U.S. Department of State

"Advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system."

- United States Department of State Mission Statement

"The two units within the State Department that deal with migration management are the Bureau of Consular Affairs and its considerably smaller cousin, the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Both are headed by Assistant Secretaries."

- David North, CIS Fellow

Visa Waiver Program

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

Refugees and Asylum

Content type

Publication Type

Author

Reports: State Department to Revoke Nonimmigrant Visas for Asylum Applicants

What happens next to aliens who apparently lied to gain ‘lawful’ admission to the United States

Topics: Asylum, Nonimmigrant Visas

What We Know vs. What We Can Infer About the Ameaka Case

Foreign aid, a foreign residence requirement, presence washing, and an airport arrest

Topics: Asylum, J-1 Nonimmigrant Visa Program

‘The Promise’ of the Refugee Convention?

As UN recommits to the 1951 treaty, Critics Call for Reform

Topics: Refugees and Asylum

DHS Issues New Rule to Alleviate Affirmative Asylum Backlog

Asylum officers can now refer some cases to immigration court without conducting interviews

Topics: Asylum, Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

SCOTUS Reaffirms U.S. Sovereignty in ‘Border Asylum’ Decision

Simply put, the laws don’t require us to let aliens in to seek asylum

Topics: Supreme Court Decisions on Immigration Policy, Asylum

DOJ: Immigration Court Asylum Grants Plummet

Credit policy changes under Trump II and blame a lack of initial screening under Biden

Topics: Immigration Courts, Asylum

BIA States the Obvious: Admitting You Lied in the Past Doesn’t Make You Credible Today

Appellate board gives a quick tutorial on how IJs should make credibility determinations — and how not to.

Topics: Immigration Courts, Visa Fraud, Asylum

DHS Seeking $255k Civil Fine Against Lawyer in Fraudulent Asylum Case

An expansion of ‘briefcase enforcement’, and shady practitioners — and their clients — should beware

Topics: Visa Fraud, Asylum, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Two SCOTUS Victories: One for Trump on TPS, the Other for the English Language on Asylum

The ‘TPS case’ and the ‘asylum entry case’ are in; only the ‘birthright citizenship case’ remains

Topics: Supreme Court Decisions on Immigration Policy, Asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

On Asylum, the Legislature Needs to Legislate

The D.C. Circuit Is right. Congress can — but the executive branch cannot — curtail aliens’ statutory right to apply for asylum

Topics: Asylum