Report: Migration at the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Challenge Decades in the Making

A new Migration Policy Institute report, co-authored by former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Alan Bersin, recounts the history of the U.S. government’s efforts to strengthen southwest border enforcement in the modern era. The report, Migration at the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Challenge Decades in the Making,identifies key developments in the evolution of southwest border control and lessons learned that may inform the next phase of the federal government’s southwest border strategy.

The report argues that policymakers and political leadership must recognize how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mission has evolved, how vital inter-agency partnerships are to the success of border management operations and how the transnational phenomenon of irregular migration requires international partnerships that stretch beyond the border itself (most particularly the need for a durable and effective U.S.-Mexican partnership).

The authors note that Congress has not made significant reforms to U.S immigration law in decades, even though border security has been among the most politically visible and contentious issues dating to the 1990s and multiple migration crises have confronted each of the five presidencies since then. 

KJ