Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 1

Short pieces:

About half of Americans continue to say Trump administration is doing ‘too much’ on deportations (Pew Research Center, May 2026) [text]

Data: Eligible Immigrant Voters Play a Key Role in Elections in Hundreds of Swing Districts (American Immigration Council, April 2026) [text]

‘The farther away, the better’ is the problematic logic behind U.S. third‑country deportations (The Conversation, May 2026) [text]

Fluctuating Hallucinations: On the Boundaries of Immigration Judges’ Discretion in the Determination of Asylum Based on Political Opinions (Immigration Law Blog, April 2026) [text]

New–and Dangerous–Questions at the Asylum Office (The Asylumist Blog, April 2026) [text]

Trump Has Cut Legal Immigration More Than Illegal Immigration (CATO At Liberty Blog, April 2026) [text]

- See also related blog post.

Trump Restrictions on Legal Immigration Could Sharply Reduce U.S. Population Growth (MPI, April 2026) [text]

USCIS Cut Green Card Approvals in Half to Help ICE Arrest Legal Immigrants (CATO At Liberty Blog, April 2026) [text]

**Visit the Americas Migration Brief and ImmProf Blog for more extensive round-ups of news and publications.**

Reports:

Mapping the Undocumented & Temporary Status Populations: Understanding current undocumented and temporarily protected populations in the United States (FWD.us, April 2026) [access]

Temporary Protected Status protects families while also boosting the U.S. economy (FWD.us, April 2026) [access]

- See also related summary with links to additional resources.

Related post:

- Regional Focus: United States (11 April 2026)

Regional Focus: United States

Short pieces:

Philadelphia’s 40-year history of protecting undocumented immigrants began with churches hiding refugees from El Salvador (The Conversation, April 2026) [text]

Trump Restrictions on Legal Immigration Could Sharply Reduce U.S. Population Growth (MPI, April 2026) [text]

U.S. Third-Country Deportation Agreements Are More About Fear than Numbers (MPI, March 2026) [text]

USCIS Ends Some “Holds,” Including on Certain Asylum Seekers (The Asylumist Blog, April 2026) [text]

**Visit the Americas Migration Brief and ImmProf Blog for a much more extensive round-up of news and publications.**

Journal articles:

"Advice without Lawyers? Immigrants, Legal Deserts, and Reflections on Who Can Practice Law," William & Mary Law Review, vol. 68 (Forthcoming, 2027) [preprint]

"Best Practices for Community-Engaged Research: Navigating Trust and Resistance in Challenging Sociopolitical Contexts," International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 14 March 2026 [open access]

- "This methodological article synthesizes ethical challenges, safety concerns, and field-informed strategies for conducting qualitative, community-engaged research with migrant populations during periods of heightened immigration enforcement."

"Desirable Mootness: How 'Making Moot' is a Tactic in Immigration Mandamus Claims," UC Davis Social Justice Law Review, vol. 29, no. 2 (Summer 2025) [full-text]

"Drones, Drugs, and Deportations: The New War on Terror," West Virginia Law Review, vol. 129 (Forthcoming) [preprint]

"Protection as Punishment: Victim Relief in the Crimmigration State," California Law Review, vol. 115 (Forthcoming, 2027) [preprint]

"Punitive Exile," Denver Law Review (Forthcoming, 2027) [preprint]

Multimedia:

Is the Dignity Act "Amnesty"? My Conversation with Ashley DeAzevedo and Rebecca Shi, 10 April 2026 [access]

Resources:

Immigration Court Data: Latest Outcomes for Immigrants in Court (Mobile Pathways) [access]

- Provides information and data relating to court appearances, asylum applications, immigration judges, and removal orders.

Third Country Deportation Watch (Human Rights First & Refugees International) [access]

- "This tracker explains the U.S. third country transfer agreements, the political and financial motives behind them, and the harms they have caused – as well as relevant lawsuits and other efforts to challenge them." See also related AP article.

Third Country Deportations Tracker (USCRI) [access]

- "This page compiles publicly available information on third country deportations from the United States, and Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) and their impact on asylum seekers."

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: Detention (United States)

- Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 1 (2 April 2026)

- Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 2 (2 April 2026)

Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 1

Opportunity:

Call for registration: Community Resistance: Immigration Law in the Face of Mass Deportation & Repression, UC Davis Immigration & Nationality Law Review Symposium, Davis, CA, 17 April 2026 [info]

Short pieces:

Affirmative Asylum Cases Dismissed and Sent to Court Without an Interview (The Asylumist Blog, April 2026) [text]

American Immigration Attitudes by the Civic Health Institutions Project (ImmProf Blog, March 2026) [text]

"Explainer: How the Trump administration is undermining legal immigrants," The Guardian, 21 March 2026 [text]

*A First Look at the Latest ICE Arrest Data Published by the Deportation Data Project (Austin Kocher Substack, March 2026) [text]

A German Right-Wing Influencer Has Requested Asylum in the U.S. Does She Have a Case? (The Asylumist Blog, March 2026) [text]

Government Defrauds Legal Immigrants and US Sponsors Who Paid $1 Billion in Fees (CATO At Liberty Blog, March 2026) [text]

How Secretary Mullin Can Reform DHS (Just Security, March 2026) [text]

Interview with an Immigration Judge: Larry Burman (The Asylumist Blog, March 2026) [text]

Two-Thirds of Open Somali Cases Placed on "Somali Rocket Docket" (bklg Blog, March 2026) [text]

US Supreme Court to hear landmark asylum case on border ‘turnbacks’ (UNSW, March 2026) [text]

- See also related posts on Just Security, Lawfare, and SCOTUSBlog. 

**Visit the Americas Migration Brief and ImmProf Blog for a much more extensive round-up of news and publications.**

Reports:

Asylum Cooperative Agreements: Denial of Due Process and Risks of Return to Danger (CGRS, March 2026) [text]

Temporary Protected Status (TPS): An Overview (American Immigration Council, March 2026) [text]

- See also related SCOTUSBlog post.

Resource:

Cuban Migration Projection Dashboard (Niskanen Center, March 2026) [access]

- "This dashboard projects monthly Cuban migration encounters at US borders under three scenarios using a scenario-conditional model calibrated against historical data. It does not use time-series forecasting or machine learning. Each projection is the output of a structured set of assumptions about route accessibility, enforcement posture, and regime behavior."

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Regional Focus: United States (9 March 2026)

Regional Focus: United States

Blog posts & press:

The Board of Immigration Appeals Will Now Provide the Public with Access to Its Unpublished Decisions (Immigration Impact Blog, Feb. 2022) [text]

Deploring the Violence, Abandoning the Victim (Just Security, Feb. 2022) [text]

- Discusses fleeing gang violence in Central America as a basis for asylum.

Judicial Imperialism and the “Remain in Mexico” Ruling (Lawfare Blog, Feb. 2022) [text]

More migrants are dying along the US-Mexico border, but it’s hard to say how big the problem actually is (The Conversation, Feb. 2022) [text]

Reports: 

Centering Race and Structural Racism in Immigration Policy Research: Considerations and Lessons from the Field (Urban Institute, Dec. 2021) [text]

The Continuing Impact of the Pandemic on Immigration Court Case Completions (TRAC, Feb. 2022) [text]

Deadly Inertia: Needless Delay of “Particular Social Group” Regulations Puts Asylum Seekers at Risk (Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Feb. 2022) [text]

The Dehumanizing Work of Immigration Law (Brennan Center, July 2021) [text]

“How Can You Throw Us Back?” Asylum Seekers Abused in the US and Deported to Harm in Cameroon (Human Rights Watch, Feb. 2022) [access]

- A French version is also available.

MPP as a Microcosm: What’s Wrong with Asylum at the Border and How to Fix It (Refugees International, Feb. 2022) [text]

Articles:

"Mounting Backlogs Undermine U.S. Immigration System and Impede Biden Policy Changes," Migration Information Source, 23 Feb. 2022 [text]

"Ready to Stay: A Comprehensive Analysis of the US Foreign-Born Populations Eligible for Special Legal Status Programs and for Legalization Under Pending Bills," Journal on Migration and Human Security, OnlineFirst, 4 Feb. 2022 [open access]

"Re-Defining Particular Social Group in the United States: Looking to International Guidance in the Wake of the Matter of A-B- Vacatur," Fordham International Law Journal, vol. 45, no. 3 (2022) [full-text]

Resource:

'Remain in Mexico': Overview and Resources (Human Rights Watch, Feb. 2022) [access]

Related post:

- Regional Focus: United States (3 Feb. 2022)

Thematic Focus: Solutions

News re. recent US action on resettlement:

President Biden has signed an Executive Order that re-commits to supporting and expanding refugee resettlement in the US, effectively reversing the steps taken over the last four years by the Trump administration to decimate the program. The new refugee admissions cap will be set at 125,000. Here is the accompanying State Dept. press statement. UNHCR applauded the move, pointing to the low numbers of refugees resettled in 2020 globally. See this Vox article for more info. 

Blog posts & press:

Could the Biden administration pressure Australia to adopt more humane refugee policies? (The Conversation, Jan. 2021) [text]

The New Pact on Migration and Asylum and the recommendations of the EU Commission on legal pathways to protection in the European Union (Human Rights Here Blog, Jan. 2021) [text]

"The long road to sorting out US refugee resettlement," The New Humanitarian, 26 Jan. 2021 [text]

"The pandemic is no excuse to shut the door on refugee resettlement," The New Humanitarian, 25 Jan. 2021 [text]

Refugees in new locations and destinations: lifelines and backlashes (COMPAS Blog, Jan. 2021) [text]

- Focuses on the US.

"Small groups of refugee families to be allowed into New Zealand," RNZ, 5 Feb. 2021 [text]

With refugee resettlement at a record low in 2020, UNHCR calls on States to offer places and save lives (UNHCR, Jan. 2021) [text]

- Note: Includes a link to a factsheet summarizing resettlement data for 2020.

Journal articles:

"Co-production Through Volunteerism in Emergency Management: Drawing Lessons from Canada’s Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative," Canadian Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 1, no. 1 (2020) [open access]

"The Impact of Syrian Refugee Arrivals on Local Systems of Support in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Latest Articles, 4 Jan. 2021 [free full-text]

International Journal of Intercultural Relations, vol. 80 (in progress) (Jan. 2021) [access]

- Focuses on integration, adaptation and social challenges for refugees and immigrants. The texts of all articles can be accessed for free; three of them are open access. 

Sites: A Journal of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, vol. 17, no. 1 (2020) [contents]

- Special issue on "Refugee Resettlement in Early Twenty-First Century New Zealand."

"Special Section: Return, Remixing and Reconciliation after Conflict," Journal of Refugee Studies, Advance Articles, 5 Feb. 2021 [open access]

- Note: The three articles referenced in this overview are not yet available.

Resource:

Migration and the Law Database: A new global benchmark on integration policies (KNOMAD) [access]

- "KNOMAD has compiled a global database of national legal frameworks affecting the integration of economic migrants and refugees. ...Data is provided for 20 qualitative indicators across four dimensions: economic opportunities, health care, housing, and political integration." More info is provided in this blog post.

Multimedia:

Local Integration of Refugees: The Southern African Experience, 19 Jan. 2021 [access]

- Follow link for video recording.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Solutions (15 Jan. 2021)

Events: Various Webinars Taking Place Next Week!

Climate Change and Migration: Converging Issues, Diverging Funding, 29 June 2020 [info]

Defending Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Trump Era: Advocacy at the U.S.-Mexico Border, 30 June 2020 [info]

Doing Research on Migration and Asylum: Responsibilities and Limits, 30 June 2020 [info]

Human Trafficking Amid a Pandemic: Confronting the Exploitation of Fleeing Venezuelans, 30 June 2020 [info]

Legal Pathways for Refugees to Europe: Humanitarian and University Corridors, 30 June 2020 [info]

Gender Based Violence and Migration in Times of Covid-19: Perspectives from Across the Globe, 1 July 2020 [info]

Launch of "Family Reunification for Refugee and Migrant Children: Standards and Promising Practices," 2 July 2020 [info]

Pressing ‘Reset’ on Resettlement: How a Lifeline can Survive COVID-19, 2 July 2020 [info]

Global Launch of the Sustainable Health Equity Movement, 2 July 2020 [info]

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (US)

United States:

News:

On 22 June 2020, Trump issued a proclamation that suspends "the entry of aliens who present a risk to the U.S. labor market following the coronavirus outbreak" until the end of the year. This was an extension of an earlier proclamation from April that suspended entry for 60 days. For more info and commentary, see the following:

- "A New Trump Proclamation Will Block Foreign Workers," Vox, 22 June 2020 [text]
- The Trump Administration Expands Legal Immigration Ban, Using COVID-19 Pandemic as Excuse (Immigration Impact Blog, June 2020) [text]
- "Trump Suspends Visas Allowing Hundreds of Thousands of Foreigners to Work in the U.S.," New York Times, 22 June 2020 [text]
- Trump’s H-1B Ban Based on a Misreading of Economic Statistics (CATO at Liberty Blog, June 2020) [text]

On the same day, USCIS "announced a regulatory change to deter aliens from illegally entering the United States and from filing frivolous, fraudulent, or otherwise non-meritorious claims for asylum to obtain an employment authorization document. This rule does not alter asylum eligibility criteria in any way and will be effective on Aug. 25."

- Delaying Work Permits for Asylum Seekers Could Increase Crime (CATO at Liberty Blog, June 2020) [text]
- DHS Suggests Asylum Seekers Should Get Used to ‘Homelessness’ After Stripping Work Permits (Immigration Impact Blog, June 2020) [text]
- Human Rights First Condemns Rule Keeping Asylum-Seekers from Work Authorization (June 2020) [text]

*Note: On 29 June 2020, the White House issued an amendment to the a/m proclamation; this National Law Review post explains that it is meant to clarify who is exempted from the order.

Blog posts & reports:

"Better Migrant Rights Help Native Workers," UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, vol. 23, no. 2 (Winter 2019) [access via UCSD]

How Economic Inclusion Enables Refugees (RI Blog, June 2020) [text]

A Majority of Americans Say Immigrants Mostly Fill Jobs U.S. Citizens Do Not Want (Pew Fact Tank, June 2020) [text]

"There’s Much More We Can Do to Integrate Refugees into the Economy," QZ, 18 June 2020 [text]

*"Trump to Suspend New Visas for Foreign Scholars," Nature, 23 June 2020 [text]

Multimedia:

Refugee Entrepreneurs in COVID-19: U.S., 19 June 2020 (Refugee Investment Network) [access]
- Follow link for video.

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (26 June 2020)

Thematic Focus: General - Pt. 2

Reports & journal articles:

Disaster Displacement: A Global Review, 2008-2018 (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, May 2019) [text]
- See also related IDMC blog post.

EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2018 (European Union, May 2019) [text via ReliefWeb]

Governance of the Global Refugee Regime, World Refugee Council Research Paper, no. 12 (Centre for International Governance Innovation, May 2019) [text]

Innovative Global Governance for Internally Displaced Persons, World Refugee Council Research Paper, no. 10 (Centre for International Governance Innovation, April 2019) [text]

Legal Pathways’ Effects on Irregular Migration, K4D Helpdesk Report (DFID, April 2019) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Migration Diplomacy in World Politics," International Studies Perspectives, vol. 20, no. 2 (May 2019) [open access]

L’OIM, une Organisation au Service des Frontières… Fermées (Migreurop, May 2019) [text]

Primer on the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (Library of the Parliament of Canada, May 2019) [text]

Report of the Seventy-fourth Meeting of the Standing Committee (5-7 March 2019, UN Doc. No. EC/70/SC/CRP.8 (EXCOM, April 2019) [text]

"Telling Truths about Migration," International Journal of Transitional Justice, Advance Articles, 5 May 2019 [free full-text]

UNHCR NGO Partnership Survey: 2018 Report (InterAction & UNHCR, April 2019) [text via ReliefWeb]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General - Pt. 1 (22 May 2019)

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (U.S.)

30,000 More Seasonal Worker Visas to Become Available after a Bipartisan Push (Immigration Impact, April 2019) [text]

The Benefits That Places Like Dayton, Ohio, Reap by Welcoming Immigrants (The Conversation, April 2019) [text]

Callous and Calculated: Longer Work Authorization Bar Endangers Lives of Asylum Seekers and Their Families (Human Rights First, April 2019) [text]

"Do Immigrants Give or Take More in New York and the Capital Region?," Times Union, 6 April 2019 [text]

From Managing Decline to Building the Future: Could a Heartland Visa Help Struggling Regions? (Economic Innovation Group, April 2019) [text]

Immigrants Prevented or Minimized Population Loss in a Fifth of U.S. Counties (Pew Stateline Blog, April 2019) [text]

Immigrants’ Taxes Help Save the Social Security System (Immigration Impact Blog, April 2019) [text]

The Political Economy of Immigrant Legalisation: Evidence from the 1986 IRCA, CESifo Working Paper, no. 7611 (CESifo, April 2019) [text via SSRN]
- See also related The Interpreter blog post.

Record Low U.S. Birth Rate and Retirements Will Result in Contracting U.S. Prosperity, If Unaddressed (Immigration Impact Blog, April 2019) [text]

"Utah Faces a Labor Shortage as Refugee Resettlement Declines," KUER, 17 April 2019 [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (30 April 2019)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 1

Media:

"How Trump’s Attorneys General are Transforming U.S. Immigration Law," Reuters, 17 April 2019 [text]

"'I Don’t Want to Die': Asylum Seekers, Once in Limbo, Face Deportation under Trump," New York Times, 21 April 2019 [text]

"A Snapshot of Where Migrants Go after Release into the United States," Washington Post, 13 April 2019 [text]

Explainers:

How the U.S. Legal Immigration System Works (Migration Policy Institute, April 2019) [text]

"What is Asylum and Who Can Seek It? Explaining Trump’s New Restrictions," New York Times, 17 April 2019 [text]

Blog posts:

A Better Approach to "Unable or Unwilling" Analysis? (Jeffrey S. Chase Blog, April 2019) [text]

How Hispanics Really Feel about Trump (The Conversation, April 2019) [text]

Internal BIA Documents on Processing of Appeals and Motions (Hoppock Law Firm, April 2019) [text]
- Note: Additional observations re. these BIA docs are provided on Matthew Hoppock's Twitter feed.

Lessons from History on US Border Policy (Human Rights Watch, April 2019) [text]

Love the Refugee, Hate the Group: The Troublesome Precedent of Halim (RefLaw Blog, April 2019) [text]

The ‘NO BAN’ Act: A Needed Check on Presidential Decision-Making (Just Security Blog, April 2019) [text]

What Does the 1967 Protocol Have to Say about the Legal Obligations That the United States Owes to Asylum Seekers? (Notice & Comment Blog, April 2019) [text]

Why the White House’s Measures to Curb Visa Overstays are Inadequate (Immigration Impact Blog, April 2019) [text]

Related posts:
- Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 1 (15 April 2019)
- Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 2 (15 April 2019)

Tagged Publications.