Usually it is the receiving countries that play the dominant roles in immigration policy discussions.

But that is not the case right now in Iraq.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has issued an unusual appeal, saying to France, in effect, "Let my people stay." He is asking the West not to accept Christian Iraqi refugees, despite the recent Muslim violence against them.

The Prime Minister's pitch came in the wake of a bloody attack by Muslim extremists on a Christian church in Baghdad. The initial attack and the police action that followed killed 53 people. Read more...

The recent Politico story entitled "Hispanic vote a 2012 wild card" does not present a very attractive picture of "Hispanics." It presents them as having a narrow, self-interested focus on the almost total advancement of their group in the immigration process with little regard to the possible needs of other groups or the United States more generally. Read more...

The State of Washington, one of a handful of states that issues driver's licenses to illegal aliens, took a baby step today to limit – but not eliminate – such issuances.

According to an Associated Press report, Washington, along with New Mexico and Utah, issues licenses to illegal aliens, but starting today Washington State will insist on a proof of in-state residency if the applicant does not provide a "verified" Social Security number (SSN). Read more...

From time to time I have suggested that some other nations have great immigration policy ideas, as in the case of Australia's linkage of population and migration policies touched on in an earlier blog.

But this is not always the case.

Belize (the former British Honduras) presents an excellent example this week of how not to shape an immigration policy. Read more...