Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

UNHCR: ‘A reliable immigration pathway could unlock potential’ (UNHCR, June 2026) [text]

- Focuses on Canada.

New open access book:

Digital Exiles: Refugee Work in the Global Digital Economy (MIT Press, June 2026) [open access]

- "The pursuit of a digital livelihood—from attending coding schools in Berlin to training datasets for AI in crisis-stricken Lebanon to online freelancing in Kenya’s refugee camps—represents an increasingly important income opportunity for refugees. Digital work programs by aid organizations and the private sector aim to help the forcibly displaced become self-reliant and successful workers, yet, for many, it creates new forms of exclusion, precarity, and risk. Combining human stories with insights from five years of multisited research and applied work with leading organizations, the author presents an alternative vision of an inclusive world of work that can help shape the fair digital economy of the future."

Reports:

4th JDC Research Conference on Forced Displacement, Bangkok, 4-6 June 2026 [access]

- Follow the link to view presentations that have been posted.

Economic and Magnet Effects of Work Authorization for Asylum Seekers: Descriptive Evidence from the United States, HBS Working Paper, no. 91 (Harvard Business School, June 2026) [text]

Labor Mobility and Skills Profiles of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia (UNHCR, June 2026) [text]

Lessons from eight years of refugee employment (Univ. of Sydney, June 2026) [access]

- Focuses on Australia.

Pioneering Evidence Shows How Entrepreneurship Model Can Reduce Extreme Poverty Among Refugees (Mercy Corps, June 2026) [access]

- Focuses on East Africa.

Series: Labour market inclusion for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons (International Labour Organization, June 2026)

- Includes briefs focusing on Germany, Kenya and Uganda. See also related news release.

Shock, awe, and economic fallout: The employment effects of ICE enforcement in US cities (Brookings, May 2026) [text]

- See also related NYT op-ed.

Temporary Protection, permanent effects? The labor market impact of Ukrainian refugees in the European Union, GLO Discussion Paper, no. 1769 (Global Labor Organization, 2026) [text via RePEc]

Uganda Refugee Response: Private Sector Engagement in the Agricultural Sector (UNHCR et al., June 2026) [text]

Journal articles:

"The Cruel Optimism of Work Permits: Vulnerabilities and Deportability Among Rejected Asylum-Seekers and International Students Pursuing Track Changes in Sweden," Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, vol. 24, no. 2 (2026) [open access]

Research in Globalization [access]

- Special collection on "Forced Migration, Integration, and Employment of Ukrainians: A Global View."

"Working Your Way to Remain: Subjective Well-Being and Employment of Migrants in the United Kingdom," International Migration, vol. 64, no. 4 (July 2026) [open access]

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (5 June 2026)

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (United States) (5 June 2026)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

New Proposed DHS Rule Effectively Ends Work Authorization for Asylum Applicants (TRAC, April 2026) [text]

- Focuses on the US. The comment period ends 29 June 2026. See other comments that have been shared online. 

Refugee entrepreneurs transforming waste into self-reliance (UNHCR Innovation, April 2026) [text]

- Focuses on Ecuador.

Reports & book chapters:

"Job Quality as a Crucial Measure of Migrants’ Economic Integration," Chapter in Job Quality in a Turbulent Era (Edward Elgar, March 2026) [open access]

Measuring the Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Labor Markets: Quasi-Experimental Studies of §287(g) Agreements and the Secure Communities Program (US Congressional Research Service, March 2026) [text]

Private sector partnerships and inclusive public policies support the integration of hundreds of thousands of refugees across Latin America (UNHCR, April 2026) [access]

- Links to the following reports, in English and Spanish: 1) Self-reliance for refugees in the Americas, and 2) Private sector engagement for refugee inclusion in the Americas.

Work Authorization Delays and Economic Integration of Asylum Seekers in the United States, IZA Discussion Paper, no. 18462 (IZA@LISER, March 2026) [text]

Journal articles:

"An analytical framework for examining the ethical dimensions of innovative humanitarian finance," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 11:9 (April 2026) [open access]

"A Female Refugees’ Career: A Review and Agenda for Future Research," Societies, vol. 16, no. 4 (April 2026) [open access]

"Intersecting oppressions and mental distress: Migrant domestic workers under the Kafala system in Lebanon," Migration Studies, vol. 14, no. 2 (June 2026) [open access]

"The Living Project of Long-Term Economic Integration Among Resettled Refugees: Perspectives From Community Leaders and Service Providers," Journal on Migration and Human Security, OnlineFirst, 22 April 2026 [full-text]

- Focuses on the US.

"Needs for capacity sharing in humanitarian responses: qualitative study on experiences of professional and voluntary workforce," Journal of International Humanitarian Action," 11:10 (April 2026) [open access]

"Overeducated and Underpaid: Characteristics of H-1B Visa Holders from New Administrative Records, 2014–2024," International Migration Review, OnlineFirst, 21 April 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on the US.

"The Role of Settlement Intentions (Un-)Certainty in the Labour Market Integration of Ukrainian Refugees in Germany," Work, Employment and Society, OnlineFirst, 15 April 2026 [open access]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (30 March 2026)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

Beyond ‘bad actors’: Why do some employers use irregular migrant workers? (MPC Blog, March 2026) [text]

- Focuses on Europe.

Disposable, but indispensable: Irregularised migrants in Europe’s labour markets (MPC Blog, March 2026) [text]

How trade unions and employers’ associations react to irregular migrants: Variations in policy preferences across five European countries (MPC Blog, March 2026) [text]

Labour mobility programmes for refugees: origins, benefits and limitations (RLI Blog, March 2026) [text]

Reports:

Final report of the evaluation of the implementation of UNHCR’s Southern Africa Regional Stepped-up Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Strategy (2021–2024), EVO/2025/19 (UNHCR, Dec. 2025) [text]

Unlocking refugee work authorisation in Kenya: a practical framework for economic inclusion, institutional alignment, and national growth (Kenya Coalition for Refugee Economic Inclusion, March 2026) [text via NRC]

Journal articles:

"Entrepreneurial resilience of refugees in the Arctic region," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, EarlyCite, 11 March 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on Finland.

"Multi-Stakeholder Collaborations: How Multinational Enterprises Can Drive Refugee Employment," International Migration Review, OnlineFirst, 24 March 2026 [open access]

"Multi-Trillion Dollar and Multi-Million Worker Contributions: An Economic Accounting of Birthright Citizenship," Journal on Migration and Human Security, OnlineFirst, 19 March 2026 [full-text]

- Focuses on the US.

"Skilled personnel risk management under war-induced forced migration: implications for labor market sustainability," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 21 March 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on Ukrainians.

"Why Don’t They Work? Understanding the Complexity of Work Intentions Among Ukrainian Refugees in Germany," Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, Latest Articles, 11 March 2026 [open access]

Multimedia:

Meeting Labor Skill Needs While Expanding Refugee Protection, 26 Feb. 2026 [access]

- Focuses on Europe.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (10 March 2026)

Thematic Focus: Detention

Short pieces:

"The Bhasan Char project was never about protection, it’s about Rohingya confinement," The New Humanitarian, 27 Jan. 2026 [text]

Congress Should Stop DHS’s Lawless Misuse of Mandatory Immigration Detention (Just Security, Feb. 2026) [text]

- Focuses on the US. See also related Immigration Impact blog post.

EU: New Return Regulation Threatens to Significantly Expand Detention, Warn UN Special Procedures (Immigration Detention Monitor, Feb. 2026) [text]

ICE's Delayed Detention Data is Out, Two Record Highs: 70,000 People Detained, 40,000 on Ankle Monitors (Austin Kocher Substack, Feb. 2026) [text]

- See also related post on the best source of detention data.

Invisible and Detained: How Immigration Detention Reproduces Gender-Based Violence Against Migrant Women in South Africa (Lawyers for Human Rights, Feb. 2026) [text]

A Legal Black Hole: Does Iraq Have the Right to Detain Prisoners Transferred from Syria? (Just Security, Feb. 2026) [text]

Poland – More Migrant Children to be Detained Following Controversial Legislative Changes (Immigration Detention Monitor, Feb. 2026) [text]

Sweetening Migrant Detention in Third Countries (Refugee History Blog, Dec. 2025) [text]

- Focuses on the US.

The Taken - Inside the ICE Detention Pipeline for US Citizens and Residents: From Minnesota to Texas (Just Security, Feb. 2026) [text]

Visualising Confinement: Creating 3D Models of Greek Detention Centres (Border Criminologies Blog, Feb. 2026) [text]

We Told You So: Now What for Northeast Syria? (Just Security, Jan. 2026) [text]

Reports & journal articles:

"'Doing Head Miles': The Meaning and Mental Health Consequences of Immigration Detention in the Context of Criminal Deportation," SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, In Press, 5 Feb. 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on Australia.

Health in immigration detention: Evidence brief for policy and practice (WHO & Global Detention Project, Jan. 2026) [text]

New ICE arrest data show the power of state and local governments to curtail mass deportations (Prison Policy Initiative, Dec. 2025) [text]

- Provides an update to their earlier report, Hiding in Plain Sight: How local jails obscure and facilitate mass deportation under Trump.

"Protecting human rights in detention: Does anybody care?," Alternative Law Journal, OnlineFirst, 6 Feb. 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on Australia.

Profiting Off Pain: Privatized Detention, Mass Surveillance and the Drive for Immigrant Prosecutions (National Immigration Project & American Univ., Jan. 2026) [text]

- Focuses on the US.

"Rethinking Preventive Detention," UCLA Law Review, vol. 73 (Forthcoming) [preprint]

- Focuses on the US.

New books:

FYI: These titles include subsections that focus on immigration detention.

Forced Migration and Health Justice (Oxford Univ. Press, Feb. 2026) [info]

Gender Equality Behind Bars: A Feminist Approach to Penality Policies Worldwide (Palgrave Macmillan, Feb. 2026) [info]

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 1 (25 Jan. 2026) 

- Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 2 (25 Jan. 2026)

Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality - Pt. 1

Short pieces:

"After statehood recognition, Palestinians stuck in limbo in Norway," Context News, 10 Oct. 2025 [text]

Breaking the cycle of statelessness among Roma in Albania (ENS Blog, Oct. 2025) [text]

The Resurgence of Large-scale Deprivation of Nationality: The Case of Kuwait (OpinioJuris, Oct. 2025) [text]

Session on Statelessness in the European Parliament (Apatride Network, Oct. 2025) [text]

Statelessness in Norway: 10 Facts (UNHCR, Oct. 2025) [text]

States Party to the Statelessness Conventions (UNHCR, Oct. 2025) [access]

 - Note: The infographic is current as of 21 October 2025.

Trump’s Citizenship Revocation Initiative: Resurrecting Cold War Mechanisms in Contemporary Context (RLI Blog, Oct. 2025) [text]

UNHCR Convenes Private Sector to support Thailand’s Journey Toward Making Statelessness History (UNHCR, Oct. 2025) [text]

Who makes belonging possible? Community-led action to end Roma statelessness in Montenegro (ENS Blog, Oct. 2025) [text]

Multimedia:

Protecting the rights of stateless Palestinians in the UK, 23 Oct. 2025 [access]

Will Climate Change Push Some People into Statelessness?, 29 Oct. 2025 [access]

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality - Pt. 1 (9 Oct. 2025)

- Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality - Pt. 2 (9 Oct. 2025)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1

Short pieces:

The $100,000 H-1B Fee That Could Derail “Made in America” (CGD Blog, Sept. 2025) [text]

Article series on "Refugees in the global economy" (openDemocracy, Oct. 2025) [access]

- Read the introductory article for more info, and follow the a/m link for 10 of the 13 contributions posted to date. 

In Ethiopia, a Groundbreaking Right to Work Directive Transforms Lives for the Better (World Bank, Oct. 2025) [text]

"The Hyundai raid reflects a broken U.S. immigration system," The Diplomat, 18 Sept. 2025 [text via Niskanen Center]

IOM and Bank of Agriculture Sign Agreement to Boost Livelihoods for Migrants and Displaced Persons in Nigeria (IOM, Oct. 2025) [text]

Refugees in Germany: Many still at risk of poverty (InfoMigrants, Oct. 2025) [text]

Self-reliance and financial inclusion: Bridging policy and private sector solutions – highlights from UNHCR ExCom Side Event (UNHCR Blog, Oct. 2025) [text]

White card, irregular job: When legal rights fail migrants in Austria (MPC Blog, Oct. 2025) [text]

Reports:

Beyond the Border: Labor Market Effects of U.S. Immigration Enforcement Policies in El Salvador, Discussion Paper, no. 18135 (Institute of Labor Economics, Sept. 2025) [text]

Evaluación final del proyecto: "Mejora de la autosuficiencia y la resiliencia de la población refugiada y migrante procedente de Venezuela y de acogida en Colombia, a través de la integración en el mercado laboral," EvO/2025/05 (UNHCR, May 2025) [text]

High-level forum in CAR on forced displacement and the role of the private sector (UNHCR, Sept. 2-25 [text]

- See also related report.

Jobs and Employment for Forcibly Displaced Communities in the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Region (UNHCR & Mastercard, Oct. 2025) [text]

Migration Governance Insights: Data‑driven Perspectives to Enhance Labour Migration Pathways (International Organization for Migration, Oct. 025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (29 Sept. 2025)

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (29 Sept. 2025)

Thematic Focus: General - Pt. 1

Short pieces:

"Cash-strapped UNHCR shed 5,000 jobs this year," AFP News, 6 Oct. 2025 [text via Barron's]

- See also earlier related Reuters article.

Christian anti-communism and the history of refugee relief (Refugee History Blog, Sept. 2025) [text]

"Pope Leo, after Trump critique, urges Catholics to help immigrants," Reuters, 5 Oct. 2025 [text]

- See also the pope's message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

"Sweden nominates IKEA veteran Jesper Brodin as UN refugee chief candidate," Reuters, 14 Oct. 2025 [text]

The UN at 80: What lies ahead for internally displaced persons? (RID Blog, Sept. 2025) [text]

The UNHCR conclave: has anything changed in 25 years? (Refugee History Blog, Oct. 2025) [text]

*"Who could be the next UN refugee chief?," The New Humanitarian, 15 Oct. 2025 [text]

Reports:

2025 Annual Report (US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Oct. 2025) [access]

The HIDDEN Toolkit: Tackling Ethical Concerns in Migration Research (History of Identity Documentation in European Nations: COST Action CA21120, Sept. 2025) [text]

Mobilizing Cities across the World to Support Migrants and Displaced People: A Five-Year Evaluation of the Mayors Migration Council (Urban Institute, Oct. 2025) [text]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

- News: EXCOM 2025 Wrap-up (14 Oct. 2025)

- Thematic Focus: General - Pt. 1 (29 Sept. 2025)

- Thematic Focus: General - Pt. 2 (29 Sept. 2025)

Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 1 (United States)

Opportunity:

Discussion panel: The Big Business of Locking Up Migrants, Washington, DC, 30 September 2025 [info]

Short pieces:

BIA Decision Strips Immigration Judges of Bond Authority, All but Guaranteeing Mandatory Detention for Undocumented Immigrants (Immigration Impact Blog, Sept. 2025) [text]

- See also related Politico article.

"Hundreds of alleged human rights abuses in immigrant detention, report finds," NBC News, 5 Aug. 2025 [text]

Litigation reveals details of Trump deal with El Salvador to imprison migrants (The Hill, Sept. 2025) [text]

- See also related Newsweek article.

*Private Prison Companies’ Enormous Windfall: Who Stands to Gain as ICE Expands (Just Security, Sept. 2025) [text]

"Trump Admin Says 70% of ICE Detainees Do Not Have Criminal Convictions," Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 [text]

*"Trump’s deportation hub: inside the ‘black hole’ where immigrants disappear," The Guardian, 12 Sept. 2025 [text]

The U.S. Deportation Industrial Complex: Arrests and Detention by the Numbers (Just Security, Sept. 2025) [text]

"White House’s immigration blitz runs up against ICE bed capacity," Politico, 12 Sept. 2025 [text]

Publications & resources: 

The Abuse of Pregnant Women & Children in U.S. Immigration Detention (Office of Jon Ossoff, US Senate, July 2025) [text]

Detention Pregnancy Tracker (Women's Refugee Commission, Sept. 2025) [access]

- A "nationwide tool designed to collect real-time reports on pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women in US immigration detention." See also related blog post.

"From Border-Based to Status-Based Mandatory Detention," Fordham Urban Law Journal, vol. 53 (Forthcoming, 2026) [preprint]

New Tool: DetentionReports.com Provides Valuable Updated Data about ICE Facilities (Austin Kocher Substack, July 2025) [text]

"The Solitary Confinement Crisis in Immigration Detention," Nevada Law Journal, vol. 25 (2025) [full-text]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 1 (United States) (22 July 2025)

- Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 2 (Other Countries) (22 July 2025)

Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 2 (Other Countries)

Short pieces:

Algeria: Detention and Deportation in an “Informal Corridor of Expulsion” (Immigration Detention Monitor, July 2025) [text] 

‘Crimmigrant other’ narratives fail to capture diversity among immigration detainees: the case of Hong Kong (Border Criminologies Blog, June 2025) [text]

‘The Ministry of Migration is not a hotel’: The Greek Government’s Admission of Inhuman Detention Conditions (Border Criminologies Blog, July 2025) [text]

"‘We just sit here’: the broken men Australia’s offshore detention regime left behind in Papua New Guinea," The Guardian, 6 June 2025 [text]

Journal articles:

"Comparative analysis of detention centres in Spain and Italy 2018-2023: Addressing systemic deficiencies and human rights compliance = Análisis comparativo de los centros de detención en España e Italia 2018-2023: Abordar las deficiencias sistémicas y el cumplimiento de los derechos humanos," Open Research Europe, 5:124 (July 2025) [open access]

"The culture of (border) control in Britain: Staff, precarity and distress," Criminology & Criminal Justice, OnlineFirst, 21 June 2025 [open access]

- "In this paper, we describe key findings from a survey of ‘staff culture’ that we designed and then administered to 170 private-sector custodial officers employed on the immigration detainee escorting contract in the United Kingdom in 2023."

"Deter, detain, deport and demonise: should others follow the Australian crimmigration model?," Australian Journal of International Affairs, Latest Articles, 13 June 2025 [open access]

Multimedia:

The limits of immigration detention after NZYQ, 12 June 2025 [access]

- Focuses on Australia.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 1 (United States)

Thematic Focus: Detention - Pt. 1 (United States)

Detainee population:

65 Percent of People Taken by ICE Had No Convictions, 93 Percent No Violent Convictions (CATO At Liberty Blog, June 2025) [text]

- Provides analysis of nonpublic data provided by ICE.

The Detention of Families Facing Deportation Proceedings (Brennan Center, July 2025) [text]

"ICE holding a record 59,000 immigrant detainees, nearly half with no criminal record, internal data show," CBS News, 24 June 2025 [text]

ICE is Arresting 1,100 Percent More Noncriminals on the Streets Than in 2017 (CATO At Liberty Blog, June 2025) [text]

- Analysis of dataset provided by Depor​ta​tion​Da​ta​.org.

Immigration Detention Quick Facts (TRAC, July 2025) [access]

Detention facilities & conditions:

Budget Bill Massively Increases Funding for Immigration Detention (Brennan Center, July 2025) [text]

Florida is fronting the $450M cost of Alligator Alcatraz – a legal scholar explains what we still don’t know about the detainees (The Conversation, July 2025) [text]

ICE Contractual Capacity and Number Detained: Overcapacity vs. Overcrowding (TRAC, July 2025) [text]

ICE to Oppose Bond for Virtually All Unlawful Entrants (ImmigrationProf Blog, July 2025) [text]

"Military bases in New Jersey and Indiana will be expanded to detain immigrants," NPR, 21 July 2025 [text]

"Private prisons and local jails are ramping up as ICE detention exceeds capacity," NPR, 4 June 2025 [text]

"'They're Not Breathing': Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls," Wired, 25 June 2025 [text]

‘You Feel Like Your Life is Over’: Abusive Practices at Three Florida Immigration Detention Centers Since January 2025 (Human Rights Watch, July 2025) [access]

- Also available in Spanish.

El Salvador updates: 

"El Salvador sends detained Venezuelans home in swap for Americans," Reuters, 19 July 2025 [text]

- See also related American Immigration Council press release.

The Legal Fig Leaf: The US-El Salvador Detainee Diplomatic Notes (Just Security, July 2025) [text]

United Nations Document Contradicts Trump-Vance Administration’s El Salvador Prison Claim (Democracy Forward, July 2025) [text]

- See also related AP News article.

Other third-country removals:

Djibouti: Use of US Military Base for Immigration Detention Purposes Raises Concerns (Immigration Detention Monitor, June 2025) [text]

U.S. Could Vastly Expand Global Immigrant Detention Network (HuffPost, July 2025) [text]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Detention (28 May 2025)

Regional Focus: Asia Pacific

Short pieces:

"Could (and should) private investors make up for US aid cuts in Afghanistan?," The New Humanitarian, 2 July 2025 [text]

"Desperate Afghan refugees return to an unfamiliar home," UN News, 11 July 2025 [text]

- See also related UNHCR briefing note.

Rohingya Facing Risks Everywhere, at All Times (Human Rights Watch, June 2025) [text]

Thailand’s refugee system puts publicity over protection (East Asia Forum, July 2025) [text]

UNHCR: Bangladesh has welcomed 150,000 Rohingya refugees in last 18 months (UNHCR, July 2025) [text]

Reports & book chapters: 

Between Diplomacy and Displacement: The Contradictions of the Rohingya Repatriation Discourse (Observer Research Foundation, July 2025) [text]

"I’ll Never Feel Secure": Undocumented and Exploited: Myanmar Nationals in Thailand (Human Rights Watch, July 2025) [access]

"Lives in translation: Listening to the voices of asylum seekers," Chapter in Field Research on Translation and Interpreting (Benjamins Publishing Co., May 2025) [open access]

- Focuses on Hong Kong.

Journal articles:

"Assessment of water, sanitation and hygiene services within nineteen Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in 2022," BMC Health Services Research, 25:814 (June 2025) [open access]

"Bonded citizenship: Caste, Partition, and the prevention of exit," Modern Asian Studies, FirstView, 23 June 2025 [open access]

"Diaspora by another name: the making of refugees in Cold War China," Comparative Migration Studies, 13:49 (July 2025) [open access]

"Encampment policy and public perception: a cross-country analysis of host community responses to Rohingya refugees," Comparative Migration Studies, 13:48 (July 2025) [open access]

"Living Through Food Rations: A Culture-Centered Study With Rohingya Refugees," International Journal of Communication, vol. 19 (2025) [open access]

*"The practice of gender and protection mainstreaming in health response in humanitarian crisis: A case study from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh," PLoS One 20(7): e0310878 (July 2025) [open access]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

- Regional Focus: Asia Pacific - Pt. 1 (2 July 2025)

- Regional Focus: Asia Pacific - Pt. 2 (2 July 2025)

Regional Focus: Europe - Pt. 1

Opportunities:

Call for applications: Odysseus Summer School on EU Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy, Brussels/Online, 30 June-11 July 2025 [info]

- The focus will be on "the new instruments adopted in 2024 under the New Migration & Asylum Pact." Apply by 15 May 2025.

Call for registration: ECRE Annual General Conference (AGC) 2025, Warsaw, 5 June 2025 [info]

Call for registration: EU Asylum at a Crossroads? State of Asylum Conference 2025, Valletta, Malta/Online, 18 June 2025 [info]

- The EUAA Asylum Report 2025 will also be launched.

Short pieces:

Billions made by companies involved in UK border security, study shows (Univ. of York, April 2025) [text]

Europeans have more flexible views on how to respond to irregular migrants than policymakers think (The Conversation, April 2025) [text]

Refugee from one Member State to Another: Towards Automatic Mutual Recognition? (EU Immigration & Asylum Law & Policy Blog, May 2025) [text]

- Also available in French.

Thousands of Syrian lives on hold amid asylum application freeze (Euro-Med Monitor, May 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

Russia: Weaponising Immigration Policies to Push Migrants into War and Launching a New “Expulsion Regime” (International Detention Monitor, April 2025) [text]

**For much more news and info on the latest developments, check out the ECRE Weekly Bulletin.**

Journal articles:

"Assisted return programmes across Europe: Mapping an increasingly obscure landscape," International Migration, vol. 63, no. 3 (June 2025) [open access]

"Attribution and Migration: A Survey Experiment," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Latest Articles, 2 May 2025 [open access]

- Focuses on The Netherlands.

"Closed borders, closed minds? COVID-related border closures, EU support and hostility towards immigrants," European Journal of Political Research, Early View, 30 April 2025 [open access]

"The New Pact on Migration and Asylum in a shifting political context: Depoliticization and repoliticization in EU external migration policy," Mediterranean Politics, Latest Articles, 1 May 2025 [open access]

"Return governance and diplomacy between Türkiye and Afghanistan," International Migration, vol. 63, no. 3 (June 2025) [open access]

Related posts:

- Regional Focus: Europe - Pt. 1 (21 April 2025)

- Regional Focus: Europe - Pt. 2 (21 April 2025)

Thematic Focus: ICTs & Other Technologies

Short pieces:

AI in humanitarian missions: Opportunities and challenges (Young Voices Blog, March 2025) [text]

Digital humanitarians: the ITHACA project (UNHCR Blog, April 2025) [text]

Digital Work and Refugees: How Businesses Can Tackle Poverty and Displacement Through Opportunity (Business Fights Poverty, April 2025) [text]

*Press start (UNHCR Innovation Service, April 2025) [text]

- Focuses on gaming in North Macedonia.

Smarter refugee surveys for a more effective humanitarian response (UNHCR Innovation Service, April 2025) [text]

"US immigration officials look to expand social media data collection," AP News, 30 March 2025 [text]

Journal articles:

"Ethical implications related to processing of personal data and artificial intelligence in humanitarian crises: a scoping review," BMC Medical Ethics, 26:49 (April 2025) [open access]

*"Euphemisms of success: AI technology in European border management and the rights of migrants at sea," European Journal of Legal Studies, vol. 16, no. 2 (2025) [open access]

"Fratelli Tutti and Social Media: Solidarity and Social Networks Among Locals and Urban Refugees in Kampala, Uganda," Journal of Social Encounters, vol. 9, no. 1 (2025) [open access]

"How Insider-Led Processes Lead to Localization: The Case of Digital Technology and Humanitarian Protection," Global Studies Quarterly, vol. 5, no 1 (Jan. 2025) [open access]

"Interoperability and the multiple modes of ordering in Europe's digital border regime," International Migration, vol. 63, no. 3 (June 2025) [open access]

"IOM's WAKA Well unravelled: A multimodal discourse analysis of an internet-based migration-information campaign," International Migration, vol. 63, no. 3 (June 2025) [open access]

"'Managing' the paradox: refugee self-reliance and solving the problem of refugee policy discontinuity," Journal of Refugee Studies, Advance Articles, 23 March 2025 [open access]

- "[W]e draw on recent empirical studies to examine how increased access to digital technology can paradoxically lead to less access and agency in relation to health and financial services for refugees and less integration into host community life. "

"Repair work, resistance and the invisible data labour of Lebanon's digital humanitarian infrastructures," Big Data & Society, 18 March 2025 [open access]

- Focuses on Syrians.

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: ICTs & Other Technologies (19 March 2025)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1

Short pieces:

"California farm groups look to stabilize workforce amid crackdown on illegal immigration," Los Angeles Times, 12 March 2025 [text]

Easing the shortage of skilled labour through higher education for refugees (Govt. of Switzerland, March 2025) [text]

"The fiscal hit from the IRS sharing immigration information," Axios, 25 March 2025 [text]

- Focuses on the US. See also related Just Taxes blog post.

"How Trump’s immigration crackdown could backfire," CNN, 2 March 2025 [text]

States with Healthcare Shortages Turn to Foreign-Trained Doctors, Showing Bipartisan Immigration Policies Benefit All (Immigration Impact Blog, March 2025) [text]

- Focuses on the US. See also related Niskanen Center study.

TBB and IOM Launch Pioneering Initiative to Expand Labour Mobility Pathways from Latin America to Canada and Other Countries of Destination (IOM, Feb. 2025) [text]

We’re Better Together: the private sector is stepping up for refugee inclusion (UNHCR Blog, March 2025) [text]

Reports:

Immigration and Credit in America, Kilts Center for Marketing Data Research Working Paper (Univ. of Chicago, March 2025) [text]

Social Entrepreneurship of Refugee-Owned Businesses in Türkiye (Building Markets, March 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

- Focuses on Syrians.

Unlocking Talent: A Toolkit for Supporting Refugee Employability (IKEA: Ingka Group, 2025) [access]

Resources:

New Data: Immigrants Keep Economy Strong, as Congress Considers Wasting Billions on Mass Deportation (American Immigration Council, Feb. 2025) [access]

- Follow link to access an interactive map that allows users to search for "data showcasing immigrant contributions by state, county, metro area, and district."    

Refugee Employment Platforms (UNHCR) [access]

- "[I]t’s not always easy to connect companies with refugee talent. To address that, UNHCR and partners, have developed refugee employment platforms in eight countries in Europe to connect businesses with refugees and stateless people. The platforms streamline the job placement process, provide information and support services to companies and refugees, connect integration stakeholders, enhance data on refugee profiles and market needs, build trust and give recognition to employers." See the press release for more info.

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (11 March 2025)

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (11 March 2025)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1

Short pieces:

Businesses and Workers Get Win with Permanent Work Permit Extension Rule (Immigration Impact Blog, Dec. 2024) [text]

- Focuses on the US.

"Kenyan aid group is enabling refugees to access loans," VOA News, 17 Dec. 2024 [text]

Undocumented immigrants pay more than their fair share of taxes (The Hill, Dec. 2024) [text]

- Focuses on the US.

Unlocking opportunities: how UNHCR empowers displaced people in Ukraine to find employment and rebuild their lives (UNHCR, Dec. 2024) [text]

Journal articles:

"Bibliometric Analysis of Refugee Effects to Economic Development," Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 24, no. 4 (2024) [open access]

"The drivers of deskilling: Comparing highly skilled Ukrainian refugee women in Austria and Poland," International Migration, Early View, 19 Dec. 2024 [open access]

"The Influence of Social Networks on the Livelihoods of Urban Refugees in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania," Tanzania Journal for Population Studies and Development, vol. 31, no. 2 (2024) [open access]

"Longitudinal photovoice examination of employment experiences for women refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the United States," Dialogues in Health, In Press, 27 Dec. 2024 [open access]

"Survivalist mobilities: freedom of movement and the economic lives of settlement refugees in Uganda," Journal of Refugee Studies, Advance Articles, 16 Dec. 2024 [open access]

Multimedia:

Africa Investment Forum 2024 Market Days: AfDB, UNHCR convene first joint session for private sector investment opportunities in Africa’s forced displacement settings [access]

- Follow link for press release and video recording of the session, held 6 Dec. 2024 in Rabat.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (12 Dec. 2024) 

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

A blueprint for economic inclusion in fragile contexts: lessons from refugee support initiatives (Let's Talk Development Blog, Dec. 2024) [text]

- Focuses on Niger and Rohingya in Bangladesh.

Business Leaders Convene to Advance Private Sector Investment in Displacement-Affected Areas of Africa (UNHCR, Nov. 2024) [text]

- See more info on the "2024 Africa Roundtable on Private Sector Solutions to Internal Displacement" here.

A Glimpse into Entrepreneurship in Challenging Contexts: Some Thoughts (Refugee Research Online, Dec. 2024) [text]

- Focuses on Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

"Lessons learned from when the Obama administration deported millions of people," NPR, 5 Dec. 2024 [text]

- "Could deporting immigrants open up their jobs for Americans? President Obama's administration deported more than 3 million people, and an economist studied those effects."

The Overlooked Impact of Immigration on the Size of the Future U.S. Workforce (MPI, Nov. 2024) [text]

Safeguarding refugee rights in business (UNHCR Blog, Dec. 2024) [text]

Why Immigrants Aren’t Stealing Jobs: ‘Brain Waste’, the Economic and Employment Gaps Under-Employed High-Skilled Immigrants Could Fill (Refugee Research Online, Dec. 2024) [text]

- Focuses on the US.

Without immigration, Germany’s labor market would collapse within decades: study (InfoMigrants, Nov. 2024) [text]

Reports & journal articles:

3rd Research Conference on Forced Displacement, Abidjan/Online, 19-21 Sept. 2024 [access]

- See papers/presentations available under "Session 1 – Firms and entrepreneurship in the context of forced displacement​" and "Session 6 – Labor market effects of regularization programs​." 

"Displacement-induced destitution in Cameroon: seeking durable livelihood solutions for internally displaced persons from the Anglophone crisis," Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 10, no. 1 (2024) [open access]

"Elusive privilege: class, race and gender in Ukrainian war migrants’ (un)employment in France," Dialectical Anthropology, Latest Articles, 25 Nov. 2024 [open access]

Forced Migration Review, no. 74 (Nov. 2024) [open access]

- Thematic issue on "Financing displacement response." Includes articles that focus on work and economic issues.

"How to match protections along with skills? Limitations of the match-motive matrix for temporary migrant workers," International Migration, vol. 62, no. 6 (Dec. 2024) [free full-text]

New Approaches to Labour Market Integration of Migrants and Refugees (European Parliament, Dec. 2024) [text]

"No representation without taxation: Which political parties support contributivism and how?," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Latest Articles, 28 Nov. 2024 [open access]

- Focuses on Italy, UK, France, and Germany.

*The UNDP’s Proposal for a ‘Türkiye Compact’: Is it Politically Feasible? (Centre for Applied Turkish Studies Network, Dec. 2024) [text]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (21 Nov. 2024)

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (21 Nov. 2024)

Regional Focus: Africa

Short pieces:

The Government of the Republic of Rwanda, the African Union Commission (AUC), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Extend Agreement to Continue Evacuation of Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Libya (UNHCR, Aug. 2024) [text]

Reports:

Africa Forum on Displacement: Private Sector Solutions, Accra, 1-3 Nov. 2023 [text]

Building Evidence to Enhance the Welfare of Refugees and Host Communities in Kenya (World Bank, UNHCR & Univ. of California, Aug. 2024) [text]

- See also related project info.

Forced Displacement Survey: South Sudan 2023 (UNHCR, July 2024) [access]

- Note: "The Forced Displacement Survey (FDS) is a programme designed to streamline and standardize surveys that collect data on forcibly displaced people." South Sudan is the first country where it has been implemented. More info is available via the a/m link.

Implementing migration policies in Ghana: navigating externalization and local realities (Externalizing Asylum, July 2024) [text]

Livelihoods Lost: Findings from two rounds of the Somalia Displacement Phone Survey (2022) (Joint Data Center, June 2024) [text]

The meeting of humanitarian and civic space in Sudan: lessons for localisation (Humanitarian Practice Network, Aug. 2024) [text]

The Nuba Mountains: A Window into the Sudan Crisis (Refugees International, Aug. 2024) [text]

'Working with humanitarians is a nightmare': dynamics surrounding locally led peacebuilding in Somalia (ODI, Aug. 2024) [text]

Journal articles:

"(De)coloniality of 'Tethered Mobilities' in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania," Migration and Society, Online First, 1 Dec. 2023 [open access]

"Integrated health services for refugee and host populations in Uganda: A qualitative study of stakeholder’s perspectives," Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 19, no. 1 (2024) [open access]

"UNHCR Synergy with Nigerian Government and the Security Concerns of Vulnerable Cameroonian Anglophone Refugees in Cross River State, Nigeria, 2017-2023," Journal of Contemporary International Relations and Diplomacy, vol. 5, no. 1 (2024) [open access]

"Violent Conflicts, Forced Migration and Internal Population Displacement in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, 1999-2011," Journal of Identity and Migration Studies, vol. 18, no. 1 (2024) [open access]

Multimedia:

Sudan at a Crossroads: Addressing the Largest Internal Displacement Crisis in the World, 18 July 2024 [access]

Related post:

- Regional Focus: Africa (12 Aug. 2024)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

Aligning public and private interests to advance financial inclusion for displaced persons and their hosts (UNHCR Blog, July 2024) [text]

Immigrants Do Not Displace US Workers or Reduce Wages (Immigration Impact, July 2024) [text]

Reports:

Crossing borders, building livelihoods: The insecure economic lives of migrants in Libya (Mixed Migration Centre, July 2024) [text]

Chad Economic Update 2024 - Special Chapter: Hosting Refugees in an Inclusive Manner (World Bank, April 2024) [access]

- See also related blog post.

Guía para la contratación de personas refugiadas y migrantes en Perú (Tent Partnership for Refugees, June 2024) [text]

Guía para la Orientación socioeconómica y laboral para personas refugiadas y migrantes del Servicio de Orientación para el Migrante (SOM) (Govt. of Peru & ILO, July 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

- Focuses on Peru.

Pathways for Regular Migration: Perceptions of Migrant Workers and Recovery in Ukraine (IOM, July 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

Journal articles:

"The bidirectional relationship between social contracts and entrepreneurship: Syrian refugee entrepreneurs in Kurdistan Region of Iraq," Mediterranean Politics, Latest Articles, 18 July 2024 [open access]

"Cash transfers amid shocks: A large, one-time, unconditional cash transfer to refugees in Uganda has multidimensional benefits after 19 months," World Development, vol. 173 (Jan. 2024) [full-text via UNHCR]

"Corporate Human Rights Responsibility in Illiberal Regimes: The Example of the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis in Hungary," Business and Human Rights Journal, vol. 9, no. S1 (Feb. 2024) [open access]

"Employment outcomes of refugee women and men: multiple gender gaps and the importance of high-skill jobs," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Latest Articles, 18 July 2024 [open access]

- Focuses on Austria.

"'The Plan Is No Plan': Ontological Security and Resilience of Ukrainian Refugees in the Czech Labour Market," Czech Sociological Review, Prepublished online, 19 July 2024 [open access]

"Predictors, barriers, and facilitators to refugee women’s employment and economic inclusion: A mixed methods systematic review," PLoS ONE 19(7): e0305463 (July 2024) [open access]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (5 July 2024)

Thematic Focus: ICTs & Other Technologies

Short pieces:

Bridging the digital divide: addressing digital inequalities among climate refugees (Media@LSE Blog, April 2024) [text]

"The Grim High-Tech Dystopia on the US-Mexico Border," Jacobin, 28 March 2024 [text]

"The problem with emergency aid’s growing reliance on corporations," The New Humanitarian, 15 April 2024 [text]

"Risky business of using algorithms in immigration detention," LSJ Online, 15 April 2024 [text]

- Focuses on Australia.

Reports & journal articles:

"Between Empowerment and Surveillance: Forced Migration and Information and Communication Technologies," HUMANITAS, vol. 12, no. 23 (2024) [full-text]

"Exploring Dynamics in the Co-Production of Monitoring Technologies for Refugee Accommodations in Germany," Chapter in Interdisciplinary Migration Research with a Focus on New Technologies and Multiple Crisis: Relating Birds of Passage to Social Policies (Berlin Universities Publishing, March 2024) [open access]

- Scroll to p. 56.

"Investigations with Digital Open-Source Information and the Stabilization of International Norms: Protecting the Principle of Non-Refoulement," Chapter in International Law and Technological Change: Testing the Adaptability of International Law (Edward Elgar, Forthcoming 2024) [preprint]

"National Security Creep in the Use of Modern Technologies at the EU’s External Borders," Transnational Legal Theory (Forthcoming, 2024) [preprint]

"The Role of Social Media Networks in the Labor Market Integration of Migrants and Refugees: The Example of Ukrainian Refugees in Germany," Chapter in Interdisciplinary Migration Research with a Focus on New Technologies and Multiple Crisis: Relating Birds of Passage to Social Policies (Berlin Universities Publishing, March 2024) [open access]

- Scroll to p. 80.

Resource:

Artificial Intelligence in Humanitarian Action (ReliefWeb) [access]

- New topic page on ReliefWeb: "The presence of Artificial intelligence (AI) is growing in the humanitarian field. It is used for data analysis, to help develop sustainable solutions in climate action and is utilized in the development of chatbots for vulnerable populations. While AI can make an positive impact in humanitarian efforts, the technology raises concerns around ethics, governance and technological inequality." For more info., see this blog post.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: ICTs & Other Technologies (21 March 2024)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces focusing on the United States:

Do immigrants and immigration help the economy? (The Brink, April 2024) [text]

"Dollars, cents and the migrant story you aren’t reading," Masslive.com, 5 April 2024 [text]

Immigrants Contribute Billions to Federal and State Taxes Each Year (Immigration Impact Blog, April 2024) [text]

"Immigration is Powering the U.S. Economy," Time Magazine, 5 April 2024 [text]

Welcome Corps at Work:  Connecting U.S. Employers with Skilled Refugee Employees (US State Dept., April 2024) [text]

Why Progress on Immigration Might Soften Labor Pains (Harvard Business School, April 2024) [text]

Reports & journal articles:

Boletín: Medios de vida e inclusión económica (UNHCR, April 2024) [text]

- Focuses on Guatemala.

Do Migrants Displace Native-Born Workers on the Labour Market? The Impact of Workers' Origin, IZA Discussion Paper, no. 16887 (Institute of Labor Economics, March 2024) [text]

- Focuses on Belgium.

"Economic and labour market impacts of migration in Austria: an agent-based modelling approach," Comparative Migration Studies, 12:18 (March 2024) [open access]

Enhancing Job Opportunities and Training, Honduras Best Practices Livelihood Programmes, no. 3 (UNHCR, March 2024) [text]

Estudio de Inclusión Económica: Refugiados y migrantes venezolanos en Perú desarrollado en las ciudades de Tumbes, Trujillo, Lima/Callao, Ica y Arequipa (USAID & World Council of Credit Unions, Nov 2023) [text]

"Improving Refugees’ Integration with Online Resource Allocation," Communications of the ACM, Online First, 22 March 2024 [open access]

- Focuses on the US.

Reviewing the contribution of the private sector to economic and labour market development in forced displacement contexts, RSC Working Paper, no. 141 (Refugee Studies Centre, March 2024) [text]

Stolen in Plain Sight: Losing Track of Forced Labor in the United States (US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, April 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

Multimedia:

New Study Upends Negative Assumptions about the Economic Impact of Refugees (Need to Know Podcast, March 2024) [access]

- Focuses on the US.

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (30 March 2024)

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (30 March 2024)