Parsing Immigration Policy

A new episode of  Parsing Immigration Policy  examines the controversy surrounding foreign truck drivers and the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). It also offers policy recommendations for the U.S. Department of Transportation and Congress to address safety and labor concerns in the trucking industry. The episode features Gord Magill, a third-generation truck driver an...

A new episode of the Center for Immigration Studies’ podcast examines Venezuela, U.S. foreign policy, and the immigration consequences that follow intervention abroad. Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies, and George Fishman, senior legal fellow, discuss whether recent U.S. actions in Venezuela could reshape migration flows, and whether legal tools such as the Alien Enemies Act still apply...

In a special year-end episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Executive Director Mark Krikorian is joined by CIS Director of Policy Studies Jessica Vaughan and Fellow in Law and Policy Andrew Arthur for a comprehensive review of one of the most consequential years for U.S. immigration policy in modern history and a forecast of what to expect in 2026. The discussion examines a sweeping series of exe...

A new Center for Immigration Studies podcast episode examines the real-world consequences of immigration and public safety policies through the story of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old college student killed by an illegal alien in a DUI hit-and-run crash in the sanctuary state of Illinois. Guest host Marguerite Telford, the Center’s Director of Communications, speaks with Joe Abraham, Katie’s father,...

This week’s episode features Megan Basham , culture reporter for  The Daily Wire  and author of  Shepherds for Sale: How evangelical leaders traded the truth for a leftist agenda , to discuss her reporting on how major philanthropic networks, political groups, and federal funding streams have shaped the policy positions of several large evangelical institutions on immigration issues such as open b...

This week’s Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features another  panel discussion  from the third annual conference of the International Network for Immigration Research (INIR), convened recently in Washington. The three speakers each discuss various types of lawfare affecting the enforcement of immigration laws in the U.S. and European countries. Matt O'Brien, Deputy Executive Director at the Fed...

In the latest episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies, sits down with Mahvash Siddiqui, a U.S. Foreign Service officer, to discuss systemic fraud in the H-1B visa program. Speaking in her private capacity, Ms. Siddiqui shares firsthand experiences from her time as a consular officer in Chennai (Madras), India – one of the world’s largest H-1B visa-process...

This week’s Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features a panel discussion from the third annual conference of the International Network for Immigration Research (INIR), convened recently in Washington. Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, and Yonatan Jakubowicz, Director of the Israeli Immigration Policy Center, offer contrasting perspectives on how to fix the...

This week’s episode of the Center for Immigration Studies’ Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features Jennie Taer, reporter for The Daily Wire, discussing how illegal immigrants are obtaining non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) – leading to tragic consequences on America’s roads. Highlights: Fatal consequences: A string of deadly crashes involving illegal immigrant has drawn attenti...

This week on Parsing Immigration Policy, Simon Hankinson, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, discusses his new book,  The Ten Woke Commandments You Must Not Obey . Two of the book’s chapters focus on immigration: “You Shall Have No Borders” and “You Shall Have No Nation.” In the episode, Hankinson explains why the idea of the nation-state is fundamental to civilization and how the...

This week on Parsing Immigration Policy, Jessica Vaughan, the Center’s Director of Policy, unpacks the ongoing tension in Chicago, as federal and local law enforcement agencies continue to clash over illegal immigration and crime. The Trump administration launched Operation “Midway Blitz” in September, sending ICE, Border Patrol, and other federal agents into the Chicago area in an effort to enfor...

This week's Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features expert analysis of two major immigration actions recently announced by President Trump: a new $100,000 entry fee for H-1B visa-holders and the creation of a “Gold Card”. The discussion, recorded live at a recent CIS event, features George Fishman, senior legal fellow, and Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy. The H-1B V...

This week’s Parsing Immigration Policy podcast examines the Trump administration’s initiative to temporarily detail military lawyers -- Judge Advocates General (JAGs) -- to serve as temporary immigration judges, with the first group beginning training this week. Host Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, is joined by Andrew Arthur, the Center’s fellow in law and...

This week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features Katie Lam, Conservative Member of Parliament for Weald of Kent and a Shadow Home Office Minister, who brings a British perspective on the pressing issue of immigration. Since 1974, the UK’s immigration system has been marked by broken promises to the voters and rising numbers – despite repeated pledges to reduce migration. Net migration ha...

The latest episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features the audio of a recent sit-down between Executive Director Mark Krikorian and Michael Banks, Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. During an in-depth discussion, Chief Banks touched on the current state of border security, including apprehension numbers, maritime illegal immigration, northern border challenges, gotaways, recruitment e...

The latest episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features the audio of a recent sit-down between Executive Director Mark Krikorian and Joseph Edlow, the newly confirmed Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In a wide-ranging discussion, Edlow laid out his priorities for the agency — from strengthening fraud detection to reforming visa programs and restoring int...

Florida has become a national leader in immigration enforcement, and this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features an in-depth conversation with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on the state’s high-profile role. Attorney General Uthmeier discusses Florida’s measures to enforce immigration law, protect public safety, and collaborate with federal agencies. Highlights include: Det...

The latest episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features Elizabeth Jacobs, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, discussing USCIS’s updated guidance on discretion in immigration benefits. Key Points: Beyond “Not a Criminal”: New USCIS policy updates require officers to engage in a more holistic analysis of whether naturalization applicants demonstrate “g...

A new episode of the Center for Immigration Studies podcast features Director of Litigation Julie Axelrod discussing the current status of the Center’s landmark National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) lawsuit, a new CIS case filed in Texas, and the recent “Alligator Alcatraz” litigation. Axelrod explains how the Trump administration is handling the remedy phase of Massachusetts Coalition for Immi...

This week’s episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features a wide-ranging conversation with recently retired Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, who served for 30 years and led the agency during the worst border crisis in history. Owens speaks with the Center’s Executive Director Mark Krikorian about the evolution of the Border Patrol over its 100-year history, past lessons learned, and f...

In the latest episode of the Center for Immigration Studies podcast, Executive Director Mark Krikorian speaks with Scott Mechkowski, retired Deputy Field Office Director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York. With experience at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its predecessor agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), Mechkowski offers an inside...

The Center for Immigration Studies has released a new podcast examining the findings of a recent report, The Foreign-Born Population at the State and Regional Level, 1850 to 2025. The report shows that the foreign-born population – defined as anyone not a U.S. citizen at birth – has reached record levels at the state and regional levels. While the Center regularly highlights national-level immigra...

The Center for Immigration Studies is proud to release the latest episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, featuring the opening statements from our 2025 congressional testimony. Since January, CIS experts have testified seven times before the U.S. House and Senate, appearing before committees on Homeland Security, Oversight, and Judiciary. These opening statements reflect the breadth of CIS experti...

The latest episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, the Center for Immigration Studies' podcast, delves into the role of immigration detention in U.S. enforcement efforts. Hosted by Mark Krikorian, the discussion features insights from Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and the Center’s Fellow in Law and Policy, who stresses that detention is required to ensure integrity of the immigration sy...

In the latest episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast, host and the Center’s executive director Mark Krikorian sits down with Gaby Pacheco, an Ecuador-born “Dreamer” and President and CEO of TheDream. US . Krikorian, a long-time critic of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Pacheco, now an American citizen, discuss the history and politics of the Dream Act and DACA. Opport...