Kathleen Newland
Senior Fellow
Kathleen Newland is a Senior Fellow and Co-Founder of the Migration Policy Institute. Her work focuses on the governance of international migration, the relationship between migration and development, and refugee protection.
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Prior to MPI’s establishment in July 2001, Ms. Newland co-directed the International Migration Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment. Earlier, she was a Lecturer in international political economy at the London School of Economics (1988–92) and Special Assistant to the Rector of the United Nations University (1982–87). She has worked as a consultant to the International Labor Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the World Bank.
Ms. Newland is a Member of the Board of Directors of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a nonprofit organization that provides pro bono legal services to unaccompanied children caught up in the U.S. immigration system. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the International Rescue Committee, the Stimson Center, USA for UNHCR, and the Foundation for the Hague Process on Migrants and Refugees. She is also a Chair Emerita of the Women’s Refugee Commission.
Ms. Newland is author or editor of nine books, including most recently All at Sea: The Policy Challenges of Rescue, Interception, and Long-Term Response to Maritime Migration (MPI, 2016). She has also written more than 50 policy papers, articles, and book chapters.
Ms. Newland is a graduate of Harvard University and the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. She did additional graduate work at the London School of Economics.
Read the Washington Post profile of Kathleen Newland. Read Ms. Newland's report, Circular Migration and Human Development.
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Recent Activity
The situation in Iraq remains extremely precarious for civilians, with additional thousands being displaced by violence and persecution even as refuge becomes harder to find – either internally or in neighboring countries. This report looks at the refugee situation in the country.
This report explores the role of ethnic community-based organizations as drivers of refugee integration. It highlights contributions, challenges, and best practice methodologies identified through site visits to refugee-serving ECBOs across the country, and offers recommendations for enhancing the capacity and sustainability of refugee integration services.
This report draws from the existing body of knowledge surrounding circular migration to identify: research gaps, shortcomings of common policy routes, innovative circular migration policies, and critical considerations for policymakers seeking to design and implement positive circular migration schemes.
A number of governments and institutions are determined to ride international migration toward a future of greater prosperity. MPI's Kathleen Newland outlines what they all should know about the pluses and minuses of the most basic issues that frame the debate on migration and development: remittances and the brain drain.
The October 2005 GCIM report drew attention to problems in migration policymaking and stressed the importance of international cooperation. MPI's Kathleen Newland analyzes its findings and outlines what may happen next.
MPI Director Kathleen Newland provides an overview of the latest asylum numbers and insights as to why they are declining.
This report analyzes the impact of established diaspora on the reduction of poverty in their countries of origin. It examines their contributions beyond individual remittances, in the dimensions of foreign direct investment, market development, technology transfer, philanthropy, tourism, political contributions, and the more intangible flows of knowledge, new attitudes, and cultural influence.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, changes to visa policies, new security procedures, and measures to combat fraud contributed to a shift in the traditional composition of immigration flows. This report highlights recent data on immigrants to the U.S. and offers key analysis of what these figures mean in terms of U.S. policy.
An Overheated Narrative Unanswered: How the Global Compact for Migration Became Controversial
Global Compact Lays the Groundwork for International Cooperation on Migration
Why Hide the Facts About Refugee Costs and Benefits?
The U.S. Falls Behind as Others Take on New Leadership Amid Record Humanitarian Pressures
The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program Is an Unsuitable Target
The U.S. Record Shows Refugees Are Not a Threat
Protection at Sea: Addressing Irregular Maritime Migration
What Is the Right Policy Toward Unaccompanied Children at U.S. Borders?
The Lampedusa Tragedy Prompts the Question: Does the UN Have Any Impact on the World’s Migrants?