Parsing Immigration Policy

Center for Immigration Studies
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  • Politics
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A weekly discussion of immigration policy matters, both immediate and long-term, with researchers from the Center for Immigration Studies and guests. The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit, research organization. Since our founding in 1985 by Otis Graham Jr., we have pursued a single mission – providing immigration policymakers, the academic community, news media, and concerned citizens with reliable information about the social, economic, environmental, security, and fiscal consequences of legal and illegal immigration into the United States.

  1. 1d ago

    Finding Missing Children and Addressing Immigration Fraud

    The Office of Refugee Resettlement is working to locate hundreds of thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) who entered the United States during the Biden administration and were placed with sponsors without adequate vetting. John Fabbricatore, a special advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), joins host and executive director of the Center, Mark Krikorian, in this episode of Parsing Immigration Policy to discuss the effort to locate these children, investigate reports of abuse and trafficking, and improve his department’s ability to vet sponsors. Among the topics discussed:The effort to locate UACs: Fabbricatore describes the Trump administration’s efforts to locate children placed with sponsors during the Biden administration.Reports of abuse, neglect, and trafficking: Fabbricatore discusses thousands of notices of concern involving children, including reports of possible human trafficking, abuse, sexual abuse, and medical emergencies.TVPRA: Krikorian and Fabbricatore discuss the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), which generally treats children from contiguous countries differently from children arriving from noncontiguous countries.Legal representation for children: The speakers discuss a recent controversy over a child appearing in immigration court without legal representation, the federal government's previous contract for legal services, and efforts to establish alternative arrangements.Krikorian concludes the episode by discussing a federal case involving alleged staged armed robberies organized to help illegal aliens fraudulently qualify for U visas, which are available to certain crime victims who assist law enforcement. He argues that the case illustrates the broader issue of fraud in the immigration system. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest John Fabbricatore is a Special Advisor at the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Links HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement Identifies Six Types of Fraud in the Biden Administration’s Unaccompanied Alien Children Program EXCLUSIVE: Fed timeline challenges reports of migrant baby facing immigration judge alone HHS Rapid Response Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Staging Robberies To Help Others Fraudulently Apply for Immigration Visas How a Visa for Crime Victims Became a De Facto Amnesty Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

  2. Oct 22

    Kris Kobach on In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants and Noncitizen Voting

    The Trump administration’s Department of Justice is challenging state laws that provide in-state college tuition rates to illegal aliens, arguing that they violate federal law. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach joins host Mark Krikorian, the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, in this episode of Parsing Immigration Policy to discuss a recent federal court ruling against Kansas’s tuition law, the related legal battles unfolding in other states, and also efforts to identify and prosecute noncitizens who register and vote in U.S. elections. In relation to repealing in-state tuition for illegal aliens, Kobach stated, “Philosophically and just as a principle of common sense, a country should treat its own citizens better than it treats both legal and illegal aliens, frankly, in terms of benefits.”Among the topics discussed:The legal challenge to in-state tuition: Kobach explains how a 1996 federal statute restricts states from offering resident tuition rates to illegal aliens unless those rates are also available to all U.S. citizens, regardless of their state of residence.The cost and consequences of tuition benefits: Kobach argues that in-state tuition benefits give illegal aliens a financial advantage over out-of-state American students and can create incentives for illegal immigration.Identifying noncitizens on voter rolls: Kobach discusses Kansas’s use of federal databases to identify noncitizens registered to vote, along with investigations and prosecutions involving violations of election law.Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Kris Kobach is the Attorney General of Kansas. Links Federal Court Strikes Down Kansas In-State Tuition Law for Illegal Aliens Kansas Attorney General Website Kris Kobach's personal website Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

  3. Oct 15

    Immigration’s Effects on Black American Economic Opportunity

    How has immigration policy affected Black workers over the past 200 years? Roy Beck, founder of NumbersUSA, joins the Center for Immigration Studies’ Parsing Immigration Policy podcast to discuss the expanded second edition of his book, Back of the Hiring Line: A 200-Year History of Immigration Surges, Employer Bias and Depression of Black Wealth. The revised edition builds on Beck’s 2021 book, expanding its examination of how immigration-driven labor competition has affected wages, working conditions, and economic opportunity for Black Americans. The new edition also reflects the response to the original book, including interest from Black Americans seeking a deeper understanding of immigration’s role in the history of American labor. Beck examines the views of Frederick Douglass and labor leader A. Philip Randolph on immigration and the interests of American workers. He discusses how their ideological commitments shaped their positions as immigration levels and labor-market conditions changed. The conversation also explores the historical role of employers’ demand for low-cost labor. Beck argues that a tight labor market offers one of the most practical ways to improve wages and working conditions for marginalized Americans, particularly Black workers without college degrees. He contends that mass immigration and employer preferences for foreign labor have placed disproportionate pressure on Black workers, contributing to persistent employment and income disparities. In his closing commentary, host Mark Krikorian discusses the search warrant executed by Homeland Security Investigations agents at Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home. He cautions against assuming the investigation focuses only on immigration fraud, noting that it could also involve financial crimes unrelated to immigration. He urges waiting for more information before drawing conclusions. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Roy Beck is the founder of NumbersUSA. Links Back of the Hiring Line: A 200-Year History of Immigration Surges, Employer Bias, and Depression of Black Wealth at Amazon Books Immigrant Indigestion A. Philip Randolph: Radical Restrictionist Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

  4. Oct 8

    40 Years After IRCA, What Did We Learn?

    Forty years ago this month, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), a law intended as a grand bargain: legalizing millions of illegal aliens while establishing workplace enforcement to end the economic magnet that encouraged illegal immigration. Spoiler alert: the amnesty happened, the enforcement did not. On this 40th anniversary, Parsing Immigration Policy features a discussion with two former INS officials who dealt firsthand with the law and its aftermath. CIS Executive Director Mark Krikorian moderates the discussion with Dan Cadman, a former INS deputy director of investigations and CIS fellow, and Dan Vara, a former INS/ICE attorney and CIS board member. Among the lessons discussed:IRCA’s legalization was not matched by the resources needed for workplace enforcement. Cadman notes that INS did not add investigative officers or resources after the law was passed, making widespread employer education, audits, and worksite enforcement unrealistic.The rush to process millions of legalization applications led to changes in adjudication procedures, including eliminating one-on-one interviews and conducting them remotely, which resulted in massive fraud.Vara describes seeing document fraud almost immediately, as applicants focused on how to obtain the documents they needed rather than whether they qualified.Vara emphasizes that “immigration is politics and politics is immigration,” while the speakers argue that those who pushed the amnesty — including Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch, plus the National Council of La Raza (now known as UnidosUS) — ultimately sought to get everyone into the pipeline and then undo the grand bargain.The speakers warn that policymakers should never put benefits first while leaving vague or impossible enforcement goals to be accomplished later. Cadman summarizes the central lesson: “Amnesty is a mistake.”In his closing comments, Krikorian draws attention to a new DHS watchdog report on visa overstays during the Biden administration. The report demonstrates that the Biden/Mayorkas DHS not only admitted millions of inadmissible aliens at the border, but also effectively ignored this other means of illegal immigration, failing to investigate even those visa overstays deemed a threat to public safety. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guests Dan Cadman is a Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies. Dan Vara is a Board Member of the Center for Immigration Studies. Links Report: Biden Administration Took Little Action on Alien Overstays, Including Those Deemed Threats to National Security Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

  5. Oct 1

    ‘Worst of the Worst’ or Mass Deportation?

    “This is probably the most secure border we’ve had in the United States since the 19th century.” That’s the verdict of Andrew “Art” Arthur, a Center for Immigration Studies scholar and one of two guests on this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy. But with the border secure, what progress is the Trump DHS making in removing the illegal aliens already here, millions of them intentionally let in under the Biden administration? Is ICE engaging in the “mass deportation” that candidate Trump had promised, or are agents focused mainly on arresting the “worst of the worst”, as President Trump has repeatedly said. That’s the question Arthur and fellow panelist Matt O’Brien, deputy executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), address in this episode, which is a session from a recent invitation-only CIS event. Both speakers are veterans of immigration policymaking and enforcement, including as immigration judges. Arthur points out that in the mid-1980s, the average immigration agent arrested 500 aliens per year. “If ICE were going at that level right now,” Arthur said, “we would have 3 million interior arrests – we’re not anywhere close to that.” Arthur said the explanation is today’s relative lack of worksite immigration enforcement: “If we can’t agree on worksite enforcement, you’re never actually going to have a mass deportation program.” O’Brien rejected the framing of “mass deportation”, noting that “We’re not engaging in ‘mass deportation’, we’re simply enforcing the provisions of the INA (the Immigration and Nationality Act).” He continued, “We need to move off of this false dichotomy between ‘worst of the worst’ and ‘mass deportation’ . . . and then allow ICE to get on with its duties, just like we do every other law enforcement agency in the United States.” In explaining why ICE hasn’t been more forthcoming in releasing deportation statistics, Arthur suggested, “I think a lot of this stems from the time Kristi Noem was [DHS] secretary, because they were making all kinds of statements, and any statistic that they put out today is probably going to undermine that.” O’Brien had a different take, explaining that “everyone from the postal inspector to the Bureau of Land Management” have been tasked with making immigration arrests, and the data has not been collected centrally: “I don’t think anyone put any thought prior to making these arrests into any kind of centralized data capture.” In his closing remarks, host Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center and host of Parsing Immigration Policy, drew attention to a recent analysis by Arthur of a report by the House Judiciary Committee on the sanctuary policies of Arlington County, Va., across the Potomac from the nation’s capital. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guests Andrew Arthur is the Resident Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies. Matt O’Brien is Deputy Executive Director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Links Matt O’Brien’s author page House Judiciary Takes Aim at Criminal-Alien-Friendly Policies Across the Potomac Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage: Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

  6. Sep 24

    How Many Illegal Aliens Are There?

    The number of illegal aliens in the United States dropped by about 15 percent, to 13.5 million, during the first year and half of the Trump administration, according to a study by the Center for Immigration Studies. But why do we trust that number? Could it be 30 million? Why not 100 million? In this episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, host Mark Krikorian interviews two Center experts, Research Director Steven Camarota and Resident Scholar Jason Richwine, who explain what the Center’s population estimates are, how they are arrived at, their limitations, and why much higher estimates cannot be correct. The two guests also discuss a second recent report finding a dramatic increase in the number of immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries in the years since 9/11, many of which are either hostile to the U.S. or struggle with powerful terrorist movements. In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian cites a recent Washington Post article discussing the escalation of third-country deportations to explain why this policy is needed for the integrity of the U.S. immigration system in the long run. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guests Steven Camarota is the Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies. Jason Richwine is a Resident Scholar at the Center for Immigration Studies. Links Census Bureau Survey Shows Total Foreign-Born Down 2.9 Million Illegal Immigrant Population Was About 13.5 Million in July 2026 Since 9/11, the Number of Immigrants from the Muslim World Has Grown by 1.8 Million How Trump turned a refugee bureau into a $410 million deportation operation Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

  7. Sep 17

    Rebroadcast: Immigration Shifts Political Power

    The Trump administration’s proposed changes to the residence criteria for the 2030 Census have brought new attention to a question examined by the Center for Immigration Studies two years ago: How does immigration affect political representation even when immigrants do not vote? In response, the Center is rebroadcasting Parsing Immigration Policy Episode 178, “Immigration Shifts Political Power,” originally released in October 2024. The episode features Steven Camarota, Director of Research, discussing two studies released by the Center examining how immigration affects the distribution of political power. Under the current system, House seats and Electoral College votes are apportioned among the states based on total population. The Census Bureau’s proposed residence criteria for the 2030 Census would exclude illegal immigrants and long-term temporary visitors from the Census count, which is used to apportion seats in the House of Representatives. The two CIS studies examined: House seats and Electoral College votes: “Tilting the Balance” estimated that immigration affected the distribution of 17 House seats in the 2020 Census, with a net gain of 14 seats for Democratic-leaning states.Representation within congressional districts: “How Non-Citizens Impact Political Representation and the Partisan Makeup of the U.S. House” examined how differences in non-citizen populations affect the distribution of representation among districts.“Because of the way reapportionment and redistricting work, immigration, including illegal immigration, redistributes political power in Washington,” said Camarota, the lead author of both studies. “This redistribution is directly proportional to the scale of legal and illegal immigration and exists independent of whether or how immigrants themselves vote.” Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Steven Camarota is the Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies. Links Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions Estimating the impact of legal and illegal immigration on apportionment and political influence in the U.S. House and Electoral College How Non-Citizens Impact Political Representation and the Partisan Makeup of the U.S. House of Representatives How Many Non-Citizens Would Have to Vote to Affect the 2024 Presidential Election? Tilting the Balance Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage: Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

  8. Sep 10

    Panel: 9/11 and Immigration - Twenty-Five Years of Lessons and Unfinished Business

    Twenty-five years after 9/11, is the United States better prepared to prevent another terrorist attack? This week's podcast is an edited rebroadcast of the Center's panel held to examine that question, discussing the role immigration and border security played in the attacks, the major policy changes that followed, and the national-security challenges that remain. Former U.S. Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions introduced the panel and offered brief remarks. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest at the time of the attacks, Sessions was deeply involved in congressional oversight of immigration and national security in the years following 9/11. The panel at examined how the attacks reshaped U.S. immigration policy, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, changes to visa screening and information sharing, and increased attention to border security. The panel also revisited the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission: What was implemented? What was left undone? In addition, a European security expert discussed how 9/11 affected policy there as well. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guests General Jeff Sessions, Former U.S. Senator and Attorney General. Andrew R. Arthur, CIS Fellow in Law and Policy, who served as immigration oversight counsel to House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner beginning in July 2001 and worked on major post-9/11 immigration and national-security legislation. George Fishman, CIS Senior Legal Fellow, who served for two decades as Republican Chief Counsel of the House Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee and worked on major post-9/11 immigration and national-security legislation. Jessica M. Vaughan, CIS Director of Policy Studies, who was at CIS on 9/11 and specializes in immigration screening, visa programs, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Viktor Marsai, CIS Fellow, Director, Migration Research Institute in Budapest, and professor of security studies at Ludovika University of Public Service. Links Press Release and Video Streams: YouTube, Facebook, X C-Span Coverage Intro Montage Voices in the opening montage: Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

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About

A weekly discussion of immigration policy matters, both immediate and long-term, with researchers from the Center for Immigration Studies and guests. The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit, research organization. Since our founding in 1985 by Otis Graham Jr., we have pursued a single mission – providing immigration policymakers, the academic community, news media, and concerned citizens with reliable information about the social, economic, environmental, security, and fiscal consequences of legal and illegal immigration into the United States.

Information

  • Creator
    Center for Immigration Studies
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    280
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Center for Immigration Studies
  • Show Website
    Parsing Immigration Policy

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