This Week in Immigration

In this week's episode of This Week in Immigration, BPC Associate Director Jack Malde interviews Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Associate Director Emerson Sprick on their new report, Has Congress Given Up on Bipartisan Immigration Reform? A Data-Driven Look at Legislation Since 2015. The report challenges the narrative that Congress has abandoned bipartisan immigration reform by analyzing hundreds of immigration-related bills introduced with bipartisan support since the 114th Congress. We explore where bipartisan interest has been strongest, which bills became law, and what the findings mean for lawmakers and advocates today. Has Congress Given Up on Bipartisan Immigration Reform? A Data-Driven Look at Legislation Since 2015: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/has-congress-given-up-on-bipartisan-immigration-reform-a-data-driven-look-at-legislation-since-2015/

This week, we're re-releasing an episode from May 2024 featuring an interview with Alexander Kustov on his forthcoming book, In Our Interest: How to Make Immigration Popular. The book was recently published on April 29, 2025, making now an opportune time to revisit the conversation. In the episode, Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Associate Director Jack Malde speak with Kustov, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, about his research on how public opinion toward immigration is formed—and whether it can be shifted. Kustov argues that the most effective way to build durable support for immigration is to adopt demonstrably beneficial policies that make voters confident their government is managing immigration in their interest. In Our Interest: How Democracies Can Make Immigration Popular - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Interest-Democracies-Immigration-Popular/dp/0231218117/

In this week's episode of This Week in Immigration, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown discusses the implications of a recent executive order that has sought to limit birthright citizenship in the United States. Immigration attorney and MacArthur Fellow Margaret Stock explains what current law says about who qualifies for U.S. citizenship, drawing on her years of experience helping U.S. citizens document the citizenship of children born abroad. She also discusses the challenges U.S. parents could face under the order and the potential financial and legal burdens it would create. Then, Jacob Hamburger, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Cornell, joins to talk about how the policy could strain state and local governments that issue birth certificates and the broader federalism issues it raises.  Protesting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship – White House Executive Order:   https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/  The Consequences of Ending Birthright Citizenship - Jacob Hamburger: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5106022  Four questions in the Supreme Court arguments in birthright citizenship cases – CNN:   https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/30/politics/birthright-citizenship-supreme-court-vladeck-analysis 

In this week's episode of This Week in Immigration, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown discusses the Trump administration's actions to rescind foreign students' status in the U.S. with two experts. Steve Springer from NAFSA explains the roles of educational institutions, students, and the government in maintaining student status and the implications of recent changes on international education in the U.S. Then, immigration attorney Charles (Chuck) Kuck talks about his lawsuit against the administration for rescinding the status of 17 students and the legal arguments involved.  NAFSA: https://www.nafsa.org/  Department of Homeland Security - Study in the States: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/  IIE Open Doors - International Students: https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/    (00:10) Intro (01:00) Steve Springer (31:20) Charles Kuck (59:06) Outro

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown interviews Associate Director Jack Malde about BPC's new report Bridging the Gap: Meeting Workforce Needs Over the Next Decade. The report uses a data-driven approach to identify the occupations and industries at the highest risk of workforce shortages over the next decade, with healthcare leading the list. Then, Jack interviews Cassandra Zimmer-Wong, Immigration Policy Analyst at the Niskanen Center, about her report investigating how immigration reform can address healthcare workforce shortages.  Bridging the Gap: Meeting Workforce Needs Over the Next Decade - The Bipartisan Policy Center: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/bridging-the-gap-meeting-workforce-needs-over-the-next-decade/   Immigration as a solution to healthcare workforce shortages – The Niskanen Center: https://www.niskanencenter.org/immigration-as-a-solution-to-healthcare-workforce-shortages/    (00:00) Intro (10:02) Bridging the Gap: Meeting Workforce Needs Over the Next Decade (25:17) Immigration as a solution to healthcare workforce shortages (1:03:14) Outro

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown sits down with Angelo Paparelli, a long-time immigration law expert, and Jeremy Neufeld from the Institute for Progress to discuss the H-1B visa lottery system. They explore the history of the lottery, recent policy changes, and ongoing reform debates, including Jeremy's proposal for a compensation-based model that prioritizes higher-paid positions. Tune in for an in-depth look at the future of high-skilled immigration policy. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown sits down with Robert Warren from the Center for Migration Studies, Jeffrey Passel from the Pew Research Center, and Jennifer Van Hook from the Migration Policy Institute to discuss methodologies used to estimate the unauthorized immigrant population, the recent trends in those estimates, and how they are used and understood (or misunderstood) in public policy debates.  Center for Migration Studies: US Undocumented Population Increased to 11.7 Million in July 2023: Provisional CMS Estimates Derived from CPS Data - https://cmsny.org/us-undocumented-population-increased-in-july-2023-warren-090624/  Pew Research Center: What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. - https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/what-we-know-about-unauthorized-immigrants-living-in-the-us/  MPI: The Unauthorized Immigrant Population Expands amid Record U.S.-Mexico Border Arrivals - https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/unauthorized-immigrant-population-mid-2023

In this week's episode, Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown sits down with Dr. Adam Ozimek, Chief Economist at the Economic Innovation Group, and Connor O'Brien, Research and Policy Analyst at EIG, to explore their latest report, Exceptional by Design: How to Fix High-Skilled Immigration to Maximize American Interests. They discuss the economic benefits of high-skilled immigration, challenge common misconceptions shaping current policy debates, and outline reforms needed to ensure the United States remains globally competitive.  Exceptional by Design: How to Fix High-Skilled Immigration to Maximize American Interests: https://eig.org/exceptional-by-design/ 

In this week's episode, Associate Director Jack Malde talks to Executive Vice President of Human Capital, Cheryl Oldham, about BPC's recently launched Commission on the American Workforce – a bold initiative to develop a national, bipartisan strategy to strengthen the workforce, expand economic opportunity, and ensure the United States remains competitive. Jack and Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown then discuss the role that immigration might play in this strategy.  BPC's Commission on the American Workforce: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/caw/  BPC's Human Capital Program: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/policy-area/human-capital/ 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown talks to Jon Baselice from the US Chamber of Commerce and Debu Gandhi from the Centre for American Progress about the outlook for immigration policy under a new Congress and presidency. They cover what we have learned so far and what we can expect under a GOP-trifecta. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Associate Director Jack Malde round up some recent news in US immigration policy from the end of 2024 and the first weeks of 2025. They discuss recent disagreements within the Republican party on H-1B visas, President-elect Trump's immigration position nominations, and where things stand on the concept of “mass deportations.” They also cover Congressional updates including potential action on immigration through the budget reconciliation process, the Congressional Review Act, and the House of Representatives passing the Laken Riley Act. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown talks to three reporters about the role that immigration played in the recent presidential and congressional elections. Theresa is joined by Myah Ward from Politico, Priscilla Alvarez from CNN, and Marianne LeVine from the Washington Post. They discuss how immigration featured in various campaigns, how pivotal immigration was in determining the election results, and how this compares to previous elections. 

In this week's episode, we're re-releasing a conversation from May 2022. The leak of the Supreme Court draft decision that would overturn the seminal Roe v. Wade abortion case has sent shockwaves through the country and raises questions and implications for other long-standing precedent Supreme Court decisions, including Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 decision that ruled that undocumented immigrant children could not be excluded from K through 12 public schools. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has expressed interest in resurrecting the case and challenging the ruling. Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney at Holland & Knight, and Melissa Lazarin, Senior Advisor for K-12 Policy at the Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, join to discuss this high-stakes court battle.

In this week's episode, we're re-releasing a conversation from November 2021. Every year millions of families across the country gather to celebrate that quintessential American holiday: Thanksgiving. It is a story of immigration. But how do the millions of recently-arrived immigrants to this country view this holiday? Theresa Cardinal Brown and Sadikshya Nepal are joined by Rachel Peric, Executive Director of Welcoming America, and several BPC staff members to discuss how families combine traditions to make this holiday their own.

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown delves into history and reality of how immigrants vote in the United States. Theresa is joined by Rachel Orey, Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center Elections Project, to discuss current legislation that defines the eligibility for voting and protects against non-citizen voting. Then, Theresa welcomes Irene Bloemraad, Professor at the University of British Columbia and Co-director of the Centre for Migration Studies, to dive into history of different immigrant groups to the United States and how they exercise their voting rights when they become citizens.  

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown discusses how immigrant rights organizations and other emergency response organizations are assisting immigrants and their families affected by recent hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as similar past natural disasters in the United States. Theresa is joined by Zach Wolgemuth, Director of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery at Church World Service (CWS), along with his colleague Mabel Hernandez, Deputy Director of Operations for the South East Region of the United States. Then, Theresa welcomes Cesar Espinosa, Co-Founder and Executive Director of FIEL (Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha), the largest immigrant-led civil rights organization in Texas, to discuss the importance of networks and immigrant leadership in supporting their communities after disasters. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown covers how DHS and USCIS are incorporating AI into their immigration work.  Theresa is joined by Paromita Shah, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Just Futures Law, who organized a letter signed by over 140 immigrant and civil rights groups to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to end the use of AI. Theresa and Jack Malde then discuss the inauguration of Mexico's first female president and the challenge of distinguishing who is legally in the United States in the current era. 

In this week's episode, we focus on the increasingly salient issue of climate migration, delving into Climate Migration Council “A Compendium on Climate Mobility”. BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown talks to Shana Tabak, the Director of Immigration at Emerson Collective and a Senior Advisor to the Climate Migration Council, and Elizabeth Ferris, Director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. We cover the issue of climate migration, the work of the Climate Migration Council, and the solutions needed.  https://www.climatemigrationcouncil.org/compendium

In this week's episode, we're re-releasing a conversation from September 2021. BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown reflects on how the 9/11 terrorist attacks reshaped our immigration system, and what it looked like before that pivotal day. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown talks to Michelle Hackman, a US immigration reporter at the Wall Street Journal, about a recent decline in border crossings and to what extent we can credit the Biden Administration and its cooperation with Mexico. Then, Theresa and BPC Associate Director Jack Malde discuss the Biden Administration's “Keeping Families Together” program which grants parole in place to certain noncitizen spouses and noncitizen stepchildren of U.S. citizens, and was implemented this week. Theresa and Jack cover how the program may work and some potential concerns.    Wall St. Journal Border Reporting: How the U.S. and Mexico Drove Border Crossings Down in an Election Year - WSJ  Parole in Place for Spouses of U.S. Citizens: Keeping Families Together | USCIS    Opening (00:00) Michelle Hackman and Border Crossing Declines (01:03) "Keeping Families Together" (42:00) Credits (01:01:20)

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown delves into new U.S. Immigration data findings, covered in recent reports by the Pew Research Center and Congressional Budget Office. First, Mark Hugo Lopez, the director of race and ethnicity research at the Pew Research Center, joins us to discuss new estimates and demographics of the foreign-born in the United States. Then, BPC Associate Director Jack Malde discusses with Theresa the Congressional Budget Office's new research on how a recent immigration surge has affected the federal budget and national economy.  Key findings about U.S. immigrants | Pew Research Center - https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/key-findings-about-us-immigrants/ Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget and the Economy | Congressional Budget Office - https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60165

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown delves into a recent Biden administration executive order that helps Dreamers get a work visa, with Dan Berger, a noted immigration lawyer, writer and speaker, and fellow at Cornell Law School. The pair discusses what new guidance on D-3 waivers means for DACA recipients and international students. Then, given President Biden's decision to not seek reelection, Jack Malde, BPC Associate Director, discusses with Theresa potential immigration policy actions under either a second Trump administration or a Kamala Harris administration.    Opening (00:09) D-3 Waivers Discussion with Dan (01:27)  Harris Vs. Trump? (31:10)

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown delves into the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn the 40-year old judicial doctrine of deference to executive agencies that has been defining American administrative law, and the impacts for U.S. immigration policy and practice. with two distinguished guests: J.D. Rackey, Senior Policy Analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center's Structural Democracy Project, to discuss the impact of the decision on the roles of the legislative and executive branches of government, and Mark Stevens, a top-rated Washington DC lawyer with expertise in immigration litigation, to explain how the SCOTUS decision changes legal practice for immigration attorneys and their clients.  

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown delves into the recent Mexican presidential election and its implications for U.S. immigration policy with three distinguished guests. Joining us are Andrew Selee, President of the Migration Policy Institute, José Díaz Briseño, a U.S.-based reporter for the Mexican newspaper REFORMA, and Pulitzer-prize winning freelance journalist, Emily Green. We discuss Claudia Sheinbaum, the first female president-elect of Mexico, what her election might mean for cooperation at the U.S.-Mexico border, and what changes in migration dynamics we can expect going forward. Together, they take us through the changing landscape of U.S.-Mexico relations and its implications for binational relations, immigration, and border policy. 

In this week's episode, BPC Associate Director Jack Malde interviews the Director of BPC's Congress Project John Richter and BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown about a recent bipartisan visit to the southern border. The visit, arranged as part of BPC's American Congressional Exchange (ACE) program, brought six members of Congress to the border to better understand the urgent challenges and opportunities for bipartisan cooperation on U.S. immigration and border policy. Theresa then chats to one of the members, Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), about her thoughts on the trip and what she learned from it.   The Bipartisan Policy Center's American Congressional Exchange Program: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/project/american-congressional-exchange/  ACE Crosses the Border and Party Lines in Arizona and Nogales, Mexico: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/ace-immigration-and-border-visit/  00:00 Intro 00:58 John Richter and Theresa on ACE Trip 34:22 Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) and Theresa on ACE Trip  

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown talks with Michael Clemens, professor of economics at George Mason University, who has studied the economic causes and effects of migration all over the world. His latest research, based on detailed examination of border crossing data, shows that offering more lawful pathways to immigrants reduces unlawful border crossings. We also talk about the importance of good data for examining immigration policy and how traditional understandings of the linkages between migration and development may not be correct.   Michael Clemens Bio: Economics | Faculty and Staff: Michael A Clemens (gmu.edu)  PIIE Article: Offering more lawful pathways for US border crossings reduces unlawful crossings | PIIE  Journal of Economic Perspectives Article: Economics and Emigration: Trillion-Dollar Bills on the Sidewalk? - American Economic Association (aeaweb.org) 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Associate Director Jack Malde chat with Jason Wendle, an expert in migration and labor mobility. We speak about various initiatives that Jason is involved in that facilitate migration from lower-income to higher-income countries by increasing the use of existing migratory pathways. Such initiatives can benefit those on the move, the countries that welcome them, and the countries they (often temporarily) leave behind, without the need to change immigration law.  The Migration Opportunity: https://globaldevincubator.org/initiative/the-migration-opportunity/  Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP): https://lampforum.org/  Malengo: https://malengo.org/  Talent Mobility Fund: https://www.talentmobility.fund/ 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde chat with Alexander Kustov, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. We discuss Professor Kustov's research on how we might, or might not, be able to shift public opinion in the United States to increase support for immigration. One promising approach, that will be the subject of Professor Kustov's forthcoming book “In Our Interest: How to Make Immigration Popular”, is adopting demonstrably beneficial policies that make voters confident their government is managing immigration in their interest. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde chat with Camille Mackler, the Founder and Executive Director of Immigrant ARC (I-ARC), a collaborative of over 80 legal service providers in New York State. I-ARC works with community leaders, legal service providers, state and local governments, law enforcement agencies, and Federal agencies and policymakers to ensure immigrants have access to a fair and efficient immigration system. We discuss I-ARC's beginnings, the challenges it faces, its work helping newly arrived immigrants get work permits, and how federal, state, and local governments can help.  Read more about I-ARC: https://www.immigrantarc.org/ 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde chat with Michael D. Lumpkin, the Chief of Staff for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or “ICE”. We discuss the missions of ICE, the various challenges facing ICE including budgetary constraints, and its efforts to address the unprecedented number of arrivals at the US-Mexico border. We also discuss the importance of technology and innovation in ICE's operations and Mr. Lumpkin's views looking forward. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde discuss the role that recent high levels of immigration have played in driving the economy. They then welcome BPC Associate Director Emerson Sprick to discuss the role that increased immigration can play in securing Social Security solvency. 

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde do a deep dive into the claim, made by several Republicans, that President Biden can use his executive power to solve the border crisis without Congress.  

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde chat with Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Francis Torres, a Senior Policy Analyst in Housing Policy at BPC, about homelessness in the U.S. We cover the scale of the issue, its causes, the extent to which immigration has exacerbated the issue, and the vital solutions needed.  

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown talks us through the recent failed bipartisan border deal. Then, Theresa and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde chat to Policy Analyst Arianna Fano about a new BPC report examining the barriers immigrant families face in the take-up of tax credits. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are crucial anti-poverty tools but many individuals in need—including a disproportionate share of eligible immigrants—do not claim these credits for a variety of reasons. We also chat to BPC Associate Director Emerson Sprick who tells us about a recent bipartisan tax bill that includes an expansion of the Child Tax Credit.  Bipartisan Policy Center report: Pathways to Prosperity  Bipartisan Policy Center blog: Barriers to Tax Credit Education and Take-Up Among Immigrant Communities  In this episode: (00:00) Introduction (01:17) The (Failed) Bipartisan Border Deal (09:58) BPC's Report On Immigrant Access To Tax Credits (31:00) The Recent Bipartisan Tax Bill (38:35) Outro

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown chats with Mark Hetfield, President & CEO at HIAS and Claire Holba, an Immigration Policy Fellow at the Niskanen Center, about the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. Mark tells us about the experience and challenges of refugee resettlement agencies on the ground, while Claire dives into the data around the Resettlement Program, highlighting something of a recent revival in its fortunes. Niskanen Center: New data confirms that the U.S. rebuilt the refugee resettlement program HIAS – Welcome the stranger. Protect the refugee.  

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown runs through the latest negotiations on Capitol Hill for a potential border security deal. If Congress fails to reach a deal, we could see a government shutdown. Then, Theresa and BPC Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde interview Lindsay Milliken, an immigration fellow at the Institute for Progress, who is lead author of a new report detailing a data-driven method to identify workforce shortages and update DOL's Schedule A Shortage Occupation List. Institute for Progress Research Report: Help Wanted: Modernizing the Schedule A Shortage Occupation List In this episode: (00:00) Opening (01:10) Theresa on the latest negotiations on border security (18:33) Lindsay Milliken on workforce shortages and Schedule A

In this week's episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown chats with three exceptional national and local immigration reporters to understand what it's like to cover immigration at a time of rising migration, increased humanitarian challenges, and a polarized political climate. Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News, Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post and Uriel Garcia of the Texas Tribune take us through their experiences covering national and local immigration developments over the past year, both on the ground and from a distance. Listen to hear all about the policy, politics, and humanity of covering immigration in the United States. 

In this week's episode, new host Jack Malde chats with four Distinguished Immigration Scholars at Cornell Law School on their new white paper “Immigration Reform: A Path Forward”. Stephen Yale-Loehr, Randel Keith Johnson, Charles Kamasaki, and BPC's very own Theresa Cardinal Brown take us through important reforms to border management and asylum policy, worker programs, and DREAMer protections. While large, comprehensive immigration reform is unlikely to move forward in Congress soon, certain targeted reforms are both urgently needed and potentially achievable. Cornell Law School Migration & Human Rights Program: Migration & Human Rights Program - Cornell Law School  Cornell Law School Immigration Reform: A Path Forward white paper: Cornell-immigration-white-paper-10-5-23.pdf 

In this week's episode, guest host Theresa Cardinal Brown and BPC Senior Policy Analyst Jack Malde discuss BPC's new report which quantifies the tremendous economic benefits on offer if Congress were to act to clear green card backlogs. Then, Theresa and Jack discuss new projections from the Census Bureau which show that the U.S. population is set to begin declining in the second half of this century, underlining the importance of immigration for continued growth and prosperity.

In this week's episode, host Hanadi Jordan and Theresa Cardinal Brown unpack President Biden's recent Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the efforts of the administration to attract and retain AI talent. Then, we rebroadcast clips from a past interview with economist, veteran and scholar Tim Kane, who speaks about why America is “The Immigrant Superpower” (the title of his book) and how immigrants are vital for our national security.

Economic Policy Program Director and former OMB official Rachel Snyderman joins podcast host Hanadi Jordan and Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown to discuss President Biden's border wall plans and whether he was legally obligated to expand the wall under appropriations allocated in 2019.  Then, Theresa covers the ACLU-Biden Administration's settlement with the ACLU in a class action lawsuit over parent-child separations under then-President Trump's “zero tolerance policy.”

Given recent efforts in Congress to avoid a government shutdown, this episode we are revisiting Episode 141 of This Week in Immigration, where Theresa Cardinal Brown and Laura Hall of BPC Action walk through the federal government's budget and appropriations process, how the immigration system is funded, and what happens in a government shutdown. 

In this week's episode, host Hanadi Jordan and Theresa Cardinal Brown discuss the federal government's lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbot over anti-migrant buoys and the growing tensions between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Biden administration concerning migrant arrivals. Then, the pair discuss what a government shutdown means for DHS.  

Declining birth rates and an aging population present a serious demographic problem for the U.S. with long-term economic consequences. BPC Research Analyst Justis Antonioli and Associate Director of Economic Policy Ben Gitis join the podcast to discuss BPC's latest report, The Demographic Transition: An Overview of America's Aging Population and Immigration's Mediating Role, which examines research on the role of immigration in strengthening the labor force and supporting the economy. Then, podcast regular Theresa Cardinal Brown breaks down the Justice Department's lawsuit against Space X over discriminatory hiring practices.

On today's episode, we feature audio from our most recent event on challenges with the current legal immigration system and potential pathways for reform. Moderated by Bloomberg Law's Andrew Kreighbaum, Jon Baselice with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Martin Kim with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, David Bier with Cato Institute, and Dip Patel with Improve The Dream assess issues raised by the system's current status quo and share their best ideas for reform.

In this episode we welcome Representative Salud Carbajal to tell us all about his bipartisan bill, the Protect Patriot Parents Act, which would make parents of U.S. military service members eligible for green cards, preventing potential deportations or separations of military families. After this, podcast regular Theresa Cardinal Brown breaks down the latest border numbers and recent Biden administration restrictions on who is eligible to apply for asylum.

To mark a very special podcast milestone—our 150th episode—podcast regular Theresa Cardinal Brown sits down with Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) to discuss the Dignity Act. Then, Theresa and host Hanadi Jordan reflect on six years of the podcast. Featuring clips from some of our favorite episodes, we cover the highlights, the challenges, and hopes for the future!

In this edition, Julie Stufft, deputy assistant secretary for visa services at the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the State Department, walks listeners through life in visa services. Joined by podcast regular Theresa Cardinal Brown, Stuff covers her career in the State Department, current challenges in visa services, and recent reports of State Department efforts to streamline visa applications for Indian nationals.

Having trouble keeping up with key immigration litigation? This latest episode of TWII has you covered with another edition of The Gavel! Joined by podcast regular Theresa Cardinal Brown, Cornell Law Professor Steve Yale-Loeher breaks down the Supreme Court's latest decision to uphold the Biden administration's deportation priorities in U.S. v. Texas. Then, both podcast guests walk listeners through upcoming cases concerning the future of the DACA program and the administration's new asylum restrictions.

To mark graduation season, we're covering immigrants and higher education this episode. Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, joins to discuss the Presidents' Alliance and the concerns of higher education institutions regarding immigrant students and scholars. Then, podcast regular Theresa Cardinal Brown provides an update on the border post-Title 42, and why the numbers of encounters aren't what many predicted.

Today, we sit down with Jon Baselice, vice president of immigration policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to discuss the Chamber's recently launched LIBERTY campaign which calls for both border and legal immigration reform. Then, as we start summer and all the activities that go along with it, podcast regular Theresa Cardinal Brown walks listeners through who seasonal workers are, the visa process these workers rely on, and challenges in meeting the workforce needs of seasonal employers.