Research Library

In 1980, the Mariel Boatlift brought not only tens of thousands of political refugees from Cuba to Florida, but a significant number of criminals, leading to soaring murder and crime rates in the U.S. With Mexico now planning the release of potentially thousands of federal prisoners, is history set to repeat itself?

Joe Barnes explores why, in the absence of a viable alternative that does not involve an open-ended commitment in Afghanistan, President Biden’s plan to withdraw makes sense — even if it does entail potential real costs and real risks. Read his post in the Baker Institute Blog.

Read the PDF below for a report on the results of a workshop on U.S. immigration policy, hosted by the Center for the United States and Mexico and the Center for Houston's Future.

Marriage. Divorce. Custody. Tunisia is often considered a women's rights leader among Arab Spring countries. But women still can't equally share an inheritance. The authors explore the secular and Islamist debate.

Gabriel Collins, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs, explains why Section 625 of the CLEAN Future Act — which aims to classify oilfield-produced water as a hazardous waste — would likely induce multi-system disruptions severe enough to prevent the act from achieving its climate, energy, environmental, and social objectives.

Some states still face challenges with racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and Texas is one of them. How might we avoid these inequities in the future?  The authors explain in the Baker Institute Blog.

President Biden has an opportunity, the author argues, to resurrect the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and provide a pathway to legal status for millions of undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. This report explores the potential of the DAPA program to impact immigrant families and policy avenues toward its passage.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which became law in mid-March, left out the mandate to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, but it did lead to an open policy discussion about current minimum wage standards. In a post for the Baker Institute Blog, public finance fellow Joyce Beebe considers some of the pros and cons of increasing the minimum wage and possible future developments.

In this paper, the author examines past attempts at immigration reform in the United States, especially as they pertain to the nation’s undocumented population. Analyzing these early reform efforts could be deeply instructive for the prospects of President Biden’s U.S. Citizenship Act and reveals both durable patterns and new developments that could shape the chances for legislative breakthroughs.

In late January 2021, the stock price of GameStop skyrocketed, causing the online trading platform Robinhood to suspend sales of its stock. What happened, and what tax policies are being proposed as a result? Public finance fellow Joyce Beebe explains on the Baker Institute Blog.