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Open Door for Venezuelan and Nicaraguan Migrants in Latin America & Caribbean Closes a Bit amid Scale of Flows, Strains on Public Services

WASHINGTON – Even as governments in Latin America and the Caribbean have taken generous and innovative steps to address forced displacement from Venezuela and more recently Nicaragua, the warm welcome has cooled in places amid the vast scale of the inflows, strains on public services and growing public concern.




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Las puertas abiertas para los migrantes venezolanos y nicaragüenses en América Latina y el Caribe se cierran un poco a medida que aumenta la escala de los flujos y la presión en los servicios públicos

WASHINGTON – A pesar de que los gobiernos de América Latina y el Caribe han tomado medidas generosas e innovadoras para lidiar con el desplazamiento forzado desde Venezuela y más recientemente desde Nicaragua, la cálida bienvenida se ha enfriado en algunos lugares a medida que el número de entradas, la presión sobre los servicios públicos y la preocupación del público aumenta.




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MPI Analysis of All State ESSA Accountability Plans Finds Fractured Picture of Education Policy for English Learners & Differing Approaches

WASHINGTON – Four years since the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have developed accountability plans that include blueprints for serving English Learners (ELs), as well as measuring these students’ progress and being accountable for their outcomes. This marked a significant development, as EL performance was previously not well integrated with factors that determined whether a school was performing well or poorly.




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Get Top Statistics on Immigrants in the U.S and Changing Immigration Trends; MPI Updates its Interactive Data Tools, Maps & One-Stop Resource for Key Stats

WASHINGTON — The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) today published the annual update to its data-rich article, Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States, offering readers a wealth of information that can help inform understanding about an issue that is the subject of much conversation.




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As European policymakers take stock of seasonal worker programmes, MPI Europe brief outlines principles to improve these schemes for all parties

Findings will be discussed during 25 February MPI Europe – SVR webinar




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MPI Estimates No More than 167,000 Non-Citizens Could Be Ineligible for Green Cards Based on Current Public Benefits Use

WASHINGTON – While the new Trump administration public charge rule is likely to vastly reshape future legal immigration based on its test to assess if a person might ever use public benefits in the future, the universe of non-citizens who could be denied a green card based on current benefits use is quite small.




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As Brussels seeks fresh ideas to reform the Common European Asylum System, innovative member state responses offer a wealth of lessons–and some caution

Brussels and Gütersloh, 05.03.2020 — Anticipated reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), which was high on the agenda as nearly 2 million asylum seekers arrived at Europe’s door in 2015-16, quickly fell victim to EU Member State competing views on what constitutes equal burden-sharing, domestic politics around migration and the urgency of first addressing overtaxed national asylum systems.




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Understanding Which English Learners Are Counted on School Accountability Measures—and When

WASHINGTON – The federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) requires states to publicly report annual performance and graduation rates for students in a range of areas, breaking out results for subgroups with unique characteristics, including English Learners (ELs). The objective is to help schools identify and close achievement gaps experienced by historically underserved groups of students.




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Immigrant Workers Are Vital to the U.S. Coronavirus Pandemic Response, But Disproportionately Vulnerable

WASHINGTON — Six million immigrant workers are at the frontlines of keeping U.S. residents healthy, safe and fed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data issued today. While the foreign born represented 17 percent of the 156 million civilians working in 2018, they account for larger shares in pandemic-response frontline occupations: 29 percent of all physicians in the United States, 38 percent of home health aides and 23 percent of retail-store pharmacists, for example.




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As U.S. Health Care System Sags under Strain of Pandemic, Immigrants and Refugees with Degrees in Health Care Could Serve as an Important Resource

WASHINGTON – Even as 1.5 million immigrants and refugees are already employed in the U.S. health care system as doctors, registered nurses and pharmacists, another 263,000 foreign-born health care graduates are on the sidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic—many of them because of difficulties getting their credentials accepted by employers and licensing bodies.




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Is a U.S. Immigration System Rebuilt after 9/11 Prepared to Tackle Ever-Evolving Security Threats, Including Pandemics? Report Assesses Successes, Gaps

WASHINGTON — The U.S. immigration system was dramatically reshaped by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which shone a harsh spotlight on weaknesses in visa and immigration screening processes. From the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expanded national security protections in immigration and tourism policies, countless changes in the immigration arena have unfolded over the past 19 years.




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As Millions Are Pushed from Jobs amid Pandemic, the Loss of Employer Health Coverage & Limited Access to Public Coverage for Many Immigrants Hold Major Implications for Them – and U.S. Overall

WASHINGTON – As more than 33 million U.S. workers have lost their jobs since March amid the pandemic-induced economic crisis, immigrants are among the most vulnerable: They are more likely than the U.S. born to be laid off and to live in communities with high COVID-19 infection rates, and less likely to have health insurance coverage and access to a doctor or other usual source of health care.




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Immigration and the U.S. Labor Market: A Look Ahead

In the coming decades, the U.S. labor market will undergo major transformation. Automation, an aging workforce, and alternative staffing practices will change how, where, and by whom work is done. This think piece, by a former chief economist for the U.S. Labor Department, explores how immigrant workers fit into this changing landscape, and what immigration and workforce policy changes could help maximize their contributions to the U.S. economy.




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How Does Immigration Fit into the Future of the U.S. Labor Market?

The U.S. economy is facing an uncertain future as an aging workforce, stagnating labor force participation, skill mismatches, and automation reshape the labor market. This issue brief explores these forces and the role that immigration could play in supporting future U.S. economic growth. It also examines how immigration affects workers already in the country, both native born and immigrant.




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Effectively Serving Immigrant and Dual Language Learner Families through Home Visiting Programs

This MPI webinar marks the release of a policy brief that explores program and policy opportunities to improve home visiting services for immigrant and DLL families currently underparticipating in these programs due to a lack of culturally and linguistically responsive programming and other barriers




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Integrating Refugees and Asylum Seekers into the German Economy and Society: Empirical Evidence and Policy Objectives

As the top destination in Europe for asylum seekers in recent years, Germany has rolled out a number of integration policy changes. Based on an early look at how newcomers’ integration is progressing, the report finds the policies have had ambiguous implications. The report also provides insights into the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the asylum seeker and refugee population.




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Beyond Work: Reducing Social Isolation for Refugee Women and Other Marginalized Newcomers

As migrant- and refugee-receiving countries in Europe, North America, and beyond prioritize services that are focused on employment, language instruction, and civic integration, newcomers who are not in the workplace are at high risk for social isolation. As a result, societies should reconsider what successful integration looks like for vulnerable newcomers who will never find traditional employment or who need a longer-than-average timeline to get there.




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Employment Services for Refugees: Leveraging Mainstream U.S. Systems and Funding

On this webinar, experts and state refugee resettlement program leaders discuss two activities that can be key parts of a broader strategy for sustaining and improving employment services for refugees: Partnerships with experts in workforce development strategies, and access to federal workforce development funding.




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Rebuilding Community after Crisis: Striking a New Social Contract for Diverse Societies (Transatlantic Council Statement)

Addressing the deep-rooted integration challenges unearthed by large-scale migration and rapid social change will require a combination of strategies. Governments in Europe and North America must create a new social contract for increasingly diverse societies that are confronting cycles of disruption. This report sketches a blueprint for an adaptive process oriented by skill needs rather than national origins.




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Global Demand for Medical Professionals Drives Indians Abroad Despite Acute Domestic Health-Care Worker Shortages

India is the world's largest source for immigrant physicians, and for Indian-trained doctors and nurses the allure of working abroad is strong despite an acute domestic shortage of health-care workers. Against this pull, the Indian government has enacted a number of policies to limit and regulate the emigration of health-care professionals, though these have been more ad hoc in nature and not part of a fully realized strategy.




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An Uneven Landscape: The Differing State Approaches to English Learner Policies under ESSA

Experts share how states have approached Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) implementation, and areas where the law and state efforts to support English Learners can be improved.




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The Patchy Landscape of State English Learner Policies under ESSA

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have developed blueprints to meet their commitments under the Every Student Succeeds Act—including requirements that aim to raise the profile of English Learners (EL) in state accountability systems. This report breaks these plans down, comparing the significant diversity of approaches taken on everything from EL identification to tracking academic achievement.




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Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Interested in answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about immigration and immigrants in the United States? This incredible resource collects in one place top statistics from authoritative government and nongovernmental sources, offering a snapshot of the immigrant population, visa and enforcement statistics, and data on emerging trends, including the slowing of growth of the foreign-born population, changing origins, and increasing educational levels.




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Which English Learners Count When? Understanding State EL Subgroup Definitions in ESSA Reporting

States publish a wealth of data about their English Learner students’ academic achievement and other outcomes such as graduation rates. But the answer to the question “Who is an EL?” is not always the same. This brief explains how the EL subgroup varies across states and types of data, and why it is important to understand these differences when making decisions about how ELs and schools are faring.




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Moroccan chicken skewers with feta, pea and tomato tabbouleh

1 onion, grated 1 cup Greek yoghurt 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1/2 tsps. ground coriander 1/2 tsps. ground cumin 500g chicken thighs, cut in to 3 cm pieces 2 tbsps. sesame seeds, toasted tabbouleh 100g burghul 2 1/2 cups frozen peas 1 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped 1 punnit of cherry tomatoes, halved 1 handful of mint leaves, lightly chopped 3 shallots, thinly sliced 200g Greek feta, crumbled 1/3 cup olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon Good pinch of sea salt flakes and black pepper





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Khachapuri - Georgian cheese pie

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of Alice in Frames. www.aliceinframes.com




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Badrijani - Grilled Eggplants with a coriander and garlic Aioli

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of Alice in Frames. www.aliceinframes.com




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Ricotta fritters with triple citrus syrup

2 cups of fresh ricotta 4 eggs 2 tbsp. sugar Zest of 1 orange, 1lime and 1 lemon 1 cup of plain flour 60 g soft butter

Triple Citrus Syrup

Zest and juice of 2 lemons, 2 oranges and 2 limes 2 cups of sugar




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Phillippa's Christmas Pudding

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of Phillippa Grogan. Her new book is 'Phillippa's Home Baking.'




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Stir-fried twice cooked porkbelly with leek and Sichuan black beans

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of Neil Perry. Neil's new book is "Spice Temple."




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Handmade egg noodles Hunan-style with smoked bacon and chilli

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of Neil Perry. Neil's new book is "Spice Temple."





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Bacon wrapped mozzarella chicken breasts

When it comes to bacon, it's everything in moderation... This recipe uses bacon as a seasoning.




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Julie's Coconut Cake

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of Julie Goodwin. Julie's new book is "Homemade Takeaway."





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Tarragon Vinegar

This gourmet vinegar is often the choice for a vinaigrette dressing when making a classic French leafy green salad but it's so easy to make at home. It's worth using a good quality white wine vinegar. You could also use a local cider vinegar. Either way, the flavour is beautifully aromatic. Tarragon vinegar will last for well over a year. Be sure to use un-sprayed tarragon.





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Balsamic Walnuts

Make these a few days before gifting - unless you decide to keep them! Walnuts will remain crisp for a few days only but that shouldn't be a problem. Serve walnuts as a nibble, sprinkle over a leafy green salad or roast vegetables, use to decorate panna cotta, cheesecakes, a frozen dessert, or serve on a cheese board.




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Pickled Cherries

Turn new season cherries into an exotic condiment. These make an elegant accompaniment to pates, terrines, baked ham, roast quail, cheese boards, or serve on antipasto platters to accompany charcuterie or any smoked or cured meats. Add them to a salad containing smoked chicken.




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Sticky pineapple and macadamia upside-down cake

This is what I think of as an honest cake - not tizzy, just homely, buttery and ever-so more-ish with its tender, nutty crumb and sweet, caramelised pineapple topping. I particularly love the way the sides, through some kind of magical alchemy of heat and sugar, become ever-so-slightly crunchy. There are a couple of little things I've noticed when I bake it - the first is that it cooks better and looks better when baked in a regular, not a non-stick, cake tin. And the second is that it's really important not to overload the tin with pineapple or it will release too much liquid and the centre of the cake will be soggy.




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Pizza dough

600 ml warm water 1 kg strong pizza flour 8 g instant dry yeast 1tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 50 ml olive oil




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Okonomiyake - Japanese pizza with soy, honey and ginger sauce

Referred to as a Japanese 'pizza', okonomiyaki is probably best described as a cabbage fritter. There are many versions that can include seafood, pork belly, kimchi or cheese, and either served with the sauce described or with Japanese mayonnaise. Delicious snack food, which can also be a meal.




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Bbq barramundi, Jamon, minted peas, Dijon mustard dressing & Danish fetta

Delicious fish dish for a summer night.




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Grilled calamari, watermelon, olives, goat's curd and crispy vine leaves

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of George Calombaris. George's new book is called "Greek."




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Garden peas, cauliflower, almonds, lemon

This recipe was featured on Foodie Tuesday, a weekly segment with Raf Epstein on Drive, 774 ABC Melbourne, 3:30 PM, courtesy of George Calombaris. George's new book is called "Greek."





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Beetroot, yoghurt, date and za'atar dip

500g cooked and peeled beetroot (about 900g fresh) 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 cup of Greek yoghurt 5 fresh Medjool dates 3 tbsps. olive oil 1 tbsp. Za'atar Good pinch of Himalayan salt 2 shallots, finely sliced on the diagonal Handful of toasted and crushed hazelnuts 50g goat's cheese, crumbled





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Muscavado pavlova with chocolate and hazelnut mousse and Christmas cherries

I love Christmas my all time favourite time of year. It's also a great time for awesome summer sweet produce. Muscovado brown sugar is a treacle like flavour and makes a welcome texture to a traditional pavlova.