"Amnesty in Immigration: Forgetting, Forgiving, Freedom" analyzes the meanings of "amnesty" in political discourse. The author identifies three separate, but sometimes overlapping, meanings, which she describes as forgive-and-forget, administrative reset, and vindication. "Forgive-and-forget" emphasizes the state's beneficence in granting pardon for the initial offense, as well as the seriousness of the original offense, often prompting the state to set qualifying conditions for amnesty, e.g. fines, loss of benefits, community services, public apology, etc.

Report File: 

Bosniak_Amnesty_in_Immigration.pdf

Commissioned by the J.M. Kaplan Fund, "Resettlement at Risk: Meeting Emerging Challenges to Refugee Resettlement in Local Communities" explores the impact of resettlement on local communities and looks at the current rise of anti-refugee sentiment through case studies in three states: Tennessee, New Hampshire and Georgia.

Report File: 

Resettlement_at_Risk.pdf

The concept of an immigration "line" has been a contentious point in the immigration reform debate. This brief, "Going to the Back of the Line:  A Primer on Lines, Visa Categories and Wait Times," examines the family- and employment-based immigration channels to dispel the myth of a single immigration line. The author outlines the current visa categories for family and employment and their annual caps and describes the two-step application and approval processes for legal permanent residence (LPR).

Report File: 

MPI_Going_to_the_Back_of_the_Line.pdf

This article provides a sweeping portrait of U.S. immigration history,  with special attention to post-1965 developments, as well as a succinct but comprehensive overview of the U.S. immigration system. Topics covered include: family and employment-based immigration, refugee admissions, temporary visitors, unauthorized immigrants, immigration enforcement, citizenship, and immigrant integration. The authors also probe today's economic, social and political issues as they relate to proposed comprehensive immigration reform. In looking at U.S.

This is the final report of the Regional Migration Study Group, convened by the Migration Policy Institute and the Wilson Center. Scholars and public officials from the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala participated in the project. The report depicts regional migration less as a problem to be managed and more as a resource to be developed to enhance the competitiveness of North America in the global economy.

Report File: 

MPI_Thinking_Regionally_to_Compete_Globally.pdf