Framing ethical perspectives
Migration is an umbrella term that refers to the act of a person or people of moving from one country, locality, or place of residence to another. It is often used synonymously or in conjunction with the term "immigration," which refers to the act of a person or people traveling to a different country to become permanent residents. According to the United Nations' International Organization for Migration, as of 2020, there were 281 million migrants, which equates to 3.6 percent of the world population.
In regards to this issue, Carnegie Council's Model International Mobility Convention (MIMC) is offering a comprehensive set of rules, outlining actions, rights, and duties that benefit both migrants and refugees as well as their states of origin, transit, and destination.
About the MIMC
MIMC proposes a better system for migration and mobility by addressing gaps in existing international law.
Learn more about the initiative
This report proposes a framework for international mobility with goals of reaffirming existing rights and expanding rights where warranted.
Read the Convention
FEB 27, 2024 • Video
A Carnegie Council Conversation with the UK Home Secretary
NOV 8, 2023 • Article
Migration from Venezuela to Brazil: Addressing the Regularization of Undocumented Children
Two Brazilian public defenders reflect on the status of undocumented Venezuelan children in Brazil vis-à-vis the Model International Mobility Convention.
MAR 29, 2023 • Podcast
Reframing the Refugee Crisis, with Sana Mustafa
In this podcast, Senior Fellow Tatiana Serafin speaks with Asylum Access CEO Sana Mustafa about the need to re-frame our discussion about forcibly displaced persons.
Explore Our Migration Resources
MAR 27, 2019 • Podcast
How Safe Are We? Homeland Security Since 9/11, with Janet Napolitano
"Climate, cyber, then mass gun violence, sometimes motivated by terrorist ideology--and the ideology can most frequently be tied to far-right-wing extremism, sometimes tied to no ...
JUL 31, 2018 • Podcast
Migration & Citizenship in the Capitalist State, with Lea Ypi
"In both political debates and academic debates on migration the question of class is often missed," says London School of Economics' Lea Ypi. "When we ...
JUL 19, 2018 • Podcast
Global Ethics Weekly: Migration in the Age of "Zero Tolerance"
Today's discussions about immigrants and refugees are focused on the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on the U.S.-Mexico border and the "migration crisis" ...
JUN 20, 2018 • Article
The Zero Tolerance Migration Policy: Two Moral Objections
"The ends do not always justify the means, especially when children are involved." It's important to lay out all the ways Trump's policy of separating ...
JUN 4, 2018 • Podcast
Golden Visas, Dreamers, & Ethics in Immigration, with Ayelet Shachar
There is a global surge in "golden visas" for the super-rich, who often have "no connection to the country other than a wire transfer, the ...
JUN 1, 2018 • Podcast
Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the U.S. Together, with Andrew Selee
"Mexico is very present in our daily lives, sometimes even in ways we don't realize," says Andrew Selee. Did you know, for example, that some ...
MAR 16, 2018 • Podcast
European Futures in the Shadow of American Disengagement, with Andrew Michta
Europe is going through deep structural changes, says Andrew Michta of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. He argues that it may ...
DEC 7, 2017 • Podcast
Fractured Continent: Europe's Crises and the Fate of the West, with William Drozdiak
In some ways Europe is more fragmented than at any time in the last three decades, says Drozdiak. There's a north/south split between wealthy ...
NOV 17, 2017 • Podcast
Marlene Laruelle on Europe's Far-Right Political Movements
What has led to the rise of far-right parties across Europe and how have they evolved over time? Is immigration really the main issue, or ...
JUN 8, 2017 • Podcast
James Traub on Immigrants and Refugees
What happens when Sweden, one of the most welcoming countries on Earth for migrants, simply runs out of beds? What are the unpleasant (and politically ...