Migration Policy Institute

🔍 East African migrants traveling irregularly to Europe, the Middle East, or South Africa can face torture, kidnapping, or treatment described as crimes against humanity. Many may become stranded and need assistance from an international organization or government to return to their origin.

Does this assistance help? Does it prevent remigration?

The latest article in our Migration Information Source magazine traced the results of a major EU-IOM effort assisting migrants returning to Ethiopia, Sudan & Somalia.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/stranded-migrant-return-reintegration-africa

Becoming a U.S. citizen is a significant milestone for many immigrants, providing them with the same privileges and responsibilities as the U.S. born and deepening their integration into their new society. While slightly more than half of all immigrants are U.S. citizens, with 878,000 taking the oath of citizenship last year, more than 9 million green-card holders are eligible but have yet to naturalize.

About 1/4 of recently naturalized citizens are from 🇲🇽 Mexico, 🇮🇳 India, or 🇵🇭the Philippines. Half lived in California, Texas, Florida, or New York.

Want to understand the steps required to become a citizen? Curious how long immigrants tend to wait before naturalization? In our latest article takes a look.

https://bit.ly/NaturalizedCitizensInfo

🇰🇪 Kenya is an economic powerhouse, an island of relative stability in East Africa, and home to hundreds of thousands of refugees. By turns welcoming and cooler towards refugees, the government’s approach to refugees has become increasing security-focused in the wake of terrorist attacks.

Our new article provides key stats to orient you on migration in one of Africa’s most bustling countries.

For instance, did you know most immigrants in Kenya are from:
• 🇸🇴 Somalia
• 🇺🇬 Uganda
• 🇸🇸 South Sudan

And more than half of all Kenyans abroad are in
• 🇺🇸 United States
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Find many more details in our smart country profile, written by Fred Nyongesa Ikanda
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/kenya-migration-refugee-profile

You might not realize it, but the Biden administration is on pace to match the Trump administration’s deportation numbers. The strategy has shifted, however. In a return to tactics used by earlier administrations, an overwhelming number of deportations under the Biden administration have come in the form of voluntary returns taking place at the border, rather than arrests and removals of unauthorized immigrants from the US interior. This comes as a time of record irregular arrivals at the US-Mexico border.

Our experts Muzaffar Chishti and Kathleen Bush-Joseph dissect the trend in the latest US Policy Beat article from our Migration Information Source magazine.
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/biden-deportation-record

Get the latest research on next-generation strategies the federal government can use to support federally funded state and local programs in effectively providing meaningful language access for the more than 25 million U.S. residents who have limited proficiency in English. Join us this Wednesday, June 26, as speakers offer recommendations for how to weave language access into existing processes and foster a more coordinated, effective, and efficient federal response to agency and public needs.
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/events/improving-language-access-federally-supported-programs

Historical immigration from China and Japan to Peru has had a lasting impact on the South American country, where Asian immigrants remain one of the largest foreign-born populations.

Immigrants arrived in the 19th and early 20th century to fill labor market needs, but soon encountered a backlash from native Peruvians (some making eugenics-based arguments) who worried the arrivals would compete for jobs and pose other problems.

Now, amid a major influx of Venezuelans fleeing political strife and economic collapse, the past may be repeating itself. Peru was initially receptive to Venezuelans, but in recent years the newcomers have faced discrimination and other challenges.

Patricia Palma provides an overview of historical Asian migration to Peru—and how its experience might echo in the current moment—in our Migration Information Source magazine.
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/peru-asian-immigration-history

Immigration to the US from the Middle East and North Africa is longstanding and multifaceted. Amid conflict and other crises, the MENA immigrant population in the US has grown in recent years. Compared to other immigrants, those from the Middle East and North Africa are more likely to be proficient in English, have graduated college, and be a US citizen. More than one-quarter of these immigrants live in the greater New York, Detroit, or Los Angeles areas.

The latest article in our Migration Information Source magazine offers a wealth of data about this vibrant group: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/middle-eastern-and-north-african-immigrants-united-states-2024

The UK’s upcoming July 4 elections provide an opening to address growing asylum claims and irregular migration in novel ways.

📝 In a new commentary, Meghan Benton and Susan Fratzke weigh in on the opportunities on the table regardless of who wins the election, including:
☑ the potential for new and broader cooperation with the European Union
☑ a pivot away from the much-bruited but still-to-be-implemented UK-Rwanda deal
☑ a more ambitious agenda that both creates greater unity among the British public and shows goodwill to international partners
Read more of their analysis ⬇
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/options-irregular-migration-united-kingdom

More than 25 million U.S. residents have limited proficiency in English, and providing these individuals access to public services and information in their native language has been a civil rights requirement for federally funded state & local programs for decades. However, language access in these programs often remains a goal rather than a reality.
Join our June 26 webcast where speakers will discuss strategies the federal government can use to support federally funded programs in effectively operationalizing and sustaining meaningful language access. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/events/improving-language-access-federally-supported-programs

Tens of millions of people globally claim Irish heritage, due to the country’s long history of emigration to places such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. In recent years, however, the story has shifted. Many more people are now moving to Ireland than leaving, providing a boost to the country’s economy and making the population more diverse. But that immigration is also leading to challenges with housing and other issues.

Now caught between the post-Brexit United Kingdom and the European Union, Ireland is at a critical junction. Mary Gilmartin and Clíodhna Murphy lay out the country’s past and present migration trajectories in our Migration Information Source magazine.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/ireland-diaspora-immigration

The international humanitarian protection system was built amid the ashes of World War II. Recently, more people than ever have been forced from their homes, and they’re traveling farther distances.

Is this system that’s more than 70 years old no longer fit for purpose? Is the nature of protection stretching in different directions? Or is it a combination of both?

The new article from our Migration Information Source magazine offers a primer: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/humanitarian-protection-evolution

One hundred years ago this month, the 1924 Immigration Act marked a pivotal moment in US history and dramatically limited immigration for decades. Because of the law, which was based on the racist “science” of eugenics, the United States prioritized immigration from Northern and Western Europe, restricted arrivals from Eastern and Southern Europe, and prevented virtually all immigration from Asia and Africa. The law made it possible for the US to refuse help to persecuted Jews and others fleeing the Holocaust, and pushed US immigration to record lows.

A century may seem like a long time ago, but our experts Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt explain why the 1924 act continues to cast an imprint today: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/1924-us-immigration-act-history

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has pledged to increase access to education and employment for the more than 900,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia. There have been ups and downs along the way, but there are signs of progress.

In this episode of MPI’s “World of Migration” podcast, our Camille Le Coz speaks with researcher Abis Getachew about the outcomes in a critical regional refugee hub, which hosts more refugees than all but two other countries in Africa. Listen now and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

What Does It Take to Increase Refugees’ Access to Education and Work? Insights from Ethiopia | World of Migration In recent years, the Ethiopian government has pledged to increase access to education and employment for the more than 900,000 refugees living in Ethiopia, most in camps. There have been ups and downs along the way, but a few key trends have emerged. In this episode of our podcast, Migration Policy....

Can citizens of your country vote even if they’re living abroad? The answer is probably yes. But it wasn’t always that way. In 1970, only nine countries let emigrants access the ballot box; now the number is 141. Meanwhile, 50 countries allow immigrants with appropriate documents and legal status to vote at some level even before they become citizens.

Access to voting rights has grown over time. Our Migration Information Source magazine explains how migration status is increasingly disappearing as a barrier in many countries.
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/immigrant-emigrant-voting-rights

It’s officially Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Today marks the beginning of a month-long celebration of the contributions AAPI communities have made in the U.S.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a long and rich history in the United States. Learn more about the millions of U.S. immigrants from Asia and their U.S. diaspora—including major countries of origin, outcomes after arrival, and more—in our comprehensive article: https://bit.ly/ImmigrantsfromAsiaStats

Despite growing interest in their use, employment- and skills-based mobility projects face obstacles to success, our analysts Kate Hooper and Ravenna Sohst find in our new policy brief. While legal migration pathways connecting workers to jobs abroad are gaining traction in migrant-origin and destination countries alike, these migration partnerships have so far facilitated only small worker movements. Challenges include the mismatch between project duration and goals, difficulty securing private-sector engagement, and the need for more labor market analysis and training capacity. Yet the potential is promising and these projects can test new migration corridors and recruitment models.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/competing-talent-mobility-projects

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration invoked an obscure section of US public-health law known as Title 42 to immediately expel virtually all migrants arriving at US borders without authorization, including many who were trying to request asylum. In the year since the order ended, some politicians have mythologized Title 42 and called for its return.

But as we write, Title 42 neither “shut down” the border nor did it lead to a more orderly and effective system. Instead, migrant encounters reached new highs and “gotaways” (those crossing without being intercepted) surged.

Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border Once an obscure section of U.S. law, Title 42 was used to expel unauthorized migrants reaching U.S. borders nearly 3 million times from March 2020 to May 2023. Despite idealized depictions of its impact by some politicians, the order was largely ineffective in deterring irregular migration. Instead,...

Nearly 1 out of 10 immigrants in the United States is from South America. That’s a new development—in previous years, South Americans comprised a much smaller portion of the U.S. immigrant population. But their numbers have risen recently, as movement throughout the Americas has increased and amid a number of crises in Venezuela, Ecuador, and elsewhere.

Want to learn more about this group, which has slightly higher educational attainment and labor force participation than the overall immigrant population? Our article offers key stats and context, drawing from reliable, authoritative sources.

South American Immigrants in the United States The South American immigrant population in the United States has grown at a faster rate than that of the overall foreign-born population, amid crises in Venezuela, Colombia, and elsewhere. Yet South Americans still account for only about one in ten U.S. immigrants. While they mirror the overall U.S....

In recent years, Hong Kong has experienced population decline, due in part to emigration of young workers wanting to leave behind Beijing’s increasingly tightening grip. But the global financial center’s population has increased since mid-2022, driven by immigration. Hong Kong now finds itself in an unusual shuffle, with hundreds of thousands of people leaving primarily for the West and being replaced with a new group, largely from mainland China.

The newest article in our Migration Information Source magazine examines the dynamics of Hong Kong as it navigates an inflection point: Remain a global crossroads or turn inwards toward Asia.

Brain Drain and Brain Gain in Hong Kong’s Population Shuffle Hong Kong finds itself in the middle of opposing trends. Amid political unrest, Beijing's increasing security pressure, and pandemic disruptions, many Hong Kongers have left and been replaced by a new group of immigrants, largely from mainland China. The dynamic has raised questions whether Hong Kon...

April is Arab American Heritage Month!

Take some time to learn about the history of immigration from the Arab world to the United States with our data-rich article providing an overview of Middle Eastern and North African immigrants in the U.S.

Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States Migration from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to the United States doubled between 2000 and 2019, yet these immigrants represented less than 3 percent of the overall U.S. foreign-born population as of 2019. MENA immigrants are more likely than other immigrants to be English proficien...

Our webinar this week examines the importance of mental health services for young children during their early development & how service providers can better connect to kids from immigrant and refugee families. Our speakers include:
• Melissa Buchholz from Healthy Steps & University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Aimee Hilado of the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
• and MPI’s Lillie Hinkle and Maki Park
Sign up now!

Connecting Immigrant Communities to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services Speakers will discuss the importance of infant and early childhood mental health services, highlighting approaches that have successfully connected immigrant and refugee families with beneficial and culturally relevant services. They also will offer recommendations to expand accessibility and respon...

Donald Trump is promising to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants. Joe Biden pledges to “temporarily shut down the border” if Congress gives him the authority. But can those outcomes be realized unilaterally? As migration to the U.S.-Mexico border has become dramatically more diverse in nationalities and demographic traits (more families and unaccompanied children), it is often overlooked that other countries play a very significant role in frustrating or actualizing U.S. immigration enforcement efforts.

What are other countries doing? And how is the U.S. seeking to tap the cooperation of Mexico and other key governments? We dive into the issue with our latest article, by Muzaffar Chishti and Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh.

The Limits of the Go-It-Alone Approach: U.S. Migration Management Increasingly Requires Other Countries’ Cooperation The U.S. immigration enforcement system increasingly depends on other countries to help halt irregular movements through the Americas and accept the return of unauthorized migrants. Foreign governments play a crucial and yet underappreciated role in migration management, and can either aid or frustr...

If you follow international climate politics, you might have heard the term "loss and damage.” It’s the concept that people are already suffering harms brought about by climate change and ought to be compensated as a result. On the latest episode of our Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast, Adelle Thomas explains how displacement and migration fit in.

Listen to the full episode for more about on the new loss and damage fund, and the complexities figuring out how displacement should be compensated. Find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Could a Loss and Damage Fund Compensate Climate Migrants? In this episode of the Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast, we speak with Adelle Thomas from Climate Analytics about efforts to provide restitution for people who have been negatively affected by the impacts of climate change, potentially including displacement.

One-fifth of the planet lacks adequate housing and basic services. This global housing shortage, predicted to affect 3 billion people by 2030, impacts native-born and immigrant communities alike. Housing shortages can aggravate tensions over immigration and lead to integration challenges for new arrivals. These issues have played out in New York City, Brussels, Bogota, London, and beyond, as a lack of housing has pushed the forcibly displaced to sleep on the streets and in other rough settings.

The latest article in our Migration Information Source magazine examines the connection between the emerging global housing crisis and immigration.

www.migrationpolicy.o

🌐 Migration Policy Institute new research Alert! Our latest study, by Meghan Benton and Lawrence Huang, evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global mobility and border management, shedding light on crucial lessons for future public-health crises. 🔬 Key Findings: The research emphasizes the need for better coordination among governments and proactive use of risk analysis frameworks to navigate future crises effectively. 🔍Recommendations: Policymakers are urged to ensure clear, equitable, streamlined, and prepared actions in managing future global public health emergencies. 📚 In-Depth Insights: Dive into four case studies exploring regional impacts of COVID-19 on migration across the Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, and South America. All accessible here:

Lessons from COVID-19: Managing Borders in the Next Global Public-Health Crisis The COVID-19 pandemic both shocked the global mobility system and reaffirmed the centrality and resiliency of human mobility. Four years on, public and political attention to COVID-19’s unprecedented consequences for cross-border movement has waned. Yet if countries are to manage mobility more eff...

The U.S. is in the midst of an historic period in its immigration history and immigration is going to be one of the most hotly contested election issues. Make sure you’ve got the facts. MPI’s newly updated article “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States” offers the most current and authoritative stats available.

How do current immigration levels compare to the past? Why have some people been waiting for green cards since the 1990s? Which states have the most children living in immigrant families? What role do immigrants play in the labor force?

Find answers to these questions and many others 👇

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States Immigration touches on many facets of life in the United States. Get the facts with this useful resource, which compiles in one place answers to some of the most often-asked questions about immigration and immigrants in the United States now and historically. This article contains essential data on....

Droughts, floods, and extreme heatwaves have displaced hundreds of thousands of people inside Iran. The impacts of climate change create new challenges not only for Iranians but for many of the country’s 3.4 million refugees and other forced migrants. And environmental impacts may be pushing some people to move internationally.

The latest article from our Migration Information Source sheds light on this rarely examined climate migration story.

Iran Faces Dwindling Water and Escalating Climate Pressures, Aggravating Displacement Threats Floods, heatwaves, and other extreme weather events have displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Iran, with repercussions for residents including the 3.4 million refugees and other forced migrants, who are restricted to climate-affected areas. Environmental challenges may also be pushing some p...

Remittances are a lifeline for countless people in low- and middle-income countries. Financial technology services, or fintech, hold the promise of making remittance transfers more affordable and increasing financial inclusion for migrants and their families. Yet there are many challenges to the greater use of mobile money, cryptocurrencies, and other digital tools, even as countries are showing a greater openness to innovation and experimentation, as our new report explores. This report caps a research partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s Thematic Section Migration and Forced Displacement to support the development of global solutions for migration-related challenges.

Leaving No One Behind: Inclusive Fintech for Remittances Remittances are a vital lifeline for migrants’ families around the world and an important source of revenue for many low- and middle-income countries, especially in times of crisis. As more people turn to digital financial technologies for these money transfers, this shift holds the potential to s...