The Center for Immigration Studies hosted a panel discussion on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, discussing the present and future role of “gatekeeper countries” in controlling illegal immigration to destination countries in both Europe and North America. The number of illegal arrivals to a country is partly determined by the policies of its neighbors (the “gatekeepers”) in trying to stop, or at least slow, the transit of migrants. In the age of mass illegal migration, gatekeeper states must be part of any durable solution – even if it requires attention, and sometimes financial investment, from th ..read more

As a think tank, the Center for Immigration Studies focuses on research and public education regarding America’s immigration policies. NumbersUSA, on the other hand, is a grassroots, citizen-action organization, which seeks to inform and mobilize voters to contact their representatives to share their opinions on immigration policy. James Massa, the new CEO of NumbersUSA, joins us on this episode of Parsing Immigration Policy to share his priorities and vision for the organization. He highlights NumbersUSA’s focus on legislation on Capitol Hill; one of its most important contributions to immig ..read more

Two immigration bills are making their way through the House of Representatives, both of which address the Biden border crisis and seek to stem the tide of illegal migration at our Southwest border. To discuss the bills and the potential impact on the border crisis, we are joined on Parsing Immigration Policy by two experts with over thirty years of experience in immigration policy on Capitol Hill. George Fishman, the Center for Immigration Studies’ Senior Legal Fellow, examines the details of the “Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023” (H.R. 2640), introduced by U.S. Representatives To ..read more

Few people can fully understand the situation at the border like a Border Patrol agent. Throughout his long career, Tony Porvaznik has witnessed the fluctuations in the level and impact of illegal immigration at the border. He joins us for this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy. Porvaznik began his career in the San Diego sector, which has historically seen the most illegal immigration, particularly when he became an agent in the 1980s. Illegal immigration had a serious impact on the environment, and conservation groups were concerned about threats to the local wildlife population ..read more

Summary Illegal immigration discussions typically focus on the southern border of the United States, with little focus on the northern border with Canada. But even the northern border is experiencing a surge in illegal crossings, including increasing numbers of illegal immigrants from further abroad than in the past. While CBP’s northern border migrant encounter numbers have not hit the record levels seen at the southern border, illegal immigration there is a growing problem and a national-security concern. On this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, two experts from the Center joi ..read more

Summary What do Border Patrol agents do in the field? This week’s guest on Parsing Immigration Policy, Paul Eberle, explains just that. Eberle is a former Border Patrol agent and author of Look at the Dirt: The Story of Border Patrol Agents Through Their Own Eyes. His book includes accounts of agents – including himself – from several stations along the southwest border, from the early 1990s to the fall of 2021, when Eberle retired. Eberle explains his path to becoming an agent, shares stories from his and other Border Patrol agents’ experiences, and provides potential improvements for borde ..read more

Historically high levels of illegal immigration continue to contribute to every state being a border state, every town being a border town. But the phrase doesn’t do justice to the impact that real border communities experience. On this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Susan Kibbe, executive director of the South Texan’s Property Rights Association, describes life as a rancher in... Source ..read more

The Center for Immigration Studies unveiled a new database of national security vetting failures at a recent panel discussion. This database is the first known collection of preventable federal government vetting failures that enabled the entry of foreign nationals who threatened and harmed American national interests and public safety. The information collected in the database offers an... Source ..read more

Federal law requires that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detain illegal border-crossers pending the completion of their cases. Despite this detention mandate, the Biden administration has been releasing hundreds of thousands of aliens on “Alternatives to Detention” (ATD), where they are monitored via ankle bracelets, GPS tracking, or the SmartLINK app. ATD effectiveness is poor... Source ..read more

A proposed new asylum regulation advertised as deterring illegal immigration at the southern border is unlikely to have the intended result. Under the new rule, some aliens who have not applied for protection in a country they passed through en route to the United States may be ineligible for asylum under some circumstances. Immigration activists have decried the rule as a return to Trump-era... Source ..read more