Few policy areas have seen less durable progress over the last thirty years than migration. Repeated attempts to negotiate a grand bargain on immigration have failed, and the issue is widely considered a “third rail” of American politics. The issue has only festered, becoming a top concern for voters over the last three U.S. presidential election cycles. We see today how profound and far-reaching the consequences of current federal immigration policies can be: Even amid multiple global conflicts and a trade war, the Trump administration’s defiance of court orders and deployment of National Guard troops as part of its mass deportation policy are so far providing the most significant test of the rule of law.

While the Trump administration has fulfilled its campaign promise to bring border encounters down to historic lows—accelerating a downward trend that began in the closing months of the Biden administration—it has done so by presenting a false choice to the American people, suggesting we cannot continue to be a land of opportunity and also have a secure border.1 The administration has cast most immigrants as “criminals” or “terrorists”, despite clear evidence to the contrary.2 And it has weaponized immigration enforcement to create a culture of fear, not only among non-citizens but even by targeting those who might come to immigrants’ defense. With a few notable exceptions, the administration seems intent on cutting off most legal migration options, including for those who could fill labor gaps in the U.S. and those fleeing persecution, conflicts, or natural disasters.3 Far from learning lessons from the family separation policy, which provoked widespread outrage during President Trump’s first term, his administration seems intent on going further and faster this time around.

If recent history is any indicator, the pendulum of public opinion is likely to swing back again (in fact, recent polling suggests opinion is already shifting against the Trump administration’s approach). And when it does, there may be a narrow window of opportunity to tackle the underlying problems that have plagued the U.S. for decades. Seizing that moment will require a better understanding of what does and does not work to devise policies that advance the full range of U.S. interests at stake—economic, moral, and strategic. This paper seeks to draw lessons from the Biden administration’s approach—both its progress and its pitfalls—to help shape more balanced federal immigration policies.

Read the full article about federal immigration policy by Marcela Escobari and Alex Brockwehl at Brookings.