The Center For Free Emigration

Germany's Berlin Wall fell over a decade ago, but numerous other Berlin Walls enslave millions across the world in the form of prohibitive emigration policies. While cognizance is high with regard to human rights abuses such as censorship and religious persecution, awareness of state enslavement is relatively low. This is a significant deficit since prohibition of emigration strikes to the foundation of human rights: self-ownership.

It is the purpose of FreeEmigration.com to highlight regimes with prohibitive emigration policies, promote the principle of self-ownership central to human rights, and contribute to the abolition of state enslavement.

photo credit-www.wall-berlin.org

The 2012 Mexican Presidential Election and Mexican Immigrants of Voting Age in the United States 26 Apr 2012, 9:26 am

After decades of pressure, the Mexican government passed a law in 2005 allowing Mexicans living outside the country to vote in presidential elections in Mexico. The upcoming election scheduled for July 1, 2012 will be the second time voting-eligible Mexican expatriates throughout the world will exercise their vote-from-abroad privilege. This Spotlight discusses the history and process of external voting in Mexico, voter participation rates inside and outside of Mexico, and several key characteristics of voting-age Mexicans in the United States.

ICE's Long-Awaited Detention Reform Prompts Questions from Supporters and Detractors 18 Apr 2012, 9:26 am

MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on the reaction to ICE's new detention reforms, the Supreme Court's recent decision in Vartelas v. Holder, the designation of Syria for TPS, and more.

The Under-Registration of Births in Mexico: Consequences for Children, Adults, and Migrants 12 Apr 2012, 9:26 am

An estimated 7 percent of people in Mexico were not registered with the government at birth and thus lack official record of their name, age, parentage, and citizenship. Without a birth certificate, unregistered Mexican children lack access to education, health care, and basic social services, while unregistered adults face significant economic and civic-integration challenges. Both groups are more vulnerable to being trafficked, exploited, or recruited into criminal groups. This article provides a primer on this important issue, with insight into the experiences of unregistered, unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the United States.

Rapid Growth in Singapore's Immigrant Population Brings Policy Challenges 3 Apr 2012, 9:26 am

Over the past decade, Singapore's multicultural yet nationalist society has experienced substantial inflows of Asian and Western professionals, low-skilled migrants from across Southeast Asia, and new immigrants from nontraditional sending countries. This, coupled with increasingly permanent emigration of educated and skilled Singaporeans, has presented the city-state with complex challenges related to migration policymaking.

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States 21 Mar 2012, 9:26 am

Interested in information on annual naturalization trends, illegal immigration, the geographical distribution of immigrants in the United States, current and historical shares, and a host of other topics? MPI's Jeanne Batalova and Alicia Lee have assembled the latest, most interesting data on immigrants and immigration into one easy-to-use resource.