Migration Information Source
Significant shares of Syrians and Turks who have sought asylum in the European Union are of Kurdish background. How will migration be affected by the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and Turkey’s 2025 ceasefire with PKK militants? This article examines the history and context of migration dynamics involving the Kurds, and prospects for change.
Federal judges have provided significant opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies during its second term. The courts have halted or slowed a number of administration initiatives, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out deportations and seeking to end birthright citizenship. This continues a trend of the judicial branch increasingly becoming the policymakers of last resort as presidents turn to executive action in the face of congressional inaction.
While the term "climate refugee” is often used colloquially, people displaced by environmental factors are not actually eligible for refugee status on that basis. However, policymakers and advocates have begun to experiment with approaches to protection by other means. This article reviews the initiatives, including a novel visa in Australia and the ways that longstanding legal frameworks have been used to encompass people deeply affected by climate change.
This essential resource offers top statistics about immigration, immigrants, and the immigration system in the United States, drawing on authoritative sources and the latest data available. The article offers insights on the size and characteristics of the immigrant population, the scope of temporary and permanent immigration via all pathways, enforcement actions, and much more.
With limited land, low fertility, and a changing economy, Singapore has long depended on immigration to grow its labor force and global competitiveness while preserving national identity. This country profile examines how the nation has managed migration-related challenges in adapting to shifting demographic, economic, and political pressures.
The ramp-up of federal immigration enforcement during the second Trump term has prompted sharp responses from state and local governments, with some limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or barring agents' wearing of masks or the establishment of immigrant detention facilities. At the same time, some Republican-led jurisdictions have embraced policies to encourage cooperation with ICE. This article traces the rise of "sanctuary" policies and divergent trends.
Whether as migrant-sending or migrant-receiving locations—or both—many countries have rich, complex international and internal migration histories. MPI's online journal, the Migration Information Source, offers resources on more than 100 nations. Written by leading scholars, these articles delve into countries' migration histories, demographics, policymaking, and more.
The number of international migrants globally has roughly doubled since 1990. Yet because the world's overall population has grown, the share of all people living outside their country of origin is only slightly higher than it was then. This useful, data-rich article puts the global migrant population in context, offering current and historical statistics about the cross-border movements of workers, students, refugees and asylum seekers, and others.
Severe weather, rising seas, and other consequences of global climate change are affecting the way people live, work, and move around the planet. While there is no clear, direct line between the impacts of climate change and changing human movement, there are indications that the warming planet is indirectly creating or altering patterns of migration. Our podcast Changing Climate, Changing Migration dives deep into the intersection of climate change and migration to separate fact from fiction.
Recent Articles
Significant shares of Syrians and Turks who have sought asylum in the European Union are of Kurdish background. How will migration be affected by the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and Turkey’s 2025 ceasefire with PKK militants? This article examines the history and context of migration dynamics involving the Kurds, and prospects for change.
Federal judges have provided significant opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies during its second term. The courts have halted or slowed a number of administration initiatives, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out deportations and seeking to end birthright citizenship. This continues a trend of the judicial branch increasingly becoming the policymakers of last resort as presidents turn to executive action in the face of congressional inaction.
While the term "climate refugee” is often used colloquially, people displaced by environmental factors are not actually eligible for refugee status on that basis. However, policymakers and advocates have begun to experiment with approaches to protection by other means. This article reviews the initiatives, including a novel visa in Australia and the ways that longstanding legal frameworks have been used to encompass people deeply affected by climate change.
This essential resource offers top statistics about immigration, immigrants, and the immigration system in the United States, drawing on authoritative sources and the latest data available. The article offers insights on the size and characteristics of the immigrant population, the scope of temporary and permanent immigration via all pathways, enforcement actions, and much more.
With limited land, low fertility, and a changing economy, Singapore has long depended on immigration to grow its labor force and global competitiveness while preserving national identity. This country profile examines how the nation has managed migration-related challenges in adapting to shifting demographic, economic, and political pressures.
Significant shares of Syrians and Turks who have sought asylum in the European Union are of Kurdish background. How will migration be affected by the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and Turkey’s 2025 ceasefire with PKK militants? This article examines the history and context of migration dynamics involving the Kurds, and prospects for change.
While the term "climate refugee” is often used colloquially, people displaced by environmental factors are not actually eligible for refugee status on that basis. However, policymakers and advocates have begun to experiment with approaches to protection by other means. This article reviews the initiatives, including a novel visa in Australia and the ways that longstanding legal frameworks have been used to encompass people deeply affected by climate change.
Ethiopia's pioneering new approach to refugees, known as Makatet, focuses on inclusion and self-sufficiency by offering more refugees work permits, business licenses, and national identification cards. The approach could increase individuals' integration and reduce government costs. But questions remain about funding, implementation, and protection gaps for certain populations, as this article details.
Albania's diaspora has been an asset for the government's ambitions to join the European Union, grow its economy, and increase its international standing. As the government has sought to build closer ties with Albanians living abroad and others with ancestral ties to the homeland, it has seen the diaspora as a tool for public diplomacy, the advancement of cultural traditions, and more.
In recent years, vigilante groups opposed to immigration have formed to conduct patrols, stage parades, and even commit violence against asylum seekers and other migrants in Europe, North America, and other regions. Vigilantes often claim that the government has been soft on irregular migration and use performative, symbolically heavy imagery to sway public opinion. This article traces the trends in vigilante movements targeting migrants.
This essential resource offers top statistics about immigration, immigrants, and the immigration system in the United States, drawing on authoritative sources and the latest data available. The article offers insights on the size and characteristics of the immigrant population, the scope of temporary and permanent immigration via all pathways, enforcement actions, and much more.
The Ukrainian immigrant population in the United States grew significantly in the immediate aftermath of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Compared to the overall immigrant population, Ukrainians are more likely to be U.S. citizens and have higher levels of education. This article provides wide-ranging statistics on the size, U.S. settlement, and socioeconomic characteristics of this group.
The U.S. approach towards refugees and asylum seekers has fluctuated considerably in recent years. The Trump administration all but ended refugee resettlement and sharply curtailed asylum processing following a period under the Biden administration of recent refugee highs, increased asylum grants, and the widespread use of temporary humanitarian protections. This article showcases the changing trends.
The United States is by far the top destination for international migrants from the Caribbean. Roughly one in ten U.S. immigrants was born in the Caribbean, coming chiefly from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or Haiti. Compared to other foreign-born groups, these individuals are more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens and to have arrived since 2010, as this article details.
Approximately 2.5 million sub-Saharan African immigrants lived in the United States in 2024—more than triple the number in 2000—with most coming from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, or South Africa. This article offers a range of information about this diverse group, which has higher educational attainment and English proficiency than the overall immigrant population, and tends to have higher income.
With limited land, low fertility, and a changing economy, Singapore has long depended on immigration to grow its labor force and global competitiveness while preserving national identity. This country profile examines how the nation has managed migration-related challenges in adapting to shifting demographic, economic, and political pressures.
Argentina's founders had a clear desire to encourage immigration, especially from Europe, and the country was for a period among the world’s top immigration destinations. Trends and policies shifted over time, and since the early 1900s overall immigration has declined. Most immigrants now come from neighboring South American countries. This country profile examines Argentina’s migration past and present, including a turn to more restrictive policymaking.
Canada has long been viewed as a global leader in creating welcoming immigration policies. But amid pressures on housing and services, as well as a surge in admission of temporary migrants, most Canadians now say there is too much immigration. With the government lowering its targets for new arrivals, this country profile examines the factors behind Canada's policy evolution.
Denmark has gradually moved to a restrictive approach toward humanitarian protection, in a shift that has made it something of a leader for other countries—and an anomaly as it has done so under a center-left government. As this country profile explains, Danish policymakers have pioneered policies that limit protection, including making it temporary.
Norway has transformed from a historically homogeneous society to one where one-fifth of residents are immigrants or the children of immigrants. Economic opportunities, a strong welfare state, and humanitarian commitments have been instrumental for immigration, which has been both a driver of growth and a source of debate. This article provides an overview of the history and key trends in Norway.
Federal judges have provided significant opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies during its second term. The courts have halted or slowed a number of administration initiatives, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out deportations and seeking to end birthright citizenship. This continues a trend of the judicial branch increasingly becoming the policymakers of last resort as presidents turn to executive action in the face of congressional inaction.
The ramp-up of federal immigration enforcement during the second Trump term has prompted sharp responses from state and local governments, with some limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or barring agents' wearing of masks or the establishment of immigrant detention facilities. At the same time, some Republican-led jurisdictions have embraced policies to encourage cooperation with ICE. This article traces the rise of "sanctuary" policies and divergent trends.
U.S. immigration policy, practice, and enforcement changed dramatically over the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, touching most corners of the immigration system. The government has cracked down on unauthorized immigration in the U.S. interior and at the border, expanded scrutiny of immigrants of all legal statuses, and erected barriers for would-be arrivals. This article provides a sweeping overview of the changes that have taken place and assesses their impacts.
E-Verify has been heralded as a key way to control unauthorized immigration to the United States, but federal efforts to expand the system stalled. There has been movement at the state level over the past decade, though, and there are signs it may rise in prominence again. This article details the history and challenges of E-Verify, and its limited uptake.
The number of people in U.S. immigrant detention has grown sharply under President Donald Trump and will likely continue to rise in coming months. The rapid ramp-up has relied on an array of nontraditional facilities as well as private prisons, and has been accompanied by allegations of harsh treatment and rising deaths. This article traces the growth and evolution of the world's largest immigration detention system.
