On April 25, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case with significant implications for immigration policy and enforcement well beyond the immediate statute at issue. Arizona v. United States is a challenge to much of the state enforcement scheme of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (S.B. 1070), which…
President Barack Obama commented on Univision radio that, with a second term, he would get immigration reform “done.” The last attempt at immigration reform occurred in 2007 when President George W. Bush failed due to the perception that his Administration did not take border security and interior enforcement as seriously…
Despite the announcement of reasonable administrative reforms, the Obama Administration continues to pursue a deeply flawed approach to solving America’s immigration challenges. Its repeated attempts to deal with illegal immigrants here before securing the border, strengthening interior enforcement actions, and reforming the visa system remain counterproductive. …
On December 7, President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper released the “Beyond the Border Action Plan.” Following on a declaration issued by both nations’ leaders in February, the action plan lays out a joint vision to enhance security and accelerate the flow of people and goods between the…
Last month, President Obama announced that the 1,200 U.S. troops working security on the Mexican border will stay through the end of the year. More than 17,000 border patrol agents are on duty along the 2,000-mile border,…
Rolling south across the Lincoln Juarez International Bridge, the 2009 Honda CRV looked much like all the other vehicles headed for Mexico. Who knew there was $300,000 in cash stuffed behind the dashboard? Certainly not the Customs and Border Protection officers who pulled the Honda over…
President Obama and the cast auditioning to replace him represent opposing caricatures of bad border security strategy. Mr. Obama, for his part, tries to look tough on border and immigration enforcement, while simultaneously signaling that he will do everything possible to ensure that illegal border crossing becomes a potential ticket…
Abstract: Based on recommendations by the 9/11 Commission, the REAL ID Act sets minimum legal requirements for driver’s licenses and other state-issued identification. Several of the 9/11 hijackers had obtained at least 30 pieces of state identification, including multiple driver’s licenses. Most states have…
Executive Summary Getting the national homeland security enterprise right is among the most difficult challenges in Washington because the problems in protecting the homeland are rooted in overcentralization, pervasive complacency, and entrenched politics—problems that often cause Washington…
Recently, Senator Robert Menendez (D–NJ) introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011, which would grant legal permanent residence status to the nearly 11 million illegal immigrants present in the United States. In addition, the bill’s language also fully incorporates the DREAM Act and the AgJobs Act, providing two further…
Abstract: Over the past 10 years, traversing the U.S.–Mexico border illegally has become increasingly dangerous for would-be immigrants. Illegal immigrants face kidnapping, murder, and rape at the hands of violent drug cartels and ever more ruthless human smugglers. Crossing treacherous desert areas exposes the…
Abstract: Mexican drug cartels virtually rule large parts of Mexico, with violence and murder spilling across the U.S. border. In 2009, the death toll reached a high of more than 9,000. While…
On March 21, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano introduced a new component of the E-Verify system called Self Check. This free, voluntary service would allow individuals to log in to a system to verify their immigration status and address any problems with their work status, including outdated information or…
Abstract: The President’s budget request would maintain homeland security funding at current levels, but the budget request would increase funding for several programs that add little additional security while cutting others that could significantly enhance U.S. homeland security. Congress should use the budget process…
THE ISSUE: For far too long, the United States has failed to enforce its immigration laws. Its visa system does not adequately serve the needs of the economy, legal immigrants, or U.S. citizens. Cartel violence and continued illegal immigration along…
Abstract The U.S. military force structure envisioned by the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review and the President’s FY 2012 budget request is inadequate to protect vital U.S. national interests. After the “procurement holiday” during the 1990s and the wear and tear…
Just three months after the Senate immigration bill met its well-deserved end, amnesty advocates in the U.S. Congress resumed their efforts. Recently, Senator Richard Durbin (D–IL) announced on the Senate floor his intention to offer the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors…
The Obama Administration has claimed that the southern border is secure because apprehension rates for illegal border...…
Last night, NBC Nightly News continued its series “Mexico: The War Next Door.” In its latest segment, NBC highlighted...…
Following last week’s GOP presidential debate, the phrase “red card” has been thrown around quite a bit. No, we’re not...…
Congress is at it again. Earlier this month, Representatives Bennie Thompson (D–MS), Edward Markey (D–MA), and Sheila...…
How goes the battle for the border? Heritage Foundation Latin American specialist Ray Walser and I spent some time on...…
Will securing our US-Mexico border solve our country’s entire illegal immigration problem? Of course not, but neither...…
Lawmakers are still scrambling to agree on a debt deal. The newly rewritten plan by Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is...…
Yesterday, the Obama Administration released its new Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy. This strategy leaves...…
In case we needed any more signs that President Obama’s re-election campaign has started, today’s immigration speech in...…
The President gave a speech this afternoon where he expressed the need to fix America’s broken immigration system. He...…
Deputy Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies