Immigration Policy: Choices and Implications for New Hampshire
How might the Trump administration's actions on immigration affect New Hampshire? Our February speaker is Dr. Julia Gelatt, Associate Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute. Dr. Gelatt will provide a framework for understanding the U.S. immigration system, including which responsibilities fall to the federal government and which roles state and municipalities can play. She will highlight the policy choices states have on immigration topics—related to immigration enforcement, public benefits, inclusion of immigrants in the workforce, and other arenas—and describe how New Hampshire’s policies compare to those of other states. Finally, she will give an overview of some of the Trump administration's recent executive orders and subsequent policy changes and analyze their implications for New Hampshire agencies, service providers, and communities.
Watch the Video
U.S. Immigration: Federal and State Roles
Julia Gelatt is Associate Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute. Her work focuses on the legal immigration system, demographic trends, and the implications of local, state, and federal U.S. immigration policy. The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to improve immigration and integration policies through authoritative research and analysis, opportunities for learning and dialogue, and the development of new ideas to address complex policy questions.
Dr. Gelatt previously worked as a Research Associate at the Urban Institute, where her mixed-methods research focused on state policies toward immigrants; barriers to and facilitators of immigrant families’ access to public benefits and public prekindergarten programs; and identifying youth victims of human trafficking. She was a Research Assistant at MPI before graduate school.
Dr. Gelatt earned her PhD in sociology, with a specialization in demography, from Princeton University, where her work focused on the relationship between immigration status and children’s health and well-being. She earned a bachelor of the arts in sociology/anthropology from Carleton College.
