Immigration
Biden Administration Extends Temporary Protected Status for Ukrainians in the United States
This measure will enable Ukrainians in the US to live and work here legally until April 19, 2025. It's a step in the right direction, but Congress still needs to pass an adjustment act giving them permanent residency.
New York's Migrant Crisis is Caused by a Combination of Federal Work Restrictions and Local Zoning Policy
It's the predictable result of the combination of federal regulations barring asylum seekers from working legally and local policies offering free housing, while severely restricting new housing construction.
Time to Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act
Congress should grant permanent residency to Afghans who came to the US fleeing the fall of their country to the brutal Taliban regime.
Immigration, Invasion, and Habeas Corpus
If Texas is right to argue that illegal immigration and cross-border drug smuggling qualify as "invasion," then the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended at any time - thereby enabling executive detention without trial.
Texas is Wrong to Equate Immigration and Drug Smuggling with "Invasion"
The argument is contrary to the text and original meaning of the Constitution, goes aginst precedent, and would have absurd consequences if accepted by courts.
Have We Lost Track of the Trump Indictments Yet?
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
Southwest Airlines Falsely Accuses Mom of Trafficking Biracial Daughter
Plus: Backpage trial pushed back, Bidenomics doens't resonate, and more...
Cato's Green Card Game Dramatizes the Incredible Difficulty of Legal Immigration
The game enables you to develop a would-be immigrant character with a wide range of possible characteristics and see whether you can get him or her admitted into the United States.
Ninth Circuit Stays Ruling Against Biden Asylum Restrictions
The 2-1 ruling (divided along surprising ideological lines) is a win for the administration. But they may well still end up losing in the end.
The Democratic Governor Who Wants Drug Legalization and Free Markets
"Government in general does a lot of things that aren't necessary," says Jared Polis.
Amicus Brief Defending Legality of Immigration Parole Program for Migrants Fleeing Socialism, Oppression, and Violence in Four Latin American Nations
The program extends the successful Uniting for Ukraine policy to migrants fleeing Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti.
An Infuriating New Online Game Asks: Would You Be Able To Immigrate to the U.S.?
Players can experience for themselves how difficult, expensive, and exhausting it is to come to the country legally.
Immigration Restrictions as Affirmative Action for Natives
Cato Institute immigration policy expert Alex Nowrasteh explains the close parallels between a policy most conservatives hate, and one most them reflexively support.
Say Goodbye to Permissionless Travel
Americans will need a visa to visit Europe in 2024. Meanwhile, Europeans who have been to Cuba are discovering they can't come to the U.S., because terrorism.
Should the U.S. Have Free Immigration?
The Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh and attorney Francis Menton debate immigration policy.
'We're Going To Uncover the Cover Up': House Probes Government Handling of UFOs
Plus: Moralism is ruining cultural criticism, Biden administration mandates bigger plane bathrooms, and more...
Judge Blocks Biden Administration's Strict Asylum Restrictions
Plus: Digital rights groups protest "bad internet bills," the FTC might be readying another lawsuit against Amazon, and more...
Should We Have Open Borders? A Soho Forum Debate
The Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh and attorney Francis Menton debate immigration policy.
Federal Court Rules Against Biden Policy Severely Restricting Asylum
The decision is an unsurprising, straightforward application of the text of the relevant statute. It could have a major impact.
Sex Workers Want Rights, Not Rescue
Horrible things are happening to vulnerable people, but we cannot help them by sending groups of vigilantes or law enforcement officers to hunt them.
Let Asylum-Seeking Migrants Work
Taking this step would benefit both the migrants themselves and the American economy. It would also eliminate burdens on local governments.
Tim Scott Debuts Border Platform Including 'Human Wall' and 'Bye-Bye Ambassador' Tucker Carlson
Though the 2024 Republican candidate's proposals vary in seriousness, they feature plenty of prohibition and brute government force.
Two Cheers for the "Freedom Conservatism" Statement of Principles
It has many good points. But I have some reservations and questions.
'Bidenomics' Is Nothing New
It's a familiar program. And it will result in higher prices, slower growth, and fewer jobs.
They're Here Legally, but Face Self-Deportation When They Turn 21. When Will Congress Act?
Over 200,000 dependent visa holders are still waiting for relief.
Legacy Preferences, Citizenship, Migration, and the Implications of a Constitutional Ban on Hereditary Privilege
Some scholars and commentators argue that legacy preferences at public universities are unconstitutional because they are a form of hereditary privilege. If so, the same is likely true of the far more consequential hereditary privilege of citizenship that severely restricts the right to live and work in the United States.
US Can do Well by Doing Good in Opening Our Doors to Chinese Immigration
As Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell explains, doing so will simultaneously strengthen the US and weaken a major geopolitical rival. It can also rescue many Chinese from terrible oppression.
NYC Lawyer Dmitriy Shakhnevich Interviews Me on Wide Range of Law and Policy Issues
Topics covered include affirmative action, legacy preferences, the student loan forgiveness decision, refugee policy, indictments against Trump, Vladimir Putin, political ignorance, and more.
What it Will Take to Make Government Color-Blind
Achieving this goal will require a lot more than banning racial preferences in college admissions. That includes some measures that will make the political right uncomfortable, as well as the left.
Writings on the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution
A collection of links to some of my previous writings on these topics, which I think remain relevant today.
The Declaration of Independence Promotes Individual Liberty More than Collective Self-Determination
This is true despite claims to the contrary by some on both the left and right.
C-SPAN Video of Cato Institute Event on the Private Sponsorship Revolution in Immigration Policy
Participants included Prof. Adam Cox (NYU), David Bier (Cato), Kit Taintor (Welcome.US), and myself.
Ron DeSantis Says He's a Christian. He Should Read the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
It's wrong to use human beings as pawns in an apparent political stunt.
Canada Is Poaching America's High-Skilled Foreign Workers
It’s an entirely predictable consequence of an inhospitable immigration system.
Newly Released Video Shows Border Patrol Shooting Man Who Called Authorities for Help
Agents claimed to see a gun that wasn't there. Video reveals nervous officers with a hunting mentality.
Ron DeSantis' Border Plan: Invade Mexico, Shoot Drug Smugglers, End Birthright Citizenship
The 2024 hopeful has put together a platform full of big-government action.
The Rebirth of Lowriding in California
Golden State municipalities are finally overturning their anti-cruising ordinances.
How Other Countries Benefit From America's Dysfunctional Immigration System
The U.S. is keeping talented foreigners away—and failing to retain them.
Michael McFaul Makes the Case for Reaching out to the "Russian Diaspora"
A leading US expert on Russia advocates outreach to Putin's Russian opponents and encouraging emigration from Russia. The best way to encourage Russians to leave is to allow more of them to come to the West.
What's Left Standing of Special Solicitude for States After U.S. v. Texas?
The Supreme Court did not overturn the standing holding of MAssachusetts v. EPA, but it may have left it on life support.
Supreme Court Rejects 'Extraordinarily Unusual' Case Against Biden's Deportation Policy
Today’s decision “is narrow and simply maintains the longstanding jurisprudential status quo,” wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the majority.
Supreme Court Rules Red States Lack Standing to Challenge Biden Immigration Enforcement Guidelines
The 8-1 decision is a major win for Biden and executive enforcement discretion. I think the Court got the right result, but for the wrong reasons.
World Refugee Day is a Good Time to Consider Expanding the Ridiculously Narrow Legal Definition of "Refugee"
The definition excludes a vast range of people fleeing horrific violence and oppression.
Immigrants Can't Naturalize if They Own a Marijuana Dispensary, Court Says
Maria Elena Reimers has been caught in legal limbo for years.
Feds May Need Warrants To Search Cell Phones at the Border After All
Snooping through emails, video, and photos isn’t the same as stumbling on containers full of cocaine.
Bipartisan Ukrainian Adjustment Act Introduced in Congress
The bill would grant permanent residency rights to many thousands of Ukrainians who have entered the US since 2014. But its exact scope is unclear.
The Vast Majority of People Who Want To Immigrate to the U.S. Have No Legal Option
A new Cato Institute report highlights just how hard it is to come to the U.S. legally.
