Impact on the National Immigration Debate

I believe that an informed public is foundational to democracy. The national conversation around immigration is particularly prone to mis- and dis-information, as well as general confusion given the complexity of immigration laws and policies.

To further public understanding, I have built relationships with the news media that help connect my scholarly work to media outlets and shape the national discourse around immigration. More than just responding to the news, my work and the work of TRAC often drives the news cycle with breaking findings.

As a result, I have been featured as an immigration expert in over a 100 news articles from publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek, TIME, Mother Jones, The Economist, Foreign Policy, as well as interviewed on podcasts such as NPR’s Morning Edition and WYNC’s The Takeaway and television shows such as NBC Nightly News.

I also regularly consult with editors and journalists about how to accurately and ethically incorporate immigration data into news stories.

Sample of Media Citations

A selection of news articles that I have contributed to are available below. A full list of media citations is available upon request.

Echevarria, P. (2024). Austin Kocher on Immigration Court Backlogs and Asylum Process in the U.S. C-SPAN. https://www.c-span.org/video/?533116-5/austin-kocher-immigration-court-backlogs-asylum-process-us

Sullivan, E. (March 24, 2022). Biden Administration Prepares Sweeping Change to Asylum Process. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/us/politics/us-asylum-changes.html

Shoichet, C., & Flores, R. (June 5, 2022). These cell phones can’t make calls or access the internet. ICE is using them to track migrants. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/05/us/border-migrants-cell-phones-cec/index.html

Sanchez, S. (June 23, 2022). Phones assigned to released migrants can’t make, take calls unless it’s ICE. Border Report. https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/immigration/phones-assigned-to-released-migrants-cant-make-take-calls-unless-its-ice/

Staff. (June 10, 2021). Deportations of undocumented immigrants are at a record low. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/12/deportations-of-undocumented-immigrants-are-at-a-record-low

Madeson, F. (January 19, 2021). “Seeking to End ‘Juan Crow’ Laws in the Next Congress”. Newsweek. https://capitalandmain.com/ending-juan-crow-laws-in-the-next-congress-0114

Kass, A. (February 2, 2021). Cobb, Gwinnett end 287(g) immigration programs, work to build trust. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/cobb-gwinnett-end-287g-immigration-programs-work-to-build-trust/TMT42MNZM5E4JCXSXYKBWUYAOU/

Gittleson, B., & Finnegan, C. (April 16, 2021). Biden backtracks on admitting more refugees, leaving Trump’s historically low limit in place. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-backtracks-admitting-refugees-leaving-trumps-historically-low/story?id=77122433

Ernst, J., & Green, E. (June 21, 2021). Victims of Gang Violence Hope Biden’s New Asylum Rules Provide Refuge. Vice News. https://www.vice.com/en/article/epnb87/victims-of-gang-violence-hope-bidens-new-asylum-rules-provide-refuge

Echavarri, F. (June 4, 2021). One Family’s Escape From Trump’s Border Hell: A 130-Week Diary. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/06/trump-immigration-legacy-mpp-remain-in-mexico-impact-family/

Cheng, Y. (November 12, 2021). New data shows that fewer immigrants granted asylum in Ohio compared to national average. The Columbus Dispatch. https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/11/12/ohio-immigration-court-denying-cases-cleveland-national-average/6369560001/

Betancourt, S. (August 25, 2021). Immigrants pay cripplingly high bail bonds to be released from detention across US. The Guardian. https://time.com/6116199/asylum-immigrants-biden/

Aguilera, J. (November 10, 2022). The Rate of Successful Asylum Cases Shot Up This Year. But That’s Probably Not Due to Biden. TIME. https://time.com/6116199/asylum-immigrants-biden/

Brown, M. (October 29, 2020). The Loneliness of the Immigration Lawyer. The American Prospect. https://prospect.org/justice/loneliness-of-the-immigration-lawyer/?pico_new_user=true&pico_ui=login_link