May 8, 2023 Dear John, With the looming end Thursday of the pandemic-era Title 42 authority that has resulted in more than 2.8 million expulsions at U.S. borders, a new policy vision is taking shape. The Biden administration has set the stage for a dramatic rethink of the U.S. approach to migration management at the U.S.-Mexico border and within the broader Western Hemisphere, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) President Andrew Selee writes in a new commentary. There are three central tenets to the post-Title 42 strategy: (1) identifying more of those with humanitarian protection needs before they reach the border; (2) expanding access to lawful pathways for legal entry; and (3) creating a more orderly process at the border that over time restores credibility in the immigration system. Central to this strategy is the establishment of Regional Processing Centers across Latin America that will help identify people with protection needs and provide information and processing assistance to access legal pathways to the United States and other countries. Whether this turns out to be a workable system depends on coverage and reach within countries of the region, the number of beneficiaries, and the ability to process cases in a reasonable timeframe while keeping applicants safe. “If it succeeds, this approach could represent a quantum leap forward for border management, restore credibility to the immigration system, keep those who seek protection from having to set out on often dangerous journeys, and give other would-be migrants information and access to existing legal pathways so fewer turn to smugglers,” Dr. Selee writes. However, he adds: “Each component part of this design must be built, mostly from scratch, and there are inherent tensions and potential pitfalls in each that make getting there fraught and challenging.” I commend this timely commentary to your attention: www.migrationpolicy.org/news/regional-processing-centers-post-title-42-strategy. For more of MPI's work on U.S. immigration policy, click here. And for more on reimagining asylum in an increasingly bordered world, click here. Best regards,  Michelle Mittelstadt
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Migration Policy Institute | 
