Two Years of Immigration Policy Under President Obama

Today, the Immigration Policy Center released DHS Progress Report: An Analysis of Immigration Policy in the Second Year of the Obama Administration. In its second year under the Obama Administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—which is responsible for the nation’s three immigration agencies (USCIS, CPB, and ICE)—continues to struggle with its competing missions of providing immigration benefits and enforcing immigration laws, all within the context of an outdated and broken immigration system. Over the past year, while waiting for Congress to act, the Administration has increased its emphasis on enforcement and deportation and denied its ability to provide administrative relief.

The report finds that, while DHS has made significant progress in some areas, there is much room for improvement. The report recommends that DHS act in line with its own stated priorities and exert its executive authority to bring about much-needed reforms that can be done in the absence of Congressional action.

In March 2010, the Immigration Policy Center released DHS Progress Report: The Challenge of Reform, an analysis of immigration policy in the first year of the Obama Administration using recommendations made to the Obama Transition Team’s immigration policy group. Now, one year later, the IPC is taking another look at DHS’s record over 2010, analyzing both its progress and its shortcomings. The report and its recommendations focus on three broad themes: Prioritization, Transparency, and Coordination.

KJ