Immigration and Emigration

commentary

Immigrant Location Policies Can Be Done Right, but That Isn't Happening Right Now

Sudden influxes of migrants across the southwest U.S. border are not new, but they are also increasing. Immigration relocation policies are likely one of the best ways to address migrant surges if done in an organized, humane, and thoughtful way.

Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

blog

North Korea, Sexual Violence in the U.S. Military, America's Labor Shortage: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to deal with a nuclear North Korea, preventing sexual violence in the military, supporting immigrant children in U.S. schools, and more.

commentary

Addressing Immigration Doesn't End at the Border—Schools Need Help

All children in the United States have a right to a public education, regardless of their immigration status. But schools are not funded or staffed adequately to support a growing student population or to handle sudden surges in enrollment due to large numbers of displaced children arriving at the border.

Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

commentary

The Public Charge Rule's Likely Hazard to Our Nation's Health During COVID-19

The Public Charge rule makes immigrants who receive Medicaid and other publicly-funded benefits potentially ineligible for green cards, and, in some cases, subjects them to deportation. Fear and reluctance to seek assistance among immigrants is likely to worsen during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Kathryn Pitkin Derose

commentary

Common Sense Solutions to the Border Crisis

After years of declines, apprehensions of undocumented immigrants at the U.S.–Mexico border are set for their largest year-on-year increase in history. There is, in fact, a humanitarian crisis on the border. How did this come about? More importantly, what can be done to address it?

Blas Nunez-Neto

commentary

Hadrian's Wall Was a Policy Statement; So Is Donald Trump's

It's not clear if Hadrian's Wall was necessary to prevent Scottish fighters from invading the Roman Empire. Neither is it clear how effective Trump's wall would be at repelling undocumented immigration and smugglers. Hadrian's Wall may have been of symbolic value to those on both sides of it. Trump's could be, too.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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State of the Union 2019: Insights from RAND

To shed light on a wide range of topics that figured in President Trump's second State of the Union address, we've rounded up insights from some of RAND's objective and nonpartisan research, analysis, and expertise.

commentary

What Border Walls Can and Cannot Accomplish

States have been building walls since ancient times. Some were arguably quite successful, others less so. At the core of prudent policy lies a basic question: What can walls realistically accomplish?

Raphael S. Cohen

blog

Opioids, Summer Learning, Immigration: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites, helping schools build better summer learning programs, America's overwhelmed immigration system, and more.

commentary

America's Overwhelmed Immigration System

The Trump administration's options to deal with the surge of asylum seekers arriving at the U.S. border appear to be limited. What policies could help address the problem?

Blas Nunez-Neto

commentary

Berlin Protests Highlight Need for Sound Employment Discrimination Laws in Germany

Germany has a legal tradition and a strong constitution that promotes equality for all those living within its borders. That tradition could end up being a factor as German policymakers consider whether it is advantageous for the nation as a whole that the newest members of its society should have the necessary legal protections to succeed socially and economically.

Laura Kupe

commentary

A Threat to Immigrant Health Care with Potential Consequences for All

The proposed changes to the “public charge” rule could jeopardize decades of progress towards improved health care access and health for immigrants and U.S. citizens. Negative effects may include worse health outcomes, increased use of emergency rooms, and increased prevalence of communicable diseases.

Kathryn Pitkin Derose

commentary

Restoring Asylum Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence

Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded asylum protections earlier this month for victims of domestic violence. The decision and the supporting analysis goes against decades of research on violence against women. Congress could reverse the decision by amending the asylum law.

Douglas C. Ligor @DougLigor, Lisa H. Jaycox

commentary

New Border Policy Could Have Unintended Consequences

The Trump administration has announced significant policy changes to deter migrants from coming to America. These changes will likely have a significant impact on border operations and the federal court system. But it's less clear whether they will have the intended impact of reducing illegal immigration.

Blas Nunez-Neto

commentary

The Immigration Debate: Building a Bridge Across the Deportation-Amnesty Divide

Discussions of U.S. immigration are dominated by arguments that pit “rule of law” proponents — focused on apprehension, detention, and deportation — against “humanitarian” supporters seeking a pardon or amnesty that will allow immigrants to stay in the country. Minor changes to the statute known as “Cancellation of Removal” could offer a compromise.

Douglas C. Ligor @DougLigor

commentary

Prioritizing Security at the U.S. Border with Mexico

As debate on border security continues, policymakers would be wise to look beyond the heated rhetoric to clearly identify priorities and make informed decisions about how best to deploy finite resources to get the strongest security for the investment.

Blas Nunez-Neto

commentary

The Big Border Security Question

What does a secure U.S.-Mexico border look like? And what kind of security measures are needed? Despite investing billions of dollars since 9/11, it's still a struggle to measure how effective U.S. border security operations are.

Blas Nunez-Neto

commentary

Broken Border or Broken Policy?

What does a secure land border look like? The U.S. government's inability to provide an answer has trapped America in a vicious cycle. Every decade, the perception that the U.S.-Mexico border isn't secure enough leads to big investments—with mixed results.

Blas Nunez-Neto

commentary

Professional Expectations, Families and Brexit Shape Future for UK International Researchers

Mobility has become an even higher priority for researchers since the results of the UK’s EU referendum, Brexit. To continue to attract and keep top talent, the UK needs to understand how and why researchers move between countries.

Susan Guthrie, Catherine A. Lichten

essay

Migrant Crisis in the Mediterranean: What You Need to Know

The countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are facing unprecedented stress. A former lieutenant with the Italian Navy is now a RAND researcher, working to help others appreciate the scope of the crisis.

commentary

Why a Travel Restriction Won't Stop Terrorism at Home

It's not unreasonable to seek a review of immigration, and refugee-vetting procedures make sense. But America's jihadist terrorists are not imported from abroad. They are mostly homegrown.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

commentary

Understanding and Addressing the Unaccompanied Minor Immigration Issue

The number of unaccompanied child immigrants apprehended at the U.S. southwest border is on the rise again, the majority of them coming not from Mexico, but from Central America. Research could provide valuable information to policymakers as they try to find ways to help young immigrants.

Ernesto F. L. Amaral, Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

Walls Won't Keep Us Safe

Experience along the U.S. southern border demonstrates that even with fortifications, a wall provides only modest capacity to stop illegal crossings. More emphasis should be placed on expanding border security beyond the physical dimension.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

commentary

If Terrorism Is Homegrown, a Visa Overhaul Won't Keep Americans Safe

Despite being the focus of renewed scrutiny, only three people involved in terrorist incidents have entered the United States via the visa waiver program in the past quarter-century.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

commentary

Putting a Human Face on the Refugee Crisis

By welcoming and accepting refugees, the West can send their oppressors a message about what it means to be a free democratic society.

Obaid Younossi

commentary

Should Undocumented Immigrant Youth Pay In-State Tuition to Attend College?

Undocumented children are entitled to free primary and secondary public education everywhere in the United States, regardless of their legal status. But when they finish high school, their options for college vary depending on the state in which they live.

Robert Bozick

q&a

How to Solve the Mediterranean's Migrant Crisis

Destroying smugglers' vessels could contribute to reducing illegal migration and impact the business model that makes smuggling so profitable. But it won't stop smuggling altogether.

Giacomo Persi Paoli

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The Forgotten Cornerstone in the Immigration Reform Debate

The Executive Office for Immigration Review manages the U.S. immigration court system and thereby plays a pivotal role in assuring the timely processing of foreign nationals and the security of the nation and its borders. It should not be left out of discussions of immigration reform.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, Martina L. Melliand

commentary

What Does It Take to Rescue Migrants at Sea?

European Union leaders gathered today for an emergency summit to discuss a concerted response to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in the Mediterranean Sea. As a former officer serving aboard an Italian Navy warship deployed in Operation Mare Nostrum in November 2013, Giacomo Persi Paoli is well aware of the challenges.

Giacomo Persi Paoli

blog

State of the Union 2014: President Obama Calls for a Year of Action

Obama called for “a year of action” to achieve his 2014 agenda — from helping people sign up for health insurance, to immigration reform, to completing the mission in Afghanistan. RAND is committed to raising the level of public policy debates and offering evidence-based, actionable solutions.

commentary

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for New Homeland Security Secretary

To ensure the Department of Homeland Security makes progress in the current constrained budget environment, its new secretary must put in place a strategic perspective to guide priorities for how to address the country's most pressing problems in disaster management, immigration reform, cybersecurity, violent extremism, and nuclear terrorism.

Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis

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Border Security Is Key to Immigration Reform

Two important aspects of border security bear continued attention: strategy must be developed as one part of a holistic system of immigration management and any progress on improving this system is reliant on having concrete and sensible objectives and measures of success.

Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis, K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley

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Is Enforcement Key to Fixing America's Immigration System?

The current debate regarding comprehensive immigration reform offers an opportunity to redesign the worksite immigration enforcement system to achieve more efficient enforcement with better intelligence on where undocumented workers are employed, say Andrew Morral and Peter Brownell.

Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, Peter Brownell

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The State of the Union 2013

The 2013 SOTU address will be remembered for its impassioned call for greater gun control just two months after Sandy Hook. But President Obama's second-term agenda can be characterized by its sheer breadth, reflecting the broad range of policy challenges facing the United States today.

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Legalization and Border Security: Are We There Yet?

The White House and a bipartisan group of senators recently unveiled proposals for comprehensive immigration reform. The proposal raises a number of questions, says Peter Brownell: How would success in securing the border actually be determined? Would it mean absolutely zero unauthorized immigration across U.S. borders?

Peter Brownell

blog

Potential Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants Takes Shape

A group of U.S. Senators this week unveiled a proposal to reform the nation's immigration laws, outlining a path to citizenship for most of the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and endorsing an increase of certain types of foreign-born workers.

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Immigration Needs a Hybrid Fix

Is there a way out of the dilemma? I think there is: a simultaneous combination of a pathway to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants already here and a serious commitment to enforce the law without ambiguity in the future, writes James P. Smith.

James P. Smith

blog

Farsighted Leadership in a Shortsighted World: 9 Issues That Deserve Attention During the 2012 U.S. Presidential Debates and Beyond

For nearly 65 years, RAND has cultivated the farsighted perspectives required to address the big, long-term public policy issues. In an effort to look beyond the 2012 U.S. election and promote “farsighted leadership in a shortsighted world,” the latest edition of the RAND Corporation’s magazine offers commentaries that transcend partisan rhetoric and foster policies that both presidential candidates could well accept.

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One More Embrace, Then Slam the Door

Published commentary by RAND staff.

James P. Smith