This week’s episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast delves into the Insurrection Act, its historical uses, and whether it could legally authorize the use of the military to assist in the arrest and removal of illegal aliens.

The Insurrection Act allows presidents to deploy federal troops not only in cases of insurrection but also when federal law can’t practicably be enforced through conventional means. The Posse Comitatus Act, which many point to as preventing such a use of troops, is not the obstacle many assume it is.

President Trump so far has only tasked troops with protection of federal facilities and agents, but, if he chooses to exercise it, he does have authority under the Insurrection Act to put them to work actually enforcing immigration law.

“The Insurrection Act has been invoked by leaders of both parties to protect civil rights and to enforce federal law. President Trump would have ample justification to use the Insurrection Act to allow the U.S. military to assist with large-scale deportation efforts,” said podcast guest George Fishman, Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and former Deputy General Counsel at DHS.

Historical precedent:

Over the past more than 200 years, presidents have relied on the Insurrection Act to deal with some 30 crises.

Presidents of both parties have relied on the Insurrection Act: Grant to suppress the early KKK, Cleveland to protect Chinese immigrants, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson to enforce civil rights for African Americans, Bush to restore order during the 1992 LA riots.

Misconceptions about the Posse Comitatus Act (PCA):

The PCA does not apply where Congress has explicitly authorized military use — such as under the Insurrection Act.

Immigration enforcement today:

• More than 15 million illegal aliens are in the U.S.
• 3.6 million backlog in immigration court.
• 1.4 million aliens have final removal orders, yet remain at large. 
• Millions of removable aliens were released by the Biden administration, and ICE has no knowledge of their location.
• ICE has only 6,000 officers to manage enforcement nationwide.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies

Guest

George Fishman is the Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies

Related

Don’t Fear the Insurrection Act

President Trump Doesn’t Need to Invoke the Insurrection Act — He Already Has

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, joins Parsing Immigration Policy for a wide-ranging discussion of immigration enforcement, voter integrity, and state-federal cooperation.

A key national voice on immigration issues, Kobach shares with host Mark Krikorian insights into the practical and legal efforts that states like Kansas are taking to combat illegal immigration.

Highlights include:

Illegal Population in Kansas

• An estimated 90,000 to 100,000 illegal aliens reside in Kansas, many working in industries like construction.

State-Federal Law Enforcement Cooperation

• Kansas was among the first two states to sign 287(g) cooperation agreements with ICE.
• ICE has only 15,000 agents for interior enforcement – insufficient for mass removals. Kobach emphasized that under 287(g) the daily “net” cast by local officers provides the eyes and ears for federals agents.

Legal Advocacy & Litigation

• DACA Challenge: Kobach represented ICE agents in early litigation against President Obama’s DACA program.
• Obamacare Benefits Case: Led a multi-state coalition to stop illegal aliens from receiving Affordable Care Act benefits and received a victory from the 8th Circuit.
• Census Litigation: Currently leading a multi-state effort to exclude illegal aliens from the census for purposes of congressional apportionment. Including illegal aliens and those here on temporary visas causes “all kinds of constitutional problems.”

Election Integrity

• Former vice chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity under the first Trump administration.
• As Secretary State of the State of Kansas, Kobach implemented strict voter ID laws, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
• Warns that illegal immigrants voting dilutes the votes of U.S. citizens.

E-Verify

• Private businesses in Kansas are not required to use E-Verify, but the agencies and contractors under the Attorney General are mandated to use it for new hires.
• Broader E-Verify bills have not been enacted due to a strong business lobby in the state.

NSEERS (National Security Entry-Exit Registration System)

• This was a post-9/11 system designed by Kobach when he was at the U.S. Department of Justice to stop the terrorist threat posed by the ease of getting a temporary visa and overstaying that visa.
• Whenever an alien from a high-risk terrorist country overstayed a temporary visa, he was flagged so that local law enforcement across the country could arrest him during any routine stop.
• The INS system led to 1,500 arrests of Pakistani illegal aliens, and caused the self-deportation of an estimated 15,000 more.
• Went into effect in 2002, but President Obama cancelled the program. If it were still in effect, the recent attack by a visa overstayer in Colorado might have been stopped.

In today’s commentary, Krikorian, the Center’s executive director, highlights a corporate-backed push – championed by Agriculture Secretary Rollins – to exempt certain sectors from immigration enforcement. President Trump briefly embraced it, triggering swift backlash from the base and within the administration. The move was quickly reversed, but serves as a reminder that pro-unlimited immigration forces remain active, even within the GOP. Eternal vigilance is essential to ensure that immigration policy forces employers to hustle for workers – not the other way around. A tight labor market is in the national interest.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies

Guest

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Related

287(g) Program: A Force Multiplier for Immigration Enforcement

A Preventable Terrorist Attack: NSEERS never should have been cancelled

Attorney General of Kansas Website

Kris Kobach personal website

That Was Fast

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

The Center for Immigration Studies releases a new podcast episode focusing on the 287(g) program, an ICE initiative that empowers and trains local law enforcement to help identify and detain illegal aliens involved in criminal activity. The Center’s director of policy studies Jessica Vaughan joins host Mark Krikorian to explain how the program works, why it matters, and what’s next.

Highlights include:

• What is 287(g)?
  • A federal program established in 1996 that deputizes state and local law enforcement officers to perform certain ICE functions under ICE supervision.
• The Three Models:
  • Jail Enforcement Model – Officers in the jail have access to DHS databases to investigate the immigration status of inmates, conduct interviews, and even start the deportation process by issuing charging documents.
  • Warrant Service Officer Model – Officers serve ICE warrants and can detain and transport aliens to ICE custody.
  • Task Force/Street Model – Officers can identify and detain aliens encountered during routine police work. In addition, agencies can address specific crime problems related to illegal immigration, such as drug or human trafficking, gangs, or identity theft, but this model has not yet been reinstated by the Trump administration.
• Training & Oversight:
  • Officers receive ICE training in immigration law and civil rights protections. Agreements are regularly audited to prevent abuse of authority.
• Policy Shifts:
  • Under Biden: No new agreements accepted, funding cut, most existing agreements terminated; at the end of his term only 43 active agreements were still in effect.
  • Under Trump & Post-2024: Program rapidly expanding – now 635 agreements in 40 states, with Texas and Florida mandating statewide participation.
• Why It Matters:
  • 287(g) is a force multiplier that helps areas underserved by ICE or in areas where the criminal alien caseload exceeds ICE’s resources, ensuring criminal aliens don’t slip through the cracks.

In today’s commentary, host Mark Krikorian, the Center’s executive director, highlights the return of the “Maryland man,” Kilmar Abrego Garcia, to face federal prosecution. What can be learned from the legal battle and the coverage and reaction to the case?

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies

Guest

Jessica Vaughan is the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Related

Learn more about 287(g) program at ICE.gov

The 287(g) Program: Protecting Home Towns and Homeland

Biden Administration Changes ICE’s 287(g) Page and Admits There is a Hold on Program

We Are All Less Safe: Biden Targets ICE Law Enforcement Program

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Is Back — to Face Federal Prosecution: Key takeaways from the grand jury indictment and the AG’s press conference

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

With foreign student visas at Harvard and elsewhere in the news, today's episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features Andrew Arthur, the Center for Immigration Studies fellow in law and policy, providing a crash course on the subject. He explains the foreign student admissions process, the responsibilities of schools certified to enroll foreign students, and recent policy issues. With over one million foreign students studying (and working) in America, this episode covers the national security implications of not having proper knowledge of who is being brought in and what they are doing while in the U.S.

Key topics covered:

Admissions Overview

• The role of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)
• Student's Application to SEVP-certified institutions.
• Issuance of Form I-20 upon acceptance.
• Visa application at U.S. consulates.
• Which branch controls visa issuance?

Role of Designated School Officials (DSOs)

• A DSO plays the role of a "deputized immigration officer."
• Monitoring student status via SEVIS.
• Reporting changes in enrollment or course of study.
• Conflict of interest? Balancing institutional responsibilities with immigration compliance.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

• Students working under the OPT program are still on student visas.
• Will these students lose their ability to be employed as cheap labor?

Policy Challenges

• Why did the Trump administration revoke Harvard University's SEVP certification?
• Potential impact/lack of impact of the District Court's temporary restraining order (TRO).
• Impact on other schools.

In today's commentary, Mark Krikorian, podcast host and executive director of the Center, highlights today's main illegal immigration challenge: visa overstays. He cites the recent Colorado attack committed by a visa overstayer as an example of the importance of action and describes some of the solutions which are in the reconciliation bill.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies

Guest

Andrew Arthur is the Resident Fellow of Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Related

DHS Pulls Harvard’s Student-Visa Certification Authority 

Controversial DHS Program Allows Foreign Students to Train in Sensitive Fields 

There Are 1.5 Million Foreign Students in the United States (and Over a Third Have Work Authorization) 

Not all illegal-alien criminals are border-jumpers

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

In this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Senior Legal Fellow George Fishman explains that verifying Social Security numbers could be the solution to two issues: States’ need for tools to help identify those eligible to vote in the United States and DHS’s need for tools to uncover employers who are knowingly employing illegal aliens.

Voter Eligibility Verification

Executive Order: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will be giving states and localities the ability to check SSNs of individuals registering to vote and those already on the voter rolls to verify citizenship.

History: Fishman reflects on his role in proposing this idea nearly three decades ago as part of the 1997 Voter Eligibility Verification Act. 

How it will work: State and local governments will be given access to federal databases through an upgrade of USCIS’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system to confirm citizenship.

Employment Eligibility Verification

No-Match Letters: Although the administration has not announced any action on re-instating “no-match” letters, the SSA could revive the practice of notifying employers when a worker’s Social Security number doesn’t match the name listed in the SSA’s database.

History: The episode covers the history of no-match letters, including their origins, past implementations, and abandonment by the Obama and Biden administrations. 

Policy Recommendations: Fishman recommends that SSA resume issuing no-match letters and DHS reissue its regulations instructing employers that they may be found to know that they are employing illegal aliens if they don’t take certain actions upon receipt of no-match letters.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies

Guest

George Fishman is the Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Related

The Trump Administration is Empowering States to Verify Voters Citizenship

“Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections”

Reviving No-Match Letters: A powerful tool against illegal employmentIs the Harvard TRO Likely to be Effective?

DHS Pulls Harvard’s Student-Visa Certification Authority

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

In this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Todd Bensman, the Center’s Texas-based Senior National Security Fellow, discusses his experiences at the Center as he prepares to depart for a new role working with Border Czar Tom Homan. Bensman and host Mark Krikorian reflect on his nearly seven-year tenure at the Center, focusing on his firsthand experiences with border issues, extensively documented in two books authored while at the Center.

Growing out of field research for the Center in Latin America and his graduate studies at the Naval Postgraduate School, Bensman’s first book, America’s Covert Border War, addressed the national security challenges of the border, specifically focusing on “special interest aliens” – i.e. illegal border-crossers from countries where jihadist terror groups operate.

Bensman’s second book, Overrun, is a history of the Biden border crisis, based also on numerous visits to Mexico and Central and South America, where he interviewed hundreds of migrants, officials, aid workers, and others. Bensman uncovered the CBP One program during its pilot phase, prior to its public disclosure, shed light on UN funding for illegal immigration, and provided on-the-ground reporting during significant events such as the Del Rio migrant crisis and the lead-up to the end of Title 42.

In his closing commentary, Krikorian weighed in on the recent admission of several dozen Afrikaners from South Africa into the United States as refugees, highlighting facets of the issue not addressed in most media coverage.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies

Guest

Todd Bensman is the (soon to be former) Senior National Security Fellow.

Related

Benman’s Author Page

Bensman's Video Playlist

America's Covert Border War: The Untold Story of the Nation's Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration

Overrun: How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History

Afrikaners: Persecuted Refugees or White-Privileged Aliens?

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

This week's episode of Parsing Immigration Policy focuses on the re-opening of ICE’s Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office. Originally established by the Trump administration in 2017 to provide critical support to victims and families affected by crimes linked to illegal immigration, the VOICE office was shut down by the Biden administration, but has been reinstated by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
Image



Guest host Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, is joined by two parents who lost their children to crimes committed by illegal aliens. They share their personal stories and experiences, highlighting how the VOICE office provided them with support and resources.

• Don Rosenberg, President of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime (AVIAC), whose son Drew was killed by an unlicensed illegal immigrant in a hit-and-run crash.
• Tammy Nobles, mother of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old autistic woman who was raped and murdered by an MS-13 gang member illegally present in the U.S.

Vaughan then highlights Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's warning to federal highway fund recipients: comply with federal immigration law or risk losing funding. On his list of public safety concerns: states that issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia presently issue licenses to this population.

Rosenburg, the president of AVIAC and an activist focused on unlicensed drivers and road safety, discusses his research into the impact of this policy, stating that there is no evidence that providing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens improves road safety. In fact, he shares data showing that fatal crashes rise, as do hit-and-runs, in the first few years after such a policy is implemented.

Host

Jessica Vaughan is the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guests

Don Rosenberg, President of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime (AVIAC), whose son Drew was killed by an unlicensed illegal immigrant in a hit-and-run crash.

Tammy Nobles, mother of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old autistic woman who was raped and murdered by an MS-13 gang member illegally present in the U.S.

Related

Victims and Their Families Finally Get a VOICE

Silencing VOICE: Despite being shuttered by Biden, the need for ICE's victim-assistance office is greater than ever

VOICE website

AVIAC: Advocates For Victims of Illegal Alien Crime

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

In this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, guest host Jessica Vaughan, the Center’s director of policy studies, discusses the intersection of immigration policy and municipal finance with Ed Grebeck, a veteran credit market risk expert. About one-third of all municipal bonds issued in 2024 and outstanding through 2024 are from sanctuary jurisdictions, concentrated in large cities and states, such as California, New York, and Massachusetts.

Vaughan and Grebeck explore the fiscal implications of sanctuary policies and the need for comprehensive risk assessment in municipal finance. The absence of truly objective bond ratings or comprehensive risk assessments for sanctuary jurisdictions may place investors, particularly individual investors, who own a significant share of this market, at a disadvantage. Sanctuary policies can impose significant burdens on taxpayers, potentially affecting a municipality's fiscal health and its ability to meet financial obligations. Key discussion points include:

• Why are credit ratings important?
• Do sanctuary policies compromise a city's creditworthiness?
• Why might credit rating agencies overlook political risks associated with sanctuary jurisdictions?
• How does the influx of illegal immigrants strain public resources and affect taxpayers?
• Would legislative measures, like Rep. Nancy Mace's "No Tax Breaks for Sanctuary Cities Act", address these concerns?

In the closing commentary, Vaughan presents the findings from her most recent report on sanctuary jurisdictions, identifying the states and localities that have the most egregious non-cooperation policies leading to the release of tens of thousands of criminal aliens.

Host

Jessica Vaughan is the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guest

Ed Grebeck is a veteran credit market risk expert.

Related

Sanctuary Map

Which Sanctuary Jurisdictions Have Released the Most Criminals

No Tax Breaks for Sanctuary Cities Act

Contact Details for Ed Grebeck

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

This week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features a discussion of a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies, which reveals that both immigrant and U.S.-born women are having fewer children than they did 15 years ago. Based on data from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, the report finds that although immigrant women continue to have somewhat higher fertility rates than their U.S.-born counterparts, the gap is small.

Guest Steven Camarota, the Center's Research Director and co-author of the report, highlights a critical reality: Immigration, while adding to population growth, does not significantly slow the aging of the population or reverse declining birth rates.

The podcast's second guest, Center Resident Scholar Jason Richwine, provides some evidence that immigration may actually reduce the fertility of the U.S.-born, reducing or potentially erasing immigration's small positive impact on overall U.S. fertility.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guests

Steven Camarota is the Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Jason Richwine is a Resident Scholar at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Related

The Fertility of Immigrants and Natives in the United States, 2023

Jobs Americans Will Do: Just About All of Them

Immigration in Trump’s First 100 Days

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

The Center for Immigration Studies hosted a panel discussion examining how immigration is used as a political, economic, and strategic tool by governments, non-state, and sub-state actors worldwide. Whether through mass migration crises, policy-driven border surges, or the manipulation of refugee flows, immigration has become a powerful geopolitical weapon and a means of waging hybrid warfare. Examples have included Cuba’s use of the Mariel boatlift in 1980 or the more recent efforts by Belarus to coordinate illegal immigration to the EU.

This panel explored the concept of immigration warfare – how immigration is leveraged to gain political leverage; influence legislation, elections, and the economy; shape public opinion; and even destabilize a country. Discussion also covered how nations can respond to this growing challenge. The discussion is an activity of the International Network for Immigration Research (INIR), a collaboration among independent policy organizations on three continents sharing the perspective that each sovereign nation has the right to pursue its chosen immigration policies.

Mark Krikorian, the Center’s executive director and host of Parsing Immigration Policy, moderates this rebroadcast of the Center's panel.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guests

Viktor Marsai is the Director of the Migration Research Institute in Budapest.

Phillip Linderman is a Retired senior Foreign Service officer from the State Department and a Board Member of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Eric Ruark is the Director of Research of Numbers USA.

Related

Panel Press Release

Panel Video

Panel Transcript

C-Span Coverage

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".