Immigration Legislation

  • People walk on flooded land beside the Padma River as the flood situation worsens in Munshiganj district, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 25, 2020, photo by Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

    Report

    Addressing Climate Migration

    As the effects of climate change increase in scope and severity, more people will relocate to preserve or enhance their lives and livelihoods. A review of how six countries are managing climate mobility provides options for policymakers considering the needs of climate migrants and their host communities.

    Dec 7, 2021

  • Brochure

    Brochure

    Immigration Policy and Border Security

    A collection of RAND's interdisciplinary work on immigration and on managing the U.S. border.

    Nov 30, 2021

  • Adult son comforting his father who is not feeling well, photo by monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images

    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.

    Apr 6, 2020

  • Dissertation

    Dissertation

    Three Essays on Minority and Immigrant Outcomes in a New Era of Immigration Enforcement: Evidence from Los Angeles

    Seeks to disentangle the structural factors that affect levels of economic and social integration of minority and immigrant populations.

    Sep 13, 2019

  • Daniel holds 1-year-old Daniela, both from El Salvador, as a group of migrants from Central America en route to the United States crossed through the Suchiate River into Mexico, November 2, 2018

    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?

    Dec 5, 2018

  • A doctor talks to a girl whose arm is in a sling

    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.

    Oct 12, 2018

  • Immigration law book and gavel in a library

    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.

    Jun 25, 2018

  • U.S. Permanent Resident ID (green card) with a gavel and an American flag

    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.

    Feb 28, 2018

  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security Logo

    Report

    Neither Deportation nor Amnesty: An Alternative for the Immigration Debate

    About 11 million people live in the United States without lawful immigration status. Proposed solutions typically focus on deportation versus amnesty, but a minor change to the current immigration law could offer a compromise.

    Feb 26, 2018

  • A girl dances while women pray at a protest against the Trump administration's travel restriction at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, January 29, 2017

    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.

    Feb 10, 2017

  • An international traveler arrives after U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, January 30, 2017

    Multimedia

    Will Banning Travelers and Refugees Make Us Safer?

    In this Call with the Experts, RAND's Brian Michael Jenkins, one of the nation's leading experts on terrorism and homeland security, discusses what we know about the perpetrators of terrorism in the United States.

    Feb 9, 2017

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Understanding the Costs and Benefits of State-Level Immigration Policies

    State-level action on immigration policies is a contentious issue. RAND researchers developed a cost-benefit framework for classifying consequences of specific policies and assessed studies of specific policies' fiscal and economic impacts.

    Aug 4, 2016

  • News Release

    News Release

    State-Level Immigration Policies Grow More Common; Cost-Benefit Tool Offered to Assess Full Impact of State Actions

    The expanding role of U.S. states in immigration policy raises questions about the consequences of state-level action. A cost-benefit framework identifies the economic and fiscal impacts of state-level immigration policies and how different stakeholders would be affected.

    Mar 8, 2016

  • United States immigration map

    Report

    What Are the Potential Impacts of State-Level Immigration Policies?

    The expanding role of U.S. states in immigration policy raises questions about the consequences of state-level action. A cost-benefit framework identifies the economic and fiscal impacts of state-level immigration policies and how different stakeholders would be affected.

    Mar 8, 2016

  • President Barack Obama speaks about counterterrorism and the U.S. fight against the Islamic State, December 6, 2015

    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.

    Dec 7, 2015

  • Two college students sitting outside using a laptop

    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.

    Jul 28, 2015

  • Immigration law book, gavel, legal document, and a passport

    Commentary

    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.

    Apr 30, 2015

  • Mexican migrants migrants clamber atop a freight train bound for the U.S.-Mexican border

    Periodical

    RAND Review Examines Immigration, Defense Policies, the ACA, and Correctional Education

    Stories in RAND's flagship journal discuss U.S. and Mexican immigration and labor reforms; British, French, and German defense policies in the face of austerity; seven ramifications of the Affordable Care Act; and the cost-effectiveness of correctional education programs.

    Nov 26, 2013

  • President Barack Obama shakes hands with Jeh Johnson during an announcement for Johnson to be his nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security

    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.

    Oct 24, 2013

  • Homeland Security Investigations agents capture Mexican national wanted for kidnapping

    Commentary

    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.

    Jul 15, 2013