Refugees

Featured

  • Pedro Luis Ruiz buys a bus ticket to go to Miami after crossing from Mexico into the U.S. to continue his asylum request, El Paso, Texas, March 11, 2021, photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

    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.

    Jan 19, 2023

  • Teacher Aleksandra Artemova teaches Ukrainian refugee children during a school preparation course in Dusseldorf, Germany, March 18, 2022, photo by Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters

    Commentary

    The EU Can't Treat Ukrainian Refugees Like Short-Term Visitors

    Although EU countries, communities, and citizens have been very welcoming to Ukrainian refugees, it is not enough to treat them as short-term visitors, meet their immediate humanitarian needs, and let them wait out the war. By educating and employing them instead, EU countries can enrich their own communities and support Ukraine.

    Jul 24, 2023

Explore Refugees

  • Displaced Palestinian children walk at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, November 14, 2023, photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

    Commentary

    Displaced in Gaza: The Least-Bad Option

    There is currently no good option for protecting civilians amid the Israel-Hamas war. But the least-bad option is to keep civilians in southern Gaza—and provide protection and humanitarian assistance where they are.

    Dec 4, 2023

  • Syrian refugee women take their children for a walk in Izmir, Turkey, June 19, 2023, photo by Murat Kocabas/SOPA Images via Reuters

    Commentary

    Normalizing Assad Won't Solve the Syrian Refugee Crisis

    As much as Syrian refugees would like to return home eventually and as much as neighboring countries would welcome an end to the challenges of hosting large refugee communities, now is not the right time for mass Syrian refugee repatriation. Regional governments could instead focus on supporting refugees where they are, especially by allowing them to be legal, productive members of local economies.

    Aug 23, 2023

  • Evacuees from Afghanistan board a Boeing 777 bound for the United States from Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy, August 28, 2021, photo by EyePress News/Reuters

    Commentary

    Escaping Afghanistan

    As of April 2023, about 152,000 Special Immigrant Visa applicants remain trapped in Afghanistan. Despite many recommendations and bipartisan support for reforming the program, only minor tweaks have been made. Meanwhile, the dangerously slow process has become practically a death sentence.

    Aug 14, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Ukrainian Refugees, U.S. and Allied Defense Strategy, Threats from AI: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on supporting Ukrainian refugees, the future of U.S. and allied defense strategy, existential threats posed by artificial intelligence, and more.

    Aug 4, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    In the Wreckage of ISIS: An Examination of Challenges Confronting Detained and Displaced Populations in Northeastern Syria

    The authors examine the humanitarian and security conditions in two Syrian camps for internally displaced persons: al-Hol and Roj. They address concerns about radicalization and highlight challenges in returning displaced residents to their homes.

    Mar 9, 2023

  • Two volunteers distribute humanitarian aid to refugees, photo by pressmaster/Adobe Stock

    Journal Article

    Humanitarian Policymaking as Networked Governance

    To understand policymaking from a networked governance perspective, researchers used social network analysis and examined one of the most significant refugee policy processes: the efforts to formulate and adopt the Global Compact on Refugees.

    Nov 2, 2022

  • Educating Newcomers

    Multimedia

    Educating Newcomers: A Research-Practice Conversation

    RAND researchers highlight findings from a recent study that estimates the number of children and youth from Central America and Mexico crossing the Southwest border of the United States from 2017 to 2019, as well as findings on policies and practice from two case study school districts in Louisiana and California.

    Aug 4, 2022

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: May-June 2022

    The cover story explores what prison-based programs are available to help incarcerated parents and their children. Another feature examines ways to help social media users navigate the online extremist ecosystem.

    May 11, 2022

  • Two hands holding a heart made out of flowers in the colors of Ukraine'a flag, photo by Maryna Petrenko-Shvets/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Reopening Old Wounds: Two Stories, One Lesson

    The shocking events unfolding in Ukraine have reopened old wounds for two RAND researchers. Their personal stories stand as testaments that the traumas inflicted by Russia's war on Ukraine will echo for decades to come.

    Apr 16, 2022

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Helping Ukrainian Refugees, Truth Decay, Algorithmic Inequity: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on how to help Ukrainian refugees, the link between cognitive processes and Truth Decay, tracking wastewater to understand the spread of COVID-19, and more.

    Apr 1, 2022

  • People fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine rest in a temporary refugee center located at a local track-and-field athletics stadium in Chisinau, Moldova, March 4, 2022, photo by Vladislav Culiomza/Reuters

    Commentary

    With the Ukrainians, Avoid the Mistakes of Other Refugee Crises

    Because of Russia's invasion, millions of Ukrainians have fled their country or are internally displaced. At this critical moment, European Union countries have an opportunity to avoid some of the worst pitfalls of how the world has handled other refugee crises.

    Mar 25, 2022

  • Refugees cross the border from Ukraine to Poland after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the border checkpoint in Medyka, Poland, March 18, 2022, photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

    Commentary

    For Ukrainian Refugees in Poland, Livelihood Needs Will Follow Humanitarian Ones

    Host countries such as Poland that accept refugees are to be lauded for their humanitarian response. To increase the likelihood that these countries find effective policy solutions, they should view the influx of refugees not merely as a challenge, but as a significant opportunity to be seized for aiding their post-COVID recovery.

    Mar 18, 2022

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Refugees, Women's Health Research, Supporting Incarcerated Parents: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on the humanitarian fallout from a Russian invasion of Ukraine, investing in women’s health research, supporting incarcerated parents, and more.

    Feb 18, 2022

  • Distribution of humanitarian aid from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Donetsk, Ukraine, March 17, 2021, photo by Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

    Commentary

    How to Manage a Ukrainian Refugee Crisis

    A massive refugee or migration crisis resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine would have significant humanitarian, political, and economic implications for both the Ukrainians who flee and for the European nations they go to.

    Feb 16, 2022

  • Afghan nationals enter Iran at the Dowqarun border crossing between Iran and Afghanistan, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, August 29, 2021, photo by Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters

    Commentary

    Afghan Refugees Are Being Recruited to Join an Iranian Paramilitary

    As Western policymakers consider how to deal with Afghan evacuees, including former members of the Afghan security forces, they might consider how to prevent adversaries such as Iran from recruiting Afghan refugees for dangerous and destabilizing operations. Greater attention to these risks may become increasingly important as refugee flows from Afghanistan continue.

    Nov 23, 2021

  • A playground before students arrive at school in Harbor City, California, August 16, 2021, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

    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.

    Nov 1, 2021

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    How We Talk About Migration: The Link Between Migration Narratives, Policy, and Power

    This report analyzes how narratives about migration contribute to political discourse in five countries.

    Oct 22, 2021

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    China and Russia, Wages and Insurance, Refugees and Technology : RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on China-Russia ties, considerations when raising the minimum wage, how refugees use digital devices, and more.

    Oct 15, 2021

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