Newsletters
Narrowing the Gates to Asylum By Dr. Katrina Burgess, Director of the Henry J. Leir Institute, and Professor of Political Economy at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University and Kudrat Dutta Kontilis, Vice Chair, San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission. (We are very grateful to Felipe Navarro for his feedback on earlier drafts.) In this piece, Burgess and Kontilis discuss the challenges faced by asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border due to the restrictive measures retained or adopted by the Biden administration. These measures include continued reliance on Title 42 to expel migrants (until May 2023), an Asylum Processing Rule (APR) to streamline the asylum application process, a Circumvention of Lawful Pathways (CLP) Rule to limit asylum eligibility, and a Securing the Border Rule (SBR) to suspend the right to request asylum between ports of entry. The article highlights how these rules have negatively affected asylum seekers by lengthening their wait times in Mexico, reducing their access to legal representation, and limiting their ability to claim credible fear. While acknowledging the urgency of addressing the U.S. immigration court backlog, the authors call for a more humane and effective asylum system that can adjudicate claims efficiently without denying protection to those who need it. Read more of Dr. Katrina Burgess and Kudrat Dutta Kondilis article here:
How the Inter-American Court Could Advance Protection for Climate-Displaced Individuals By Felipe Navarro, Policy & Advocacy Manager at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS) and Fletcher School, MALD ’15. In a piece published in Just Security, Felipe Navarro discusses protection for climate-displaced individuals in the context of cross-border displacement. The piece draws from an amicus brief that the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS) filed in collaboration with partner organizations and academics to inform the Court’s upcoming advisory opinion on the “Climate Emergency and Human Rights.” It includes insights from Navarro’s preparation for his participation in the April public hearings in Barbados, held as part of the process of the advisory opinion by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR). Read more of Felipe Navarro’s article here:
To our alumni and friends, I am pleased to announce a new practice of publishing our spring newsletter on World Refugee Day to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been displaced from their homes. In this spirit, I am dedicating my letter to the millions of ordinary people who are making a meaningful difference against overwhelming odds. Their efforts are allowing a few rays of sunshine to break through the storm clouds of violence and oppression.
City Governments as Humanitarian Actors: Learning from the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees By Samer Saliba, Director of City Practice at the Mayors Migration Council and Senior Fellow at the Henry J. Leir Institute In this piece, Samer Saliba uses the urban theory lens to illustrate how cities can help offer displaced people access to citizenship. He states that “the increasing number of forcibly displaced seeking safety and opportunity in cities creates an opportunity for citizenship and agency; not national citizenship, but urban citizenship.” He views “city governments [as] capable humanitarian actors who view refugees not as a problem to be solved, but citizens of their cities, entitled to the same rights and privileges as any other resident.” Read more of Samer Saliba’s article here:
Mediterranean Corridors – Tracing the Footsteps of Organized Crime Groups (OCGs) in Migrant Smuggling Article for the April, web edition of Praxis The Fletcher Journal of Human Security, By Aristedis Bouras In his article for Praxis, Aristedis Bouras analyzes migrant movements on the Mediterranean Sea. “The Mediterranean, known for its historical significance, now witnesses the plight of thousands seeking safer shores, only to encounter dangerous journeys.” After describing the dangers awaiting migrants during their journey across, Bouras writes: “As the Mediterranean continues to bear witness to one of the most significant movements of people in modern history, the stories of those who traverse its waters are a testament to both human desperation and resilience. The need for informed, compassionate, and effective policies has never been more critical.” Read more of Aristedis Bouras article here:
Programs
Digital Portfolios of the Poor (DPP) is a multi-year, multi-country project aimed at creating better digital financial products for the poor by understanding how emerging technologies are viewed, used, understood, and perceived in low-income settings, particularly among women.
Disrupted Mobilities is a multimedia project inspired by the Leir-sponsored 2019 documentary, Waylaid in Tijuana, that explores the intersecting effects of blocked asylum, deportation, and restricted cross-border movement in communities along the US-Mexico border.
Hopes, Fears, and Illusions (HFI) examines how U.S.-bound migrants assess risk and process information along their journeys to the U.S.-Mexico border through in-depth field work with migrants on the move in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico.
Journeys Project (JP) examines migrant stories to better understand the costs and strategies involved in their journeys as well as the economic approaches they use when putting down roots in new surroundings.
The Leadership in Migration Initiative (LMI) has as a primary goal to establish a comprehensive understanding of migration leadership through global best practices and real-world experiences, fostering constructive dialogues on effective leadership in this domain.
The Refugees in Towns (RIT) promotes understanding of the migrant/refugee integration experience by drawing on the knowledge and perspectives of refugees themselves as well as local hosts.
Leir Briefing Room
Migration and human security, simplified. Three-minute briefs written by the Fletcher School's expert faculty and home of the Leir Migration Monitor newsletter. It centralizes the Leir Institute's research and analysis for practitioners and policymakers, providing clear, concise information on migration and human security. For clear, concise foundational content, start here.
