Global migration and immigration patterns as we knew them shrunk in 2020. Two years later, as pandemic-precautionary measures lift, global leadership evolves, and international conflict arises, immigration patterns and policy remain ever changing. Here is a look at what immigration and refugee patterns look like around the world today. In an analysis of data from several countries, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) found that in 2020 the United States was the top destination for international migrants. This data is not to be confused with that which ranks destinations most sought out by refugees and asylum seekers - Turkey tops those charts, according to MPI. According to Pew Research, immigrants account for more than 13% of the United States’ population, with more than 40 million people living in the United States having been. born outside the country. In 2018, Mexico was the top origin country of immigrants in the United States. In both the context of asylum and non-asylum cases, both push factors (like war, conflict, and persecution) and pull factors (like better opportunities) are at play. Keeping an eye on current affairs is crucial to understanding changes in immigrations, like sudden surges in asylum seekers and consequent refugee crises around the world. The war in Ukraine, for example, which has dominated headlines since its commencement, is credited with creating one of the worst refugee crises in recent history. More than 5 million have fled the country since the start of the war in February this year, according to the UN — a number that continues to grow as conflict progresses. Regime changes in Afghanistan and political unrest in Venezuela and Nicaragua, for instance, are other examples of what causes global migration. As political climate changes and conflict carries on, immigration policy takes sudden shifts. DHS’s response to the war in Ukraine included an initiative called Uniting for Ukraine, which provides a “pathway for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily in a two-year period of parole.” Meanwhile, southern states including Florida and Texas continue busing hundreds of migrants from countries including Mexico and Venezuela to so-called northern sanctuary destinations, where local and state governments are making migrant intake a “priority”.
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Michael G. Ibrahim, Esq.
Founder & Principal Attorney — Ibrahim Law Office
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DePaul University College of Law
J.D., 2013
Certificate in Public Interest Law
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A. Political Science & International Studies, 2010
Benjamin Hooks Public Interest Law Scholar
Editor, Journal for Social Justice — DePaul University
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