Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

This Migration Policy Institute panel discussion on unaccompanied minors focuses on a report byKids in Need of Defense (KIND)and the Center for Gender Refugee Studies(CGRS)at UC Hastings College of the Law,A Treacherous Journey: Child Migrants Navigating the U.S. Immigration System.The panel moderated byKathleen Newland, Director of the Refugee Protection and Migrants at MPI,includes speakers Elizabeth Dallam, KIND National Legal Services Director, Lisa Frydman, CGRS Associate Director and Managing Attorney, Karen Musalo, CGRS Director, and KIND Executive Director Wendy Young.The discussion focuses on the conclusion that children face a system created for adults that is not required to consider the child’s best interests. Despite the potentially enormous impact of the proceedings on their lives and futures, unaccompanied children are not provided lawyers to help them navigate the complex requirements of immigration proceedings.The report is available at www.supportkind.organdwww.cgrs.uchastings.edu.Download Standard Podcast

This Migration Policy Institute panel discussion, presented in cooperation with the Greek Embassy, explores how the 2014 Greek Presidency of the European Union and the United States can work to address the challenges of managing migration while meeting humanitarian obligations and nurturing economic growth. Speakers are: Ambassador of Greece to the United States Christos P. Panagopoulos; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard; MPI CEO Michael Fix; and moderator Demetrios G. Papademetriou, the President of MPI. As the 2014 Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union works to formulate the European Union’s next five-year program, two interconnected challenges have come to the fore: building a comprehensive migration system whose parts work harmoniously to meet humanitarian obligations and nurture economic growth and social cohesion, and doing so with very limited resources.Europe is not alone in the difficulties it faces in meeting these goals—and in fact shares many of these challenges with the United States. This discussionbridges these critical themes and offer ideas on how to manage more effectively the opportunities and responsibilities migration writ large creates.Download Standard Podcast

This Migration Policy Institute (MPI) panel discussion offers perspectives on border policy management from leading officials in the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican governments, and showcases MPI's edited volume,Managing Borders in an Increasingly Borderless World.Book co-editors Randall Hansen of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou, as well as Mexican Ambassador to the United States Eduardo Medina Mora, Canada Border Services Agency Executive Vice President Malcolm Brown, former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection David V. Aguilar, and Mexico's former Undersecretary of Population, Migration, and Religious Affairs Gustavo Mohar,discuss continuing and evolving challenges in border management and security. The book covers these challenges—terrorism, organized crime, illegal migration, smuggling, trafficking, human rights, infrastructure, corruption, and economic and political factors—and offers an analysis of effective and ineffective policies and programs. The panelists discuss the challenges and successes their governments have had in pursuing better, more effective, and smarter border controls, and the deepening regional cooperation in this important policy area.Download Standard Podcast

This Migration Policy Institute Europe panel discussion, one of two at an event organized with the Bertelsmann Stiftung, entitled “Effective Labour Migration Management: Creating Checks and Balances while Searching for Talent,” assesses the extent to which current labour migration systems are tailored to the needs of businesses and, at the same time, are able to protect and foster the labour and social rights of both migrant and native workers. The session brings the social partners' perspective into the debate and includes a discussion of the regulations of intra-company transfers and of the challenges and opportunities for integrating labour mobility provisions into trade agreements. The session is moderated by MPI Europe Director Elizabeth Collett and features Constantino Fotakis, a former adviser to the European Commission’s DG Employment; Carsten von der Linden of the Boston Consulting Group; Pauline Mathewson of Fragomen Worldwide; and Marco Cilento of the European Trade Union Confederation.Download Standard Podcast

This Migration Policy Institute Europe event, organized with the Bertelsmann Stiftung, entitled “Effective Labour Migration Management: Creating Checks and Balances while Searching for Talent” brought together experts, policymakers, and social partners involved in the management of labor migration to discuss the various options available to policymakers when trying to design an 'optimally balanced' labor migration policy. This panel was the first of two, and focused on key questions such as: how can policymakers strike a balance between integrating migrant workers with the right mix of skills to support economic growth and demographic sustainability, and reduce the cost of immigration for public budgets and the local labour market and society? Can governments minimise the costs of immigration by limiting either access or rights for lower-skilled migrants? And what needs to be done today to forge a fair deal on talent in the medium term? It also served as the Brussels launch of Martin Ruhs’ book, The Price of Rights: Regulating International Labour Migration. The session is moderated by MPI Senior Policy Analyst Madeleine Sumption and features author and Oxford University Lecturer Martin Ruhs, Bertelmann Stiftung’s Christal Morehouse, and Thomas Liebig, of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Download Standard Podcast

This Migration Policy Institute panel discussion focuses on the circulation of skilled immigrant professionals and the recognition of foreign qualifications in the United States and Europe. The event brought together experts and policymakers from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss what governments can do to improve the recognition of foreign credentials — particularly in regulated occupations where time-consuming and expensive licensing processes can substantially delay access to skilled employment. The discussion highlights promising practices (including an example from Quebec), and identifies ways US policymakers can learn from European innovations in qualifications recognition and how international cooperation can help — both across the Atlantic and further afield. The event coincided with the release of the final report of a two-year research initiative funded by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. Read the report:Skilled Immigrants in the Global Economy: Prospects for International Cooperation on Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. Download Standard Podcast

Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ immigration task force and is the author of the recent book, Still Dreaming: My Journey from the Barrio to Capitol Hill, provided keynote remarks for the Migration Policy Institute’s 2013 E Pluribus Unum Prizes awards ceremony, held in Washington DC in December 2013. This year’s prize winners included Twin Cities-based Neighborhood Development Center, the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School in Washington DC, and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Kaiser Permanente received the E Pluribus Unum Prizes’ Corporate Leadership Award. After an introduction by Michael Fix, Senior Vice President and Co-Director of MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Congressman Gutierrez spoke about the importance of integration in the immigration debate. He discussed his belief that immigrant integration efforts are key to allowing immigrants to fully participate in and contribute to society in the United States and his steadfast support for immigration reform. For more on the E Pluribus Unum Prizes and the 2013 winners, visit www.integrationawards.org.Download Standard Podcast

The Migration Policy Institute’s 2013 E Pluribus Unum Prizes awards ceremony, held in Washington, DC in December 2013, honored four exceptional immigrant integration initiatives in the United States—three with a $50,000 prize and one a Corporate Leadership Award. After an introduction by Michael Fix and Margie McHugh, Co-Directors of MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee and its immigration subcommittee, introduced one of the winners: Twin Cities-based Neighborhood Development Center (NDC). The prize was accepted by NDC’s Founder and President Mihailo Temali. The award to Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School in Washington, DC was accepted by Founder and President Sonia Gutierrez. For the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the prize was accepted by Executive Director Eva Millona. And Gayle Tang, Senior Director, National Diversity and Inclusion, accepted the E Pluribus Unum Prizes’ Corporate Leadership Award on behalf of Kaiser Permanente. For more on the E Pluribus Unum Prizes and the 2013 winners, visit www.integrationawards.org.Download Standard Podcast

The Migration Policy Institute’s 2013 E Pluribus Unum Prizes awards ceremony held in Washington, DC in December 2013 included a panel discussion with the winners of the prizes, which honor exceptional immigrant integration initiatives in the United States. Moderator Margie McHugh, who co-directs MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, discussed immigrant integration practice and policy with the winners: Allison Kokkoros of the adult-focused Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School in Washington, DC; Eva Millona of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; Mihailo Temali of the Twin Cities-based Neighborhood Development Center; and Gayle Tang of Kaiser Permanente. The discussion also featured Felicia Escobar, Senior Policy Director for Immigration at the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Ronald G. Marlow, Assistant Secretary for Access and Opportunity, state of Massachusetts Executive Office of the Governor. For more on the E Pluribus Unum Prizes and the 2013 winners, visitintegrationawards.org.Download Standard Podcast

More than two and a half years of violent conflict in Syria have left between one-quarter and one-third of the Syrian population displaced internally or seeking refuge abroad, with many still departing the country. UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff joined Kathleen Newland, who directs MPI's refugee protection work, for a discussion on what is now considered one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies in a generation. In addition to discussing the key concerns UNHCR has identified in the Syrian crisis and the regional and international responses, Mr. Aleinikoff and Ms. Newland discussed some of UNHCR’s other priorities and areas of action, such as the Somalian refugee situation and prospects for innovation in UNHCR. Download Standard Podcast

This panel discussion at the 10th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference held on October 31, 2013 examines immigration policy areas that lend themselves to possible administrative action. Panelists discussed what roles the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, prosecutorial discretion, and provisional unlawful presence waivers play, and how states and local governments might respond to the presence of both unauthorized and authorized immigrants. The discussion was moderated by Jeanne Atkinson, Executive Director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). The panelists were Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center; Lynden Melmed, Partner, Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP; and Wendy Young, President, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). The Law and Policy Conference was organized by the Migration Policy Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, the Center for Migration Studies of New York, and CLINIC.Download Standard Podcast

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael J. Fisher is among panelists discussing U.S. border security measures, the impact of these measures on local communities and commerce, and the wider consequences of border security-related actions during a panel at the 10th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference convened October 31, 2013 by the Migration Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., Georgetown University Law Center, and the Center for Migration Studies of New York. The panel was moderated by Andrew I. Schoenholtz, Deputy Director of Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Migration. The other panelists joining Chief Fisher were Edward Alden, Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; and Fernando Garcia, Executive Director, Border Network for Human Rights. Download Standard Podcast

During this panel discussion at the 10th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference convened October 31, 2013 by the Migration Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., Georgetown University Law Center, and the Center for Migration Studies of New York, panelists discussed the political, public policy, and implementation lessons from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) and from recent programs, such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. The panel was moderated by Donald Kerwin, Executive Director of the Center for Migration Studies. The panelists were Muzaffar Chishti, Director of the MPI Office at NYU School of Law; Charles Kamasaki, Executive Vice President, National Council of La Raza; and Jan C. Ting, Professor of Law at the Temple University Beasley School of Law. Download Standard Podcasts

Former Mississippi Governor and former Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour delivered a keynote address at the 10th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, which occurred on October 31, 2013 and was organized by the Migration Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., Center for Migration Studies of New York, and Georgetown University Law Center. During his remarks, Governor Barbour touched upon the role that immigrants played in helping rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and discussed the importance of building high-skilled, low-skilled, and temporary workforces to ensure American competitiveness and success in the global economy. He also discussed the prospects for immigration reform. Governor Barbour was introduced by MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou. Download Standard Podcasts

During this panel discussion at the 10th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference convened October 31, 2013 by the Migration Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., Georgetown University Law Center, and the Center for Migration Studies of New York, panelists discussed the state of play of immigration policy and politics in Washington and in the states, the changing dynamics, and mobilizations underway by advocacy groups on both sides of the debate. The panel discussion was moderated by Doris Meissner, who directs MPI’s U.S. immigration policy program. The panelists were Roy Beck, President and CEO of Numbers USA; Fawn Johnson, National Journal Correspondent; Ryan Lizza, Washington Correspondent, The New Yorker; Bruce A. Morrison, Chair of the Morrison Public Affairs Group; and Lorella Praeli, Director of Advocacy & Policy, United We Dream. Download Standard Podcast