Immigration
Democrats Have Never Been More Pro-Immigration, Thanks to Trump
The benefits of a backlash
Jury Refuses to Convict Scott Warren for Showing Kindness to Immigrants
Warren faced up to 20 years in federal prison for providing humanitarian aid to two undocumented immigrants.
Scott Daniel Warren Is Free (for Now) After Jury Can't Reach Verdict on Charges for Aiding Migrants
Plus: Amash says the "two-party system is hurting America," Zuckerberg gets deepfaked, Wonkette's lame defense of Harris, and more...
Trump's Mexican Standoff and the New Illiberal Right
When Tucker Carlson and Elizabeth Warren agree on trade, regulation, and social media, it's time to rethink a few things.
ICE Failed to Properly Screen Veterans Before Deporting Them
ICE agents told investigators they were "unaware" of policies to avoid deporting veterans—the same policies the agency assured me it was following in 2016.
The Fight Conservatives Are Having Over Theocracy and Classical Liberalism Obscures How Beaten Their Movement Is
The postwar era has been an endless series of rebukes to social conservatives—and a win for libertarians.
Scott Warren, Facing 20 Years in Prison for Aiding 2 Undocumented Migrants, Takes the Stand
"My intent was to provide them with some basic humanitarian aid."
Migrant Kids As Young As 5 Were Left in Vans Overnight While Waiting to Reunite With Their Families
It took 39 hours for every child to be reunited with their parents.
House Tries To Give 'Dreamers' a Path to Citizenship, but Mitch McConnell Won't Even Consider the Bill
The Senate majority leader says he will not allow a vote on it, despite widespread support for the measure.
Forty Years in America
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Somin family's arrival in America.
Foot-Voting Nation
The seventh post in the Volokh Conspiracy symposium on "Our American Story: The Search for a Shared National Narrative" (ed. by Joshua Claybourn).
Will Senate Republicans Revolt Over Trump's Mexico Tariff Threats?
So far, the answer is "maybe."
Federal Judge Dismisses House of Representatives Border Wall Lawsuit for Lack of Standing
The decision does not reach the merits of President Trump's attempt to divert military funds to build his border wall.
Where Should Libertarians Stand During the Conservative Circular Firing Squad?
Pondering the right-commentariat's populist-nationalist vs. classical liberal split, on the latest Reason Podcast
After Virginia Beach Shooting, a Quick Pivot to Squabbling About 'Silencers' and Trump's Golf Clothes
Plus: Spending bill includes pro-marijuana changes, State Department starts collecting social media accounts of visa applicants, and more...
Trump's Plan to Force Mexico to Lock In its Own People
The President's effort to coerce Mexico into blocking the emigration of its own people undermines the distinction between keeping people out and locking them in. It thereby makes US immigration policy analogous to the Berlin Wall.
Sharing Food with Migrants Is a Charitable Act To be Praised, Not Criminalized
Americans have long provided migrants with food and water. Why are we now treating that like a crime?
Census Citizenship Question Pushed for by GOP Gerrymanderer
And that whole Voting Rights Act justification? Kinda the opposite, actually.
Beto O'Rourke Wants To Overhaul Our Asylum System and Provide Amnesty for 11 Million Immigrants
The presidential hopeful released his immigration plan on Wednesday.
Are Democrats an Anti-Immigrant Party Too?
Recent articles by Tyler Cowen and Farhad Manjoo highlight anti-immigrant effects of many Democrats' policies on zoning and other issues. The party is not quite as bad as the Republicans. But that's damning with faint praise.
Federal Court Rules Trump Cannot Use Defense Funds to Build Border Wall
The first court decision on Trump's plan to reallocate federal funds to "build the wall" goes against the administration.
Trump's Immigration Plan Could Use Some Work
Still, it's better than the administration's previous proposals to cut legal immigration in half.
Xenophobia and Pseudoscience Shaped U.S. Immigration Policy
Historian Daniel Okrent looks back at the bigoted "intellectual justification" for anti-immigration policies.
Border Patrol Agent on Trial for Hitting Border Crosser With His Truck Called Immigrants 'Disgusting Subhuman Shit' in Texts
Matthew Bowen hit a man who crossed the border. Then he sent a text calling him a "human pit maneuver."
The Democrats' Dumb War Against Charter Schools
The latest bad idea from Bernie Sanders is depressingly popular, sayeth the Reason Podcast crew
Trump's One-Sided War Against New York's Political Elite
Bill de Blasio's coming humiliation is just the latest evidence of the outer-borough president's revenge on Manhattan.
A Texas City Attorney Was Arrested and Detained for Helping Three Young Migrants on the Side of the Road
One of the migrants was gravely ill.
The Heartbreaking, Lifesaving Practice of Welcoming 'Unaccompanied' Child Migrants
A history lesson for Americans
Today's Anti-Immigration Script Was Written 100 Years Ago by America's Elite
Historian Daniel Okrent's new book, The Guarded Gate, recounts the history of bigotry, eugenics, and the "intellectual justification" of anti-immigration policies.
Trump Unveils Plan To Promote Skill-Based Immigration
But even that's a bridge too far for immigration restrictionists.
Migrant Arrests by U.S. Border Patrol Were 'Off the Charts' in April
Plus: Protests against prostitution-loitering laws in NYC, Denver mushroom measure passes, misinformation about Section 230, and more...
White House Increases Temporary Work Visas; Proposes Keeping Immigration Flat
Restrictionist allies seethe as Jared Kushner's reform plan fails to reduce overall numbers.
Trump Administration Asks Congress for $4.5 Billion To Spend on Border 'Crisis'
It's not clear if congressional Democrats will comply.
Foot-Voting Nation
My new book chapter is now available for free on SSRN. It desccribes how "voting with your feet" played a central role in American history, how foot voting is at the heart of much of the nation's success, and the recent rise of dangerous new obstacles to foot-voting. Part of a new book, "Our American Story: The Search for a National Narrative."
To Discourage Migration, Trump Orders Asylum Seekers Pay Fees to Apply
The plan is likely to backfire and cause more illegal border crossings by the people most desperately in need.
Jared Kushner Makes the Case for Merit-Based Immigration
He says his plan will prioritize highly skilled immigrants and will "maintain our country's humanitarian values."
Are Gun-Toting Border Vigilantes So Different from the Border Patrol?
Outraged by that video of freelance border guards detaining migrant families? Wait til you find out what the official border cops have been up to...
We Won't Make America Great Again by Scaring Off Foreign College Students
Donald Trump's restrictionist immigration policies are making U.S. universities less exceptional.
Sanctuary Cities Should Hope That Stephen Miller Makes Good on His Threats
They should offer to pay for the transportation of asylum seekers.
New Federal Immigration Guidance Says Stoners Lack 'Good Moral Character'
A policy alert from the USCIS agency clarifies that smoking weed, even in states that've legalized it, can still be grounds for denying citizenship applications.
California's Sanctuary Laws Survive Another Trump Challenge
Federal judges rule state cannot be forced to assist immigration officials.
Federal Appellate Court Rules Against Trump Administration on Most Issues in California "Sanctuary State" Case
The ruling, written by a Republican-appointed judge, is an important victory for federalism.
United States v. Eguilos and Denaturalization
George H.W. Bush appointee denounces second-class citizenship, cites to my work with Cassandra Robertson
Barr Kicks Off the Next Big Fight Over Immigration: Reason Roundup
Plus: Trump shows true colors on Yemen, U.K. sets a date for new porn rules, and scientists say we may be in a new geological epoch.
His Wife Was Killed in Afghanistan. Then ICE Showed Up To Deport Him.
He's back in the U.S., though he's not out of the woods yet.
Republican Senators Introduce Bill To Cut Legal Immigration in Half
The RAISE Act would strongly prioritize high-skilled immigrants.
The Feds' Special Opioid Task Force Spent 8 Days Harassing Arizonans, Found 0.2 Grams of Heroin
They made 50 arrests, but almost all were for immigration offenses.