Immigration and Migration | Council on Foreign Relations

Crossing the Darién Gap

Hundreds of thousands of migrants risk their lives each year to cross the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama. Images from along the journey show the dangers they face.

by Diana Roy and Sabine Baumgartner Jul 22, 2024

Tough New Immigration Rules Risk Empowering the Cartels

Tight restrictions on asylum and parole will drive migration further underground, where criminal groups profit.

Post by Will Freeman Jan 16, 2024

Acts of Privation

Feeling stuck and unheeded, young Nigerians are increasingly resorting to all manner of desperate measures.

Post by Ebenezer Obadare Jan 18, 2024

United States

How the U.S. Asylum Process Works

Asylum has become a central part of the U.S. immigration debate in recent years after border crossings reached a record high in fiscal year 2023. Here’s how the asylum process works.

Backgrounder by Diana Roy February 19, 2025
Cuba

Can the United States Send Undocumented Immigrants to Guantánamo Bay?

The Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants includes a plan to transport potentially thousands to Guantánamo Bay. It is likely to spur international condemnation and a range of legal challenges.

Expert Brief by John B. Bellinger III February 4, 2025
Mexico

Destabilizing Mexico Would Make the U.S. Less Safe and Wealthy

Trump’s revival of his punitive immigration playbook will overwhelm Mexico’s overburdened state, sandbag regional economic growth and enrich criminal cartels.

Article by Shannon K. O'Neil January 28, 2025 Latin America Studies Program

Experts in this Topic

Edward Alden

Senior Fellow

Border and Port Security

U.S.-Mexico Relations

Over the course of two hundred years, the United States and Mexico have developed rich diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties but at times clashed over borders, migration, trade, and an escalating drug war.

Timeline by Diana Roy and Brianna Lee January 24, 2025
United States

U.S. Postwar Immigration Policy

Immigration has been an important element of U.S. economic and cultural vitality since the country’s founding. This interactive timeline outlines the evolution of U.S. immigration policy after World War II.

Timeline by Brianna Lee and Diana Roy January 21, 2025 Renewing America
Donald Trump

Trump’s Executive Orders: What to Expect

President-elect Trump has promised to commence his new term with an expansive array of executive actions, some of which could have immediate effects on U.S. foreign policy.

In Brief by Jonathan Masters and Diana Roy January 17, 2025

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire, Trump’s First Immigration Moves, Russia’s and Iran’s New Partnership, and More

Israel and Hamas reach a cease-fire deal aimed at exchanging hostages and prisoners while seeking a longer-term pause in fighting; the incoming Donald Trump administration weighs ambitious moves on immigration; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign off on a twenty-year partnership agreement; and students in Serbia protest violations of civil rights.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins January 16, 2025 The World Next Week
United States

Trump's Immigration Policy, With Edward Alden (Transition 2025, Episode 9)

Edward Alden, senior fellow at CFR and co-author of When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Trump's proposed immigration policies and their likely effects on the economy. This episode is the ninth and final episode in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Edward Alden January 14, 2025 The President’s Inbox
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: A U.S. Territory in Crisis

The Caribbean island, which shares a close yet fraught relationship with the U.S. mainland, faces a multilayered economic and social crisis rooted in long-standing policy and compounded by natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, migration, and government mismanagement.

Backgrounder by Diana Roy and Amelia Cheatham January 8, 2025
Public Health Threats and Pandemics

When the World Closed Its Doors

A detailed exploration of the most sweeping government border closures in human history during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for the future of global mobility.

Book by Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman January 7, 2025
United States

Here Are the U.S. Immigration Terms to Know

The U.S. immigration system is complex, consisting of various laws, policies, and programs. Here’s what to know about immigration under a second Trump administration.

Article by Diana Roy January 3, 2025
France

What Does France’s Political Instability Mean for Europe?

The fall of the French government, along with political uncertainty in Germany, has upped the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron amid growing European tensions over migration, Ukraine, and energy policy.

Expert Brief by Matthias Matthijs December 17, 2024 Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy
International Law

Trump Has Promised Swift, Bold Actions as President. Will They Be Legal?

Donald Trump could take several early actions as president that could draw legal scrutiny, including on immigration, climate, and security policy.

Article by John B. Bellinger III November 20, 2024 U.S. Foreign Policy Program
Immigration and Migration

An Immigration Debate Worth Having

The best immigration policy is one that helps developing countries hold on to their best.

Post by Ebenezer Obadare November 12, 2024 Africa in Transition
Election 2024

How Does Immigration Affect the U.S. Economy?

Presidential candidates Harris and Trump differ sharply on the benefits of immigration for the U.S. economy. What role do immigrants play?

In Brief by Diana Roy October 30, 2024