Utah Wants To Help Afghan Refugees Prosper. Will the Federal Government Get in the Way?
The federal government set the tone on the beginning of the resettlement process. It continues to keep legal status for certain evacuees out of reach.
Immigration
Biden Extends Temporary Status for Some Venezuelan Refugees, Offers No Protections for Recent Arrivals
While Temporary Protected Status will last through 2024, only Venezuelans who arrived before March 2021 will be eligible.
Once These Legal Immigrants Turn 21, They Face Deportation
With action from Congress, over 200,000 dependent visa holders could see some relief.
Renegade District Attorneys Who Defy State Mandates Are Often Freedom's Last Line of Defense
Perhaps, as we relearn the virtues of local decision-making, we'll also reacquire a taste for individualism.
Mobility as the Key to Immigrant Success
An important new study finds that immigrants and their children succeed in large part by being more willing to move to opportunity than the native-born.
Border Patrol Launched a Surveillance Blimp Over Nogales, Arizona. Town Officials Didn't Know.
Residents of Nogales are now under the gaze of a round-the-clock surveillance craft.
Title 42 Expulsions Made the Border Less Secure
The Trump administration invoked Title 42 in late March 2020. Biden repeatedly extended it. Now, a federal judge has blocked the administration from lifting the order.
Revised Version of My New Article on "Immigration and the Economic Liberty of Natives"
The article is now up on SSRN. It explains how migration restrictions have massive negative effects on both "negative" and "positive" economic liberty of residents of destination countries.
Thoughts on the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution
A compendium of some of my previous writings on these topics, which I hope remain relevant today.
America's Founders Raged Against Qualified Immunity, Trade Restrictions, and Anti-Immigrant Policies
Hey, we're still mad about those things today!
Supreme Court Ruling in "Remain in Mexico" Case is a Win for Biden, Migrants - and Fans of Presidential Power
The ruling likely allows end of a cruel policy - but also reinforces broad presidential control over immigration.
'Prevention Through Deterrence' Is How You Get 53 Dead Migrants in the Back of a Truck
The men, women, and children found dead in a tractor-trailer this week were just the latest casualties of an immigration approach that encourages dangerous journeys.
Supreme Court Gives Biden Administration a (Temporary?) Win on Immigration with Final Decision of Term
Chief Justice Roberts final opinion of the term rejects the statutory challenge to the Biden Administration's rescission of the "Remain in Mexico" policy.
Biden Can End 'Remain in Mexico' Border Policy, Says SCOTUS
Scrapping the policy is an important step in restoring a fair asylum-seeking process.
Dangers Faced by Illegal Migrants are Caused by Immigration Restrictions
The tragic recent deaths of some 50 migrants in Texas highlights the dangers they face. But those dangers are the products of laws making legal immigration difficult or impossible for most who want to do it.
California Fights Inflation by Sending People Free Money
Plus: A New Hampshire distiller fights invasive species by turning them into whiskey, a New York City law letting non-citizens vote is overturned, and more...
Greg Abbott Spent $1,400 a Head To Bus Migrants to D.C. for a Political Stunt
Texas taxpayers might be stuck footing the hefty bill for Abbott's busing scheme.
Ron DeSantis' Immigration Crackdown Could Prove Costly
A new directive could impose a hefty financial burden on state taxpayers and reduce community trust toward police.
Supreme Court Makes It Effectively Impossible To Sue Federal Cops, Smashing a 51-Year-Old Precedent
A federal badge will now serve as an impenetrable shield against civil liability.
The Case for Expanding the Legal Definition of "Refugee"
The narrow definition allows governments to expel numerous migrants fleeing violence, terrorism, forced labor, and other severe oppression.
This Political Dissident Faces Death Threats if He Goes Back to Nicaragua. Why Was His Asylum Claim Denied?
Nicaraguan government operatives threatened Mario Rajib Flores Molina with torture and imprisonment. A new court ruling has revived his pursuit of asylum in the United States.
Open the Door to Chinese Migrants Fleeing Brutal Covid Lockdowns
Taking this step is both a moral imperative, and the right way to advance US economic and strategic interests.
The 10th Anniversary of DACA
A compendium of my writings defending the morality and legality of this program - but also warning that it remains imperiled unless and until Congress passes a law institutionalizing it.
Chief Justice Roberts Explains DIG of Public Charge Case
The Supreme Court has decided not to decide an important question relating to flips in federal policy when Administrations turn over.
Biden's Summit of the Americas Was Over Before It Started
Biden's decision to exclude nondemocratic countries led to a boycott by allies.
America's Harsh Immigration Restrictions Mean Haitians Drown Trying To Get Here
Their deaths are the tragic, predictable consequence of shutting down safer migration paths.
El Salvador's Latest Gang Crackdown Includes Human Rights Violations
President Nayib Bukele is using brutal tools to solve a problem driven partly by U.S. immigration policy.
Over 45,000 Americans Have Applied To Sponsor Displaced Ukrainians
In just over a month, the Uniting for Ukraine private sponsorship program has attracted huge support.
The Somin Family's D-Day
June 6 is not only the anniversary of D-Day, but also of the Somin family's arrival in America, back in 1979. This post reprints my reflections on that milestone, which I hope remain relevant today.
Tucker Carlson's Great Replacement Theory Is Spectacularly Wrong
Republicans have thrived since Ronald Reagan granted amnesty to 2.7 million mostly Mexican illegal immigrants in 1986.
A Double Standard Between Ukrainian and Afghan Refugees?
Critics allege, with some justice, that the Biden Administration is treating the former more favorably than the latter. If so, the right solution is to increase openness to Afghans and others fleeing war and repression, not bar more Ukrainians.
Court Won't Let CDC End Migrant Expulsion Order Just Yet
Plus: Book bans come for Barnes & Noble, a blow to SEC enforcement power, and more...
Strict U.S. Immigration Laws Leave Migrants Dependent on Human Smugglers
Human smugglers at Mexican border won’t be sought after if migrants can come to the U.S. legally.
"Great Replacement Theory" and the Perils of Zero-Sum World Views
The racist Buffalo mass murderer's ideology drew on dangerous ideas common on both the ethnonationalist right and the far left.
This Woman Spent 19 Years in Jail for a Murder She Didn't Commit. Now ICE Is Trying To Deport Her.
Deportation proceedings are a second layer of prosecution for people who have either served their sentences or had their convictions overturned.
Repulsive Replacement Theory and Economic Delusions
Plus: The editors each point out one key disagreement they have with one another.
Taking Formula From Immigrant Babies Won't Fix the Shortage
If you put infants in federal custody, you're obliged to feed them.
ICE Operates a Sweeping 'Dragnet Surveillance System,' New Report Finds
ICE has spent $2.8 billion since 2008 developing surveillance and facial-recognition capabilities, mostly in secrecy and without real oversight.
Strong Job Growth Isn't Enough
Despite a promising April jobs report, the U.S. is still 3 million workers short.
Ukrainians Find Refuge in Previously Unwelcoming Places
Nearly 4 million people fled Ukraine in the first month after the February 24 invasion, and thousands have left each day since.
Gov. Polis Wants You…To Be in Charge of Your Own Life
The libertarianish Colorado Democrat is devolving decision-making to parents and trying to lower the income tax to zero.
Planes, Buses, and COVID Tests: How the NHL Playoffs Are Spotlighting America's Dumb Border Rules
There's no reason to have one set of rules for airline passengers and another for people who cross the border in a bus, train, or car.
Biden Administration Takes Incremental Steps to Open Doors to Ukrainian and Russian Refugees
The new policies include private refugee sponsorship for Ukrainians, and a possible plan to facilitate visas for Russians with high-tech skills. But much more remains to be done.
Americans Can Now Sponsor Ukrainians for Temporary Refuge in the U.S.
Though the program has flaws, it’s an innovative way for private citizens to get directly involved in resettlement efforts for fleeing Ukrainians.
Biden Is Deporting Venezuelans to Colombia
"It's abundantly clear [Trump] has no regard for the suffering of the Venezuelan people," Biden said in October 2020 before engaging in many of the same practices toward asylum seekers.
Ukraine and Double Standards on Refugees
Critics are right to point out that some Western nations are treating Ukrainian refugees better than those fleeing similar horrific situations elsewhere. But the right way to address the problem is to increase openness to other refugees, not exclude Ukrainians.
Justice Gorsuch Calls for Overruling the Insular Cases
In a forceful concurring opinion, he argues the Supreme Court should overrule longstanding precedents denying many constitutional rights to residents of Puerto Rico and other "unincorporated" US territories. Gorsuch is absolutely right. But he would do well to cast the same critical gaze on the very similar precedents that exempt immigration restrictions from normal constitutional scrutiny.
