Parsing Immigration Policy

Center for Immigration Studies

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. Listen to all episodes of Parsing Immigration Policy at Ricochet.com.

  1. hace 3 días

    Does Immigration Drive Up Housing Costs?

    The connection between immigration and housing costs is the subject of this week’s episode of the Center for Immigration Studies’ Parsing Immigration Policy podcast. Jason Richwine, a resident scholar at the Center, discusses his forthcoming study, scheduled for publication this fall in the peer-reviewed journal Cityscape. The large majority of academic studies find a positive relationship between immigration and housing prices, with relatively little debate over the basic nexus. Richwine’s research updates the evidence using 2014 and 2023 data and examines the effects of increased immigration on rents across nearly 1,700 public-use microdata areas (PUMAs). Among the findings:A 1 percentage-point increase in the foreign-born share is associated with approximately a 1.5 percent increase in rents paid by natives, when direct and spillover effects are included.Immigration in one area also raises rents in surrounding areas, creating a ripple effect beyond the community experiencing the initial increase.Housing construction cannot necessarily respond quickly enough to accommodate large, sudden increases in population, while restrictions on new construction and opposition to higher-density housing further constrain supply.Richwine also discusses research linking higher housing costs to lower fertility and increases in the sheltered homeless population, arguing that the difficulty of rapidly expanding housing supply is another reason to favor "lower and slower" immigration. In the episode’s commentary, CIS Executive Director Mark Krikorian discusses a NYT article reporting a private meeting between Jared Kushner and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries about potential areas of immigration policy agreement. Krikorian considers what the administration can do to reassure immigration restriction supporters that it will not compromise on its agenda, including more aggressive workplace enforcement and further measures to tighten legal immigration. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Jason Richwine is a Resident Scholar at the Center for Immigration Studies Links Abstract: “Immigration and Rent: PUMA-Based Spatial Analysis” 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. 20 ago

    J-1 Visa Program: A Cheap Labor Program

    Americans visiting beaches, neighborhood pools, summer camps, and resorts this summer are likely to encounter foreign workers filling jobs as lifeguards, ice-cream scoopers, housekeepers, counselors, and restaurant workers. Many may not realize that these workers are in the United States on J-1 exchange visas—a program the State Department promotes as an instrument of cultural exchange and public diplomacy. A new episode of the Center for Immigration Studies podcast Parsing Immigration Policy examines the findings of the recently published CIS report, Exchange Visa Programs Operate Mainly For Cheap Labor, Not Cultural Exchange, with Jessica Vaughan, the Center's director of policy studies. The report finds that the J-1 program has evolved into a major temporary foreign-worker program:About 75 percent of the 275,000 J-1 visas issued in 2025 went to workers, while only about 25 percent went to more traditional exchange programs.Summer Work Travel alone accounted for 105,000 visas, making it the largest J-1 category. Another 32,000 went to foreign camp counselors.The State Department has approved more than 1,500 third-party organizations to administer J-1 programs, effectively outsourcing much of the program's oversight to organizations that can benefit financially from placing foreign workers with U.S. employers.J-1 summer exchange workers are supposed to head home soon, but thousands will ignore the rules and overstay, joining the illegal population. The J-1 category has one of the highest overstay rates among U.S. entry categories, according to DHS overstay data.The episode also examines potential reforms, including stronger penalties for sponsors, greater scrutiny of countries with high overstay rates, the termination of the subcategories that have no meaningful public diplomacy value, and transferring work-based J-1 programs to the Department of Labor for appropriate labor-market oversight. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Jessica Vaughan is the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies Links Exchange Visa Programs Operate Mainly For Cheap Labor, Not Cultural Exchange J-1 Visas: Cheap Labor as Cultural Exchange 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. 13 ago

    Panel: Who Gets to Be a Citizen?

    A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision addressing birthright citizenship has renewed debate over one of the most consequential questions in immigration policy for any nation: Who should be entitled to citizenship? To examine the current state of citizenship policy, especially as it relates to immigration, the International Network for Immigration Research (INIR) held a panel discussion featuring policy experts from the United States, France, Israel, and Hungary, hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies. The panel explored how different democracies define citizenship, the historical development of their laws, and the policy choices that shape them today. While the United States has long interpreted the 14th Amendment to confer citizenship broadly on nearly all children born on U.S. soil, many countries have adopted different approaches. Some place greater emphasis on parental citizenship, while others have modified their laws over time; France, for example, revised its citizenship laws in the 1990s to move away from automatic citizenship at birth. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies Guests Pawel Styrna is the Director of International Relations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Washington, D.C. Nicolas Pouvreau-Monti is the Executive Director of the Immigration and Demography Observatory (OID), Paris. Yonatan Jakubowicz is the Executive Director of the Israeli Immigration Policy Center, Jerusalem. Viktor Marsai is the Executive Director of the Migration Research Institute, Budapest. Links Press Release Video Transcript Live Stream 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. 6 ago

    Spain's Ceuta Migrant Surge Highlights How Migration Can Be Weaponized

    The surge of more than 60,000 migrants into Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta has reignited debate over border security, immigration policy, and the growing use of migration as a geopolitical weapon. In the latest episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast, Fellow in Law and Policy Andrew Arthur, filling in for host Mark Krikorian, welcomes European immigration expert Juan Soto to examine the causes of the crisis and the lessons it holds for the United States. Soto argues that the July 30 mass crossing was more than a spontaneous migration event. Instead, he contends it was a coordinated effort intended to send a political message to Spain, given Morocco’s continued claims to sovereignty over Ceuta, Melilla, and the Canary Islands. He explains how recent Spanish government policies, including a broad legalization program for illegal immigrants, a citizenship expansion law, and a Spanish Supreme Court ruling limiting the immediate return of migrants arriving by sea, contributed to the crisis. Arthur and Soto also examine the broader geopolitical context of the surge, the muted and often critical response from the European Union and the United States, and how Spain's recent foreign policy positions may have shaped international reactions to the crisis. The episode concludes with Soto's recommendations for responding to instances where migration is used as a geopolitical weapon. He argues that governments must "fix the facts" by accurately describing coordinated mass crossings as hybrid attacks rather than ordinary immigration crises and establish clear consequences in advance—from diplomatic measures to economic sanctions—to deter foreign actors’ use of migration to advance political and strategic objectives. Host Andrew Arthur is a Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Juan Soto is a European immigration expert and co-founder and CEO of Fortius Consulting. Links Juan Soto's X Account Juan Soto's Author Page at the Hungarian Conservative Juan Soto's INIR Article: Battlefield, Ceuta 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. 30 jul

    Why Immigration Has Become France’s Defining Political Issue

    This week’s episode of the Center for Immigration Studies’ “Parsing Immigration Policy” podcast features Nicolas Pouvreau-Monti, co-founder and executive director of the French immigration think tank L'Observatoire de l'Immigration et de la Démographie (OID), discussing how record immigration, failed assimilation, and growing public frustration have made immigration the dominant political issue in France ahead of next year’s presidential election. The discussion examines immigration’s demographic, economic, and cultural impacts on France, as well as the emergence of OID as one of the country’s leading sources of non-partisan immigration research at a time when immigration has become the central issue in French politics. Founded just three years ago by six co-founders concerned about France’s migration crisis, OID was established to fill what Monti describes as a void in public debate by providing reliable data, research, and analysis on immigration. Among the topics discussed:France’s foreign-born population has reached a historic high, with immigration increasingly originating from outside Europe.Why most French citizens support lower immigration levels, yet government policy has largely failed to respond.The economic effects of large-scale immigration, including workforce participation, welfare spending, and pressure on public services.France’s retreat from assimilation and the challenges of integrating immigrants from culturally distinct regions.Why immigration is expected to be the defining issue in France’s 2027 presidential election.Monti is the author of the award-winning book Immigration, Mythes et Réalités, which challenges common claims about immigration using demographic and economic data. OID is a member of the International Network for Immigration Research (INIR), joining the Center for Immigration Studies and other partner organizations in the United States, Israel, and Hungary. In his commentary, Krikorian, the Center's executive director, introduces new CIS Fellow Mahvash Siddiqui, a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Siddiqui’s first analyses for the Center examine industrialized fraud in the H-1B visa program, based on her experience as a consular officer, and a recent federal court decision striking down the Trump administration’s $100,000 entry fee for H-1B visa holders . Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Nicolas Pouvreau-Monti is the co-founder and executive director of the French immigration think tank L'Observatoire de l'Immigration et de la Démographie (OID). Links L'Observatoire de l'Immigration et de la Démographie Immigration, Mythes et Réalités Mahvash Siddiqui Intro  Voices in the opening montage: 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. 23 jul

    Immigration Newsmaker: A Conversation with Border Czar Tom Homan

    This week's episode of Parsing Immigration Policy is a rebroadcast of a recent installment of the Center's Immigration Newsmaker series featuring the White House Border Czar Tom Homan. In the interview hosted by Center Executive Director Mark Krikorian, Homan discusses the recent pause in traffic stops, the administration's enforcement priorities, recent record-setting ICE arrests, sanctuary jurisdictions, and the future of mass deportations. A highlight of the conversation is Homan's proposal to dramatically expand I-9 inspections by creating a centralized operation staffed by contractors to conduct large-scale audits. Rather than relying exclusively on armed Homeland Security Investigations agents to review employment records, Homan argues that contractors could identify criminal and administrative violations and refer those cases to investigators — freeing agents to focus on criminal investigations and enforcement operations. In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian discusses a regulatory change that will end the Department of Homeland Security's “duration of status” policy for F, J, and I nonimmigrant classifications. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Tom Homan is the White House Border Czar. Links Immigration Newsmaker Press Release Immigration Newsmaker Video mmigration Newsmaker Transcript Immigration Newsmaker Series DHS Ends ‘Duration of Status’ for Students, Exchange Visitors, and Foreign Media 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. 16 jul

    Immigration Courts and Judges: Understanding the System Behind America's Immigration Crisis

    Immigration courts are frequently in the headlines, with stories about massive backlogs, judicial turnover, and widely varying asylum approval rates. But how does the immigration court system actually work, and why has it become one of the biggest bottlenecks in immigration enforcement? In the latest episode of the Center for Immigration Studies’ Parsing Immigration Policy podcast, Fellow in Law and Policy Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge, provides a comprehensive tutorial on the immigration court system, explaining its history, structure, and the challenges it faces. Arthur discusses:Why immigration judges are Department of Justice attorneys—not life-tenured Article III judges—and how the immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals are organized.How removal proceedings work and why a final removal order is required before most aliens in the interior can be deported.How the surge in immigration cases during the Biden administration drove the court backlog to historic levels.Why the Biden-driven backlog is beginning to decline as the border and ports become more secure and immigration court case completions reach record levels.Whether hiring more immigration judges alone can solve the problem.Why asylum grant rates differ among judges and courts, and what those statistics do—and do not—show.Pending Supreme Court cases that could reshape immigration detention and court procedures.In closing, Mark Krikorian acknowledges the contributions to immigration policy of two recently deceased: Senator Lindsey Graham and Norm Matloff, professor at the University of California, Davis. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Andrew Arthur is the Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies. Links Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Unique Immigration Legacy DOJ: Immigration Court Asylum Grants Plummet Federal Judge Vacates Biden Administration ‘Quiet Amnesty’ Rule DOJ Tweets About Decline in Immigration Court Backlog — but Where Are the Stats?  Norm Matloff's Publications for CIS 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. 9 jul

    Australia’s Immigration Debate Is Reshaping Its Politics

    In the latest episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast, Executive Director Mark Krikorian speaks with Jordan Knight, founder of Migration Watch Australia, about how record immigration levels are reshaping Australia’s politics and public debate. After experiencing net negative migration during the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia saw housing costs stabilize and pressure on public services ease. But in 2023, the government admitted an unprecedented 737,000 migrants into a nation of just 27 million people. Knight explains how the resulting strain on housing affordability, homelessness, infrastructure, and public services has transformed immigration into one of Australia's defining political issues. The discussion explores the rapid rise of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, which has gained momentum by advocating for significantly lower immigration levels and questioning Australia’s decades-long embrace of multiculturalism over assimilation. Knight also examines the changing positions of Australia’s major political parties, growing public skepticism toward historically high legal immigration (skilled and unskilled), the expansion of foreign student programs, and the cultural impact of high immigration levels. As Australia prepares for its next federal election in two years, Knight discusses whether mounting public concern over immigration will translate into electoral gains for One Nation and reshape the country’s political landscape. In closing, Krikorian discusses the Trump administration’s expanding interior enforcement efforts. As Border Czar Tom Homan has noted in recent media appearances, ICE is now making more than 2,000 arrests a day. While large numbers of those arrested have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, increasing numbers of ordinary illegal aliens are also being taken into custody. Krikorian argues that sustained worksite enforcement will be essential if the president’s promise of dramatic reduction of the illegal population is to be met. Host Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Guest Jordan Knight is the founder of Migration Watch Australia. Links Jordan Knight’s Sky News Articles Senator Pauline Hanson Addresses the National Press Club of Australia Jordan Knight X Account 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".

4.3
de 5
57 calificaciones

Acerca de

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. Listen to all episodes of Parsing Immigration Policy at Ricochet.com.

También te podría interesar