Navigating the Migration Crisis: Insights for Foreign Journalists Covering the Situation in the U.S.

The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA) hosted an educational program on February 23 titled “Navigating the Migration Crisis: Insights for Foreign Journalists Covering the Situation in the U.S..” The event examined the current reality, discussed essential data and labor market trends and the challenges of covering the migrant crisis during an election year.

The program’s main lecturer was David J. Bier, the associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. He is an expert on legal immigration, border security, and interior enforcement. 

Bier’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and many other print and online publications. The U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal appeals courts have cited his research and writing. Bier has testified before committees in the United States House and the United States Senate on several occasions.From 2013 to 2015, Bier drafted immigration legislation as a senior policy adviser for Congressman Raúl Labrador, then a member and later the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

This event was moderated by journalist Patrícia Vasconcellos, who is the White House and State Department correspondent for the Brazilian TV network SBT, Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão, where she has reported on numerous international events. A former TV anchor and Latin America correspondent, she is currently based in Washington D.C. covering American politics. An award-winning documentarian, Patrícia directed the short film Curfew in NYC which received prizes of best short documentary and best director from both the New York Film Awards and the New York International Film Awards. She is an active jury member of the New York Movie Awards and served as member of the Grand Jury of the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards in 2022, 2023, and 2024. She is a Chevening Alumni and holds a Masters degree in TV Journalism (Goldsmiths College, University of London). Patrícia is a member of the Club of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA Club). In 2021 she won the Professional Excellence Prize Award from the AFPC-USA.

AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this educational program. Below, readers will find a summary of some of the most important takeaways from the presentation.

ON THE CURRENT REALITIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN THE U.S.

• Bier delves into the complexities of illegal immigration, primarily focusing on the metric of border patrol arrests. He notes a significant increase in arrests compared to prior administrations, even after a 50% reduction from December to January. Bier attributes the surge to economic factors, specifically the surge in job openings in the United States, indicating a correlation between economic conditions and illegal immigration rates.

• Bier emphasizes a novel aspect of the current situation, highlighting that illegal immigration has become a global phenomenon, involving individuals from various parts of the world. This contrasts with previous administrations that primarily dealt with Central American or Mexican migration.

• He points to changing visa policies in Nicaragua affecting Cuban migration and the Venezuelan diaspora contributing to the complexity of the issue. He says: “There are a lot of different reasons for why that happened, but… now [the Biden administration is] dealing with not just Central Americans, not just Mexicans like the Bush administration, not just Central Americans like the Trump administration. They're dealing with a worldwide phenomenon, which is unlike any we've seen in American history.”

ON WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM CURRENT IMMIGRATION STATISTICS

• Bier explained that the analysis compares the overall number of immigrants, encompassing both legal and illegal, based on Census Bureau data. The data indicates that in 2022, the immigrant population was 2 million below the Census Bureau's 2017 prediction. 

• While smaller surveys suggest an increase in the immigrant population, the Trump years marked a period of stagnation in the immigrant population, with a subsequent uptick under the next administration due to the elimination of restrictions on legal immigration. Illegal immigration remains a significant part of the overall immigration story, but it is not the sole factor. The Census Bureau is expected to provide updated data for 2023 in September.

• He observes: “It's not terribly shocking that we would see this a bit of an uptick under the next administration, particularly with it eliminating a lot of the restrictions on legal immigration that were imposed by the last administration, so I think that’s a big part of the story.”

ON WHAT FOREIGN JOURNALISTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF BEFORE COVERING THE MIGRANT CRISIS

• Bier stresses the importance of foreign journalists relying on direct firsthand accounts of both immigrants and border patrol agents to gain a comprehensive understanding of the migrant crisis.

• While acknowledging the significance of data and statistics, Bier underscores the role of journalism in interpreting the driving forces behind trends at the border. He suggests that the perceptions of immigrants play a crucial role in border arrivals and advocates for more in-depth reporting on immigrants' direct experiences, including detailed timelines of their journeys.

• He says: “I think there's too little reporting on what happens to immigrants, their direct experience, really detailed accounts of what they went through in terms of timeline. ‘I was here, I went here when I was in custody, this is what happened. I went from this place to the next place.’ Those are the types of things that from a research perspective are really lacking.”

• Bier points out a lack of granularity in current reporting, encouraging a focus on subjective aspects and behind-the-scenes government actions that may not be quantifiable.

ON CATO INSTITUTE STATISTICS EXAMINING HOW IMMIGRANTS FILL LABOR MARKET NICHES

• Bier highlights the current situation with nearly 9 million job openings, emphasizing the significant role immigrants play in filling these positions across various skill levels. He notes that immigrants contribute to an uplift in the overall labor market participation rate for native-born workers, creating complementarity in different job sectors.

• The influx of immigrants, according to Bier, has led to a reduction in wage inequality, debunking concerns about negative consequences on wages. However, he acknowledges challenges faced by some immigrants, particularly those released from border patrol custody who are unable to legally work immediately.

• Bier points out the variation in integration experiences based on nationality, with Mexicans and northern Central Americans having better support networks for entering the labor market compared to other groups like Venezuelans, South Americans, Africans, and Chinese. In regard to the lattermost groups: “They're more likely to win their asylum cases, so they have more of a reason to follow the process that's been laid out, but also it means that they have less ability to support themselves while they're here initially.”

ON RECENT TRENDS REGARDING MIGRANTS IN THE LABOR MARKET

• The notable trend in recent years involves a surge in immigration to southern states, particularly the Southeast, where significant job growth is occurring. This shift, according to Bier, is crucial economically and regionally in the United States. However, it has also triggered political backlash, especially in areas with limited historical experience with immigration, like the South.

• Bier highlights that until the 1960s and the Civil Rights Act, the South did not experience the current level of immigration, making it a relatively new phenomenon. The economic symbiosis between job creation and immigrant labor has both positive and challenging social and political implications. He observes: “It's a mutually beneficial arrangement, but it certainly has social and political ramifications too that are leading to a lot of the politics in Washington, D.C. right now.”

ON WHETHER U.S. LAWS ARE HELPFUL IN FACILITATING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION TRENDS

• Bier emphasizes that existing laws offer minimal insight into the complex dynamics of legal and illegal immigration trends. The immigration system heavily relies on executive discretion, regulations, subregions, and memos, making it challenging to predict outcomes based solely on the written laws. For instance, family-sponsored immigration has a fixed cap that hasn't changed in 33 years, yet millions of people wait for years despite the visa issuance not reaching the cap.

• Employment-based immigration faces similar challenges, with outcomes often influenced by unpredictable demographic trends. Bier stresses that understanding the broader context and individual country-level factors is crucial, citing examples like Venezuela's refusal of deportation flights due to severed international relations. The intricate interplay of logistical factors and policy implementation requires detailed journalism to unravel the backstory behind immigration policies. 

• He says: “There are so many different factors that go into a number and go into enforcing or implementing the laws that that's why you do need journalism: to explain in detail the backstory for a lot of these policies and implementation procedures that come about through logistical factors and others that are really beyond the scope of something that could be written into a law. 

ON THE CHALLENGES JOURNALISTS FACE COVERING THIS TOPIC DURING AN ELECTION YEAR

• Bier underscores the challenges in reporting on immigration, given the abundance of misleading information, half-truths, and inaccurate data. The administration, he notes, engages in a delicate balance, simultaneously implementing unprecedented enforcement measures and releasing individuals to comply with detention limits. The narrative becomes distorted, both from the administration and its critics, leading to a public misunderstanding of the policies' real impact.

• Bier gives the following example, noting that the release of individuals with electronic surveillance devices is framed as a pro-immigrant move, whereas he emphasizes the tracking and deportation implications. He urges a focus on facts and the actual effects of policies on affected individuals, cautioning against manipulated narratives.

• As a recommendation to foreign journalists, Bier highlights the underreporting of those seeking legal entry from their home countries. These individuals, still in the process of seeking legal pathways, receive minimal coverage compared to those who have already arrived. 

• Bier believes that shedding light on the stories of those waiting for visas or contemplating their next steps is crucial for policymakers' understanding and influencing decisions, providing valuable insights for shaping future immigration policies in the United States.