Center for Immigration Studies

Department of Justice Moves Against Sanctuary Jurisdictions

“Immigration Enforcement is an Essential Part of Law Enforcement”

Attorney General William Barr announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would be taking a variety of new actions against sanctuary jurisdictions.

He spelled out a series of options, from lawsuits to debarment from funds to potential criminal prosecution under the harboring provisions of federal law.

DHS Blocks New Yorkers from Trusted Traveler Programs

State Driver’s License Law Creates National Security Concerns

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf announced on Wednesday the termination of eligibility for enrollment and re-enrollment in Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) for residents of New York.

It was important for the Department to act due to significant public safety, national security, and document integrity concerns stemming from the state’s new driver’s license law.

DHS Announces Expansion of Travel Restrictions

Citing national security interests, DHS announces new travel restrictions for six countries, to take effect February 22nd. DHS and State Department officials say that as many as 12,400 immigrant visa applicants could be affected (based on 2018 issuances from those countries), but of course there will be waivers.

CIS Reports From America's Other Southern Border: Guatemala-Mexico

CIS Senior National Security Fellow Todd Bensman traveled to Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. A primary purpose was to assess the impacts of President Donald Trump's policies to slow the 2018-2019 mass illegal immigration from Central American countries through that key chokepoint to the American southern border.

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Immigration Blog

Authorities Confirm Criminals Traveling in U.S.-Bound Caravans

The El Salvador-based Joint Border Intelligence Group said migrants with criminal backgrounds from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala infiltrated the latest migrant caravans to evade arrest from their home country and to commit further crimes in Mexico and the United States.

Topics: Migrant Caravans

U.S. Was the Number-One Refugee Resettlement Country in the World in 2019

And most likely will be in 2020, as well

New UNHCR data from 2019 shows that the U.S. remains the top country for refugee resettlement. Furthermore, just like in previous years, the vast majority of refugees referred by UNHCR for resettlement in third countries were not the most vulnerable or in urgent need of relocation. This contradicts the UN refugee agency's constant claims that resettlement is a "life-saving tool", a "critical lifeline" for refugees that needs strengthening.

Topics: Refugees

DOJ Creates a New Civil Denaturalization Prosecutions Unit

Where will the cases come from, if DHS agencies are not on board?

This is a positive step toward correcting the abuse of our citizenship process by terrorists, sex offenders, war criminals, and others. But to be successful, this initiative will require cooperation and coordination with both ICE and USCIS.

Topics: Fraud and Immigration, Assimilation and Citizenship

The Public Charge Rule Is Hardly a 'Wealth Test'

It's a self-reliance test

How such a misleading name as "wealth test" entered the political lexicon is not clear, but it seems to have emerged in 2018. Back then, media reports attributed the term to immigrant activist groups. In a development that will shock no one, the media eventually adopted it as their standard description of the public charge rule.

Topics: Costs of Immigration, Media Coverage of Immigration Policy