Center for Migration Studies of New York

On International Migrants Day, we join the global call for policy reforms that keep families together.

Restrictive and punitive immigration policies, from mass deportations to restrictions on refugee programs, exacerbate the issue of migrant family separation. When families are able to stay together, children are safer, and adults can put down roots to build stable, meaningful lives.

Did you know? In 1936, Catholic leaders created the Committee for Catholic Refugees from Germany (CCR), believing they were responding to a temporary refugee crisis caused by Na**sm.

Instead, the CCR went on to operate for three decades, becoming a national leader in refugee childcare from the 1940s through the 1960s before being incorporated into the National Catholic Welfare Conference (now the US Conference of Catholic Bishops).

Today, refugee admissions are highly politicized. The US plans to admit only 7,500 refugees per year, a historic low, despite high levels of global displacement echoing the 20th-century.

Explore CMS’s new JSTOR archive collection, which preserves this history of Catholic refugee care at a time when its lessons are pressingly needed.

https://buff.ly/vKoIy3c

It's no surprise that New York is a city of immigrants, with over 3 million foreign-born residents. But some of the facts in our new data brief might still surprise you.

Swipe to find out the top five languages spoken, the three most common jobs immigrant New Yorkers hold, and how long, on average, immigrants have lived in New York City. 🗽

Read the full data briefing on our website! ➡️ https://buff.ly/TGhzsiB

A new study finds that legal uncertainty, weak institutional support, and limited access to care contribute to high rates of mental health issues for migrants in the transit countries of Albania & Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The research, published in the Journal on Migration and Human Security, calls for psychosocial support to become a central part of how countries handle asylum and migration.

📖 Read the full article by Elsida Sinaj, Ilir Xhebexhia, and Kristaq Xharo of European University of Tirana via the link in the bio.

Reviewing the cases of over 200,000 refugees admitted during the Biden administration, who have already been vetted and live in the United States, betrays our country's values of welcome and fairness. CMS urges members of Congress to oppose this cruel proposal.

📊 New data on 3.1 million immigrant New Yorkers finds that mass deportation policies threaten to break up the families of nearly one million people.

As federal immigration enforcement targets American cities, the safety and stability of New York City's immigrant communities are under threat. CMS found that:

➤ 1 in 3 New Yorkers is foreign-born
➤ Nearly 1 million (950,000 people) live in mixed-status households
➤ 142,000 US citizen children have an undocumented parent

🔗 Read the full data briefing: https://buff.ly/uj3UsJY

This Monday, CMS convened our 2025 Academic & Policy Symposium, Witness to Hope: Promoting Just & Humane Migration Policies.

Whether our attendees came from nonprofits, academia, or government, one sentiment was shared: The scale of change in immigration policy this year has been staggering.

With profound challenges facing immigrants and refugees in the US and globally, this moment calls us to gather together to strengthen our shared capacity through cross-sector learning and sharing strategies for change.

Thank you to our speakers for contributing their valuable time and expertise, and to all our in-person and virtual attendees for joining us!

⏰ Last chance to register for our annual Academic & Policy Symposium, Witness to Hope: Promoting Just & Humane Migration Policies! Meet some more of the leading experts who will speak on immigration policy, from the history and future of US immigration law to strategies to advance immigrant rights globally.



📅 Register for in-person or virtual access today via the link in bio!

⏰ Last chance to register for our annual Academic & Policy Symposium, Witness to Hope: Promoting Just & Humane Migration Policies!

Meet some more of the leading experts who will speak on immigration policy, from the history and future of US immigration law to strategies to advance immigrant rights globally.

📅 Register for in-person or virtual access today! https://buff.ly/UPhPPqh

📣 Just two weeks to go until our annual Academic & Policy Symposium, Witness to Hope: Promoting Just & Humane Migration Policies!

Meet some of the leading experts who will speak on pressing migration policy issues, from the history and future of US immigration law to strategies to advance immigrant rights.

📅 Register for in-person or virtual access today via the link in comments!

The Trump administration has capped US refugee admissions at 7,500, with a stated focus on resettling white Afrikaners from South Africa.

Learn more about the history of the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which has welcomed more than 3 million people fleeing persecution and conflict since 1980, and has historically enjoyed bipartisan support.