Inside the Making of U.S. Immigration Law

The Center for Immigration Studies has released a new episode of its podcast featuring CIS experts Andrew “Art” Arthur and George Fishman, who reflect on their time working together on Capitol Hill, including their firsthand experiences on September 11, 2001, and the major immigration legislation that followed.

The episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how immigration laws are made. Arthur and Fishman recount the immediate aftermath of 9/11 as staffers on House Judiciary Committee and their roles in drafting legislation that helped reshape U.S. immigration enforcement, including efforts that contributed to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the breakup of INS into enforcement and service components within the new Department of Homeland Security.

The discussion also explores contentious debates over criminal penalties, interior enforcement, and proposals that sparked nationwide protests in the mid-2000s. From the USA PATRIOT Act to the REAL ID Act of 2005, the episode highlights how national security concerns reshaped immigration policy and how some key recommendations, such as the creation of a biometric entry-exit system, remain unfulfilled decades later.

Podcast host and CIS executive director Mark Krikorian also reminds listeners of today’s International Network for Immigration Research (INIR) event (streamed live at noon ET) hosted by the Center. Panelists from CIS, NumbersUSA, FAIR, and the Budapest-based Migration Research Institute examine whether modern democracies can carry out large-scale deportations.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guests

Andrew Arthur is the Resident Fellow of Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies.

George Fishman is a Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".