Excessive Bureaucracy Is Making America's Broken Immigration System Worse
A new Government Accountability Office report offers a useful lesson about the often unseen, human costs of making forms more difficult to fill out.
Immigration
Why We Can't Get Anywhere on Immigration
Turns out, building good systems is necessary to get good outcomes.
Federal Court Rules Against Title 42 "Public Health" Expulsions of Migrants
The expulsions, ordered by the CDC for the supposed purpose of stopping the spread of Covid-19, are illegal for much the same reasons as was the CDC eviction moratorium recently struck down by the Supreme Court.
Terrible Supreme Court Decisions that Should be Added to the "Anticanon" of Constitutional Law—Part I
Constitution Day is a good time to consider the issue of whether we have been overly accepting of some horrendous Supreme Court precedents. The Chinese Exclusion Case of 1889 is a great example.
They Came to the U.S. Legally as Children. At 21, They Face Deportation.
A new bill could give some hope to "Documented Dreamers."
Court Says COVID-19 Can No Longer Justify Immediate Expulsion of Migrant Families
Plus: Pro-Palestine protests allowed outside synagogue, Biden's bank surveillance plan, and more...
How Immigration Clampdowns Create 'Border Crises'
Today's mediagenic crowds at the border in Del Rio, Texas, are a predictable and unnecessary result of restrictive migrant policies.
When We Reject Immigrants, We Reject Trillions of Dollars in Wealth
Growing evidence confirms that barriers to immigration make us all worse off.
Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security's Creators Promised Efficiency. They Delivered Disaster.
The consolidation of numerous unrelated government agencies within a single department has led to decades of waste, mismanagement, and terrible abuses of authority.
Audio of Radio Program on Immigration and the Constitution
Yale Law School Prof. Cristina Rodriguez and I discussed this timely subject with host Stephen Henderson.
Help Workers by Breaking Down Barriers to Labor Mobility
Labor Day is a good time to remember that we can make workers vastly better off by empowering more of them to vote with their feet.
A Clear and Present Lack of Danger
We can stop obsessing about Islamic terrorists crossing the Southern border.
In the Heights
The movie tells the story of an immigrant community coming together to forge its own future through commerce.
Did the Supreme Court's DACA Decision Lead to the Biden Administration's "Remain in Mexico" Defeat?
Professors Zachary Price and Benjamin Eidelson offer competing takes.
Bernie Sanders Is Wrong About Denmark. Tucker Carlson Is Wrong About Hungary.
The two are idolizing the wrong models.
Afghan Helpers Left Behind
Slow processing of SIV applications has led to an average wait time of three years and a backlog of roughly 18,000 primary applicants (and 52,000 family members).
This Navy Veteran Was Deported Over a One-Time Marijuana Offense. After Nearly a Decade in Exile, He's Back in the U.S.
Howard Bailey spent years serving his country, supporting his family, and running two small businesses. Then he got kicked out of the country.
Immigration Activists Targeted for Deportation and Harassment
Even supporters of the law should recognize the dangers of using enforcement as punishment.
Illegal Immigration Isn't an 'Invasion'
Overheated rhetoric is a ploy to treat migrants like enemy combatants.
Afghan Refugees Coming to the U.S. Aren't Unvetted Security Threats
Nativists like J.D. Vance warn that we need to be "properly vetting" the Afghans coming to the U.S., neglecting to mention just how safe these people are.
U.S. Vaccine Mandate for Incoming Immigrants Takes Effect October 1
Plus: OnlyFans reverses course on sexually explicit content, why Apple's new image scanning program is "dangerous," and more...
Supreme Court Concludes Trump "Remain in Mexico" Policy Must Remain in Place
The Biden Administration suffers a significant loss on the Supreme Court's "shadow docket."
Our New Article on "Vaccine Passports as a Constitutional Right"
I coauthored it with Kevin Cope (University of Virginia) and Alex Stremitzer (UCLA/ETH Zurich)
The Case for Accepting Afghan Refugees
Both moral and practical considerations support admitting refugees fleeing the brutal tyranny of the Taliban.
Don't Excuse Biden for His Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal
You can both support withdrawal and recognize its failed execution.
We Need To Get Afghans Out of Afghanistan Too
What Afghan civilians need now is resettlement, not remilitarization.
Oppressive Regimes Reach Beyond Their Borders
Fleeing isn't enough to keep dissenters safe from tyranny.
Lawsuit Says Conditions Inside Biden Administration's Shelters for Migrant Teens Are 'Inherently Unsafe'
Reason reported in May on persistent underwear shortages, filthy living conditions, and medical neglect at the largest of the shelters.
Attorney General Garland Should Reverse an Egregious Legal Ruling Denying Asylum to Refugees Fleeing Forced Labor at the Hands of Terrorist Groups
My recent USA Today op ed explains how and why.
CDC Extends Trump-Era Migrant Expulsion Policy, Citing Delta Variant
Plus: Enough about FOSTA's "unintended" consequences, another blow to the FTC's Facebook case, and more...
Two More Whistleblowers Come Forward Alleging Neglect and Mismanagement at Migrant Youth Shelter
The whistleblower complaints substantiate reporting from Reason in May describing filthy conditions, untrained staff, and neglect.
The U.S. Is Trying To Keep Out Mexicans Who Want To Sell Their Blood Plasma
Paid plasma donation is a financial lifeline for Mexican donors and a medical lifeline for plasma-dependent patients.
More Mask Mandates Could Be Coming Even Though Vaccination Is Key to Curbing COVID-19
Plus: Adam Smith invented the social software for modern liberalism, the U.K. invites more skilled immigrants, and more...
How Mass Immigration Stopped American Socialism
Relatively open borders helped halt the early 20th century welfare state.
District Court Declares DACA Unlawful (Updated)
The Supreme Court never held that DACA was legal when adopted, and a court in Texas has decided it is not.
Cato Unbound Symposium on "Immigration and Institutions"
The symposium includes contributions by Ben Powell, Peter Skerry, Eric Kaufman, and me.
Open the Door to Cuban and Haitian Refugees
The Biden Administration is wrong to bar those who arrive by sea.
Biden Admits Some Asylum Seekers but Won't Say Who Qualifies for Entry
The administration's processing of asylum claims is shrouded in mystery.
'If You Take to the Sea, You Will Not Come to the United States,' Cuban Refugee DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Tells Other Cuban Refugees
Biden promised to be an immigration changemaker. Where is the change?
Biden Continues Trump Seizures of Private Land for Border Wall
"We thought President Joe Biden would protect us. Now we've lost our land. We don't even know what comes next," says Baudilia Cavazos.
Denied American Visas, These Afghans Were Forced To Make a Perilous Escape After Helping U.S. Troops for Years
Unable to tap into the immigration pathway for Afghan helpers, these men and their families opted to flee elsewhere.
Migrant Children Languished in Filthy Conditions Under Eye of Untrained Contractors, Whistleblowers Say
Two federal whistleblowers say they witnessed conditions that "caused physical, mental, and emotional harm affecting dozens of children" at the largest of the government's shelters for migrant youths.
The U.S. Has Strayed Far From Its Founding Ideals
Governments at the state, local, and federal levels can obstruct our pursuit of happiness and at times even jeopardize our safety.
Immigration and the Principles of the Declaration of Independence
The principles of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution justify free migration rights.
Reflections on the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution
A compendium of many of my previous writings on these topics, which remain relevant today.
An Afghan Engineer Who Served the U.S. Military Had His Visa Denied Because the State Department Can't Reverify His Kidnapped Supervisor's Support
The Kafkaesque visa program for U.S.-affiliated Afghans puts thousands at grave risk.
Greg Abbott's Border Wall Plan Is Doomed To Fail
The Texas governor wants to keep incoming migrants out at all costs. But those costs are insurmountable.