth and proximity to troubled Venezuela likely to drive significant immigration? We discuss these dynamics with Camila Idrovo and Jermaine Grant from the Pan American Development Foundation.

Ensuring Effective Language Access Services and Policies in Early Childhood Programs

One in three young children in the United States is a Dual Language Learner (DLL), and nearly half of these children have at least one parent who is Limited English Proficient (LEP). Language access policies and services are critical to promoting the equitable participation of these families in early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs, yet persisting gaps in participation for DLL children in many public ECEC programs demonstrate the need for improved language services to support this population. Amid this reality, the needs for even basic translation and interpretation for children and parents and relevant language skills among early childhood staff are often overlooked. Indeed, many early childhood services lack the necessary data and accountability measures to demonstrate equal access for DLL families, despite civil-rights requirements that they do so.
In this webinar, MPI experts provide an overview of a policy brief outlining federal and state efforts to implement language access policies in the early childhood field. The conversation examines the right to language access in federally funded services and the application of this right to early childhood programs. It also focuses on the language and other barriers that immigrant and DLL families face in accessing early childhood programs despite existing language access requirements, as well as opportunities to improve language services. It also marked the release of factsheets by state.

Migrant Integration: Learning from What Works in Times of Uncertainty

With millions fleeing war-torn Ukraine, questions about how to effectively promote migrant integration are again front and center. Integration policy is often forged in the heat of crises and led by political priorities, with limited resources devoted to making improvements along the way. As a result, lessons from promising innovations that tend to emerge particularly during crises often get lost. Understanding what works, under which conditions, and how to use this knowledge is crucial to design effective policies. Failure to embrace an evidence culture in migrant integration may come at a high human, financial, and societal cost for not only migrants, but also for governments and host societies. 
This webinar, organized as part of the HORIZON SPRING project on Sustainable Practices on Integration, brings together experts and policymakers to examine the state of the field and promising innovations that facilitate an evidence culture in migrant integration, particularly in contexts marked by uncertainty and limited resources, such as the current effort to integrate displaced Ukrainians. The discussion spotlights projects that demonstrate how an evidence culture can be leveraged to benefit migrant integration policymaking, including from the frontline reception of Ukrainian refugees. 
The webinar marked the publication of a policy brief that maps out the state of play of an evidence culture in migrant integration and identifies obstacles and promising steps policymakers at EU and national levels could take. It also previews the launch of a toolkit that will help policymakers and practitioners in their efforts to embed an evidence culture in migrant integration.

One Year On: The Situation for At-Risk Afghans in Afghanistan and Abroad

August 2022 marks the one-year withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. While the world watched the chaotic evacuation of Afghans via airlift, the suspension of aid and diplomatic relations and rise of new leadership further drove Afghanistan into a massive social and economic crisis where women and minorities became especially vulnerable. Humanitarian and development organizations have had to revisit their operations and approach while the needs of vulnerable Afghans grew even more pressing. A year on, what is the status of Afghans who made it to the United States and Europe, what pathways are there for those who remain behind and are in peril given their past work with U.S. and allied forces, have the United States and other governments delivered on their promise to assist these individuals, and what opportunities exist to improve the humanitarian situation for Afghans abroad and in Afghanistan?
This two-panel webinar reflects on the humanitarian and development challenges in Afghanistan and for neighboring countries, the difficult choices facing aid donors and their partners, and what needs to be done to ensure still at-risk Afghans are able to reach safety. The first panel addresses the humanitarian and development situation in Afghanistan and the region, and the second panel discusses ongoing efforts to secure safe pathways and prospects for innovations and further international coordination.

Moving Beyond Pandemic: Digital Health Credentials in India and Africa: Are COVID-19 Travel Passes Catalyzing New Tech Innovations?

Digital health credentialing is one of the main tools to safely return to pre-pandemic levels of mobility and plan for the next public health crisis. Digital innovations—including automatic verification of health and vaccination results—are reopening economies and global mobility while setting the standard for new ways of managing mobility and health that will outlast the pandemic, especially in regions that had lower levels of digital use and more limited health and border management systems. Notably, India’s DIVOC system and the African Union Trusted Traveler system are examples of how the pandemic fueled large-scale innovation in this regard. In this episode, we discuss these developments with Dr. Pramod Varma, chief architect of India's digital identity program, Aadhar, and of its COVID pass system, DIVOC; Dr. Edem Adzogenu, co-chair and founder of the Afro Champions Initiative, which supports regional integration and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement; and Lawrence Huang, a Migration Policy institute (MPI) associate policy analyst working on its Task Force on Borders and Mobility During and After COVID-19.

Migrant Integration Governance After the Pandemic: Lasting Adaptations?

The COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout have triggered the perfect storm in migrant integration, with migrants and refugees experiencing disproportionate health and economic effects. They also upended the ability of policymakers and practitioners to respond in typical ways, given the halt to the delivery of in-person services and the forced shift online.
Marking the release of a Migration Policy Institute Europe report, this webinar examines how government strategies, practices, and instruments of integration policymaking have adapted during the pandemic both in Europe and North America. How did policymakers ensure effective and agile responses in a context of COVID-induced disruption, and what can be learned to promote cost-effective integration policies moving forward?