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A forecasted historic El Niño, labeled “Super Godzilla,” is expected to peak in late 2026 and turn 2027 into the hottest year ever recorded on the planet. Expected to be the largest El Niño in at least 1,000 years, the event is expected to result in extreme temperatures, devastating rainfall and droughts, and other unusual weather patterns globally. Although the event is a naturally occurring phenomenon in the Pacific, its impacts are magnified by human-caused climate change. That could lead to huge displacement. In this episode, we speak with Alexander Kjærum, a global advisor and senior analyst with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) who has forecasted some of the potential displacement impacts of the super El Niño. He explains why the weather system may lead to new displacement, highlights specific examples around the world, and discusses how organizations are seeking to use anticipatory action to protect people before disaster strikes.   Chapters 01:38 El Niño's Global Weather Impacts 03:22 Displacement Forecasts for East Africa 09:31 Climate Stress, Conflict, and Trapped Populations 14:33 Anticipatory Action, Cost-Efficiency, and Funding Cuts

Nearly 5.6 million students in U.S. public schools are classified as English Learners, and over 2.3 million are enrolled in secondary grades. Yet bilingual programs are heavily concentrated in the elementary grades, leaving many older multilingual students in grades 6 through 12 without access to programs designed to build their language skills while mastering grade-level content and meeting course requirements for graduation.   States and districts have considerable autonomy to pursue policies that support the diverse learning needs and academic success of multilingual students. What steps can they take to create, implement, and sustain bilingual programs in secondary schools?   This webcast features findings from a report answering that question, based on interviews with bilingual education experts, district leaders, and higher education faculty across California, Illinois, New Mexico, and New York. Speakers unpacked the key obstacles bilingual programs face, shared promising practices from the field, and offered recommendations for state and local policymakers and stakeholders ready to expand access.  Speakers: Margarita Machado-Casas, Professor, Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education, San Diego State University; President, National Association for Bilingual Education  Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, Strategic Advisor, Californians Together  Lorena Mancilla, Associate Director for K-12 Partnerships and Policy, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI  Victoria Kim, Associate Policy Analyst, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI  Moderator:   Delia Pompa, Senior Fellow for Education Policy, MPI    www.migrationpolicy.org

In 2016, the U.S. federal government provided $48 million to relocate the climate-threatened Louisiana island of Isle de Jean Charles. The effort, which was the government’s first climate-driven community relocation project, was closely watched as a potential model for the future. But the relocation was more challenging than originally anticipated. Many residents who were members of a Native American tribe felt they had been treated unfairly or were excluded from decisionmaking. In the end, some tribal leaders referred to the process as a “cultural genocide.” We speak with Jessica Simms, a cultural geographer who was Louisiana’s lead outreach and engagement coordinator for the resettlement effort. She traces the array of factors behind the decision to relocate and the mix of successes and challenges along the way. If you appreciate this conversation, please subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review.   Chapters 01:44 Louisiana's Disappearing Coastline 07:46 Previous Failed Relocation Attempts 09:07 Federal Funding and National Goals 13:50 Miscommunication between Tribes and the State 17:30 Outreach Efforts and Voluntary Relocation 22:02 The Relocation's Legacy

Fiji has long been at the forefront of developing policies to help its residents voluntarily relocate to escape the extreme effects of climate change. The country, which is comprised of hundreds of islands in the Pacific, faces rising sea levels, extreme weather, and other dangers. But for many Fijians, the choice to pack up and leave home is a difficult one. Many have a deep spiritual and personal connection to place, a concept known as vanua. Meanwhile, as one of the largest economies in the region, Fiji is also a destination for migrants from other Pacific Island countries, including those threatened by climate change. How has the government tried to support people who move? What considerations do residents consider when deciding whether to relocate? And what is the response to immigration from other countries? On this episode, we discuss these issues with Sargam Goundar, a Fijian doctoral researcher at the University of Otago.   Chapters 01:41 Climate Impacts Unfolding in Fiji 04:54 Government-Led Planned Relocation Framework 08:17 The Concept of Vanua: Cultural Ties to Land 13:10 Community Concerns and Decision-Making Around Relocation 16:44 Fiji as a Regional Migration Destination 22:16 Policy Gaps and Research Priorities

The coordinated global response to climate change-driven displacement is relatively new. Just a few decades ago, virtually no governments were paying attention to the ways in which people were being displaced by extreme weather, sea-level rise, and other climate events. Although the international response remains a work in progress, significant strides have been made to bring the world together. One of the people responsible for that coordination is Walter Kälin, a longtime humanitarian expert and legal scholar who is now the Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, a country-led initiative that works to protect people at risk of climate-related displacement. In this discussion, he breaks down where things stand today in terms of a coordinated response and how things might evolve in the future. Subscribe and please leave us a review on your podcast service of choice.   Chapters 01:15 Evolution of Global Displacement Policy 06:45 Climate Change Enters the Displacement Agenda (2004–2010) 10:28 The Nansen Initiative and the Birth of the Platform on Disaster Displacement 17:55 Lessons Learned: Bottom-Up Over Top-Down Approaches 19:58 Navigating Declining Funding and Political Fragmentation 24:30 Advice for the Next Generation

Sudan is experiencing the world's largest displacement crisis, with nearly 14 million people forcibly displaced by civil war, famine, and acute food insecurity. Yet the scale of suffering has not translated into proportionate global attention or funding: the Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan remains only 10 percent funded, leaving a gap of more than $1.4 billion. In this episode of World of Migration, John Thon Majok, Director of MPI's Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative, speaks with Margaret Monyani, Founder and Executive Director of the OLAM Africa Research Institute, about why Sudan's crisis has not been prioritized on the global stage. They discuss the regional spillover effects on neighbors such as Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt, as well as how foreign aid cuts are compounding the response gap. They also explore what a more effective and coordinated international response would require.

The FIFA 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is the largest in history and first to be co-organized by three countries. Yet for international fans, ever stricter U.S. immigration admissions and enforcement policies have introduced layers of uncertainty around whether they can attend at all. In this episode of World of Migration, host Ariel G. Ruiz Soto speaks with veteran sports journalist Albert Samaha about the World Cup and what its lessons might hold for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. They discuss how travel restrictions could affect fans and players from countries including Iran, Haiti, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire, fears of immigration enforcement on attendance, and what the World Cup experience may reveal ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Climate change can be devastating for individuals’ health and safety. Climate-linked natural disasters can cause physical injuries and damage health-care systems, while slow-onset changes such as sea-level rise can lead to the spread of disease and make it harder for people to obtain care. In that context, leaving a climate-vulnerable place can potentially lead to better health outcomes—but only under the right circumstances. In this episode, we speak with Ilse Ruyssen, an economist at Ghent University and the UN University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies, who leads the CliMigHealth research network.   Chapters 01:19 Health Vulnerability among Climate Migrants 05:13 Groups at Highest Risk 08:36 When Migration Protects Health 11:51 How Climate Change Directly Harms Health 17:02 Strain on Health-Care Systems 22:18 Countering the "Migrants as Health Risk" Narrative 25:48 Mental Health and Climate Displacement 27:48 What to Do?

Cuba is facing one of its deepest economic crises in decades, and the United States has significantly narrowed the legal pathways that once made it the primary destination for Cuban migrants. As a result, migration patterns are shifting across the Americas in ways the region is not yet prepared to manage. In this episode of World of Migration, host Valerie Lacarte speaks with María José Espinosa Carrillo, Executive Director of Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA), about Cuba's deteriorating conditions, the dismantling of preferential U.S. immigration protections, and where Cubans are heading now.

Climate change is making home insurance more expensive and less available, as the multibillion-dollar losses caused by hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters increase in scale. Rising insurance premiums can push some people to relocate or force others to either pay more money to remain in their home or go without insurance and risk catastrophe if disaster strikes. Residents, insurance companies, and policymakers in high-income countries are beginning to reckon with these issues and are working to find a way to adequately offset risk without charging exorbitant prices. This episode features Talley Burley, who analyzes climate risk and insurance at the Environmental Defense Fund. Subscribe to Changing Climate, Changing Migration on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.   Chapters 02:17 How Climate Change Is Raising Insurance Costs 06:04 Hazards Driving Insurability Concerns 07:38 Insurance Costs as a Driver of Migration 09:49 Climate Entrapment and Equity Issues 15:13 Policy Solutions: Adaptation, Building Codes and Wraparound Services 18:52 The National Flood Insurance Program: Origins and Trade-offs 26:00 Hurricane Sandy: Lessons in Recovery and Relocation

Refugees are often some of the people most vulnerable to climate change. After fleeing armed conflict or persecution, many refugees end up in camps located in rural areas, with few resources and little support. That can leave them vulnerable to floods, storms, extreme heat, or other impacts of climate change. This episode focuses on these impacts, with insights from Ayoo Irene Hellen, a South Sudanese refugee in Uganda and climate advocate. She discusses her own experiences, those of her community, and the value of including refugee voices in planning. Want to dive deeper? Listen to an earlier episode speaking with the UN refugee agency’s special advisor on climate action: https://mpichangingclimatechangingmigration.podbean.com/e/no-climate-refugees-but-still-a-role-for-the-un-refugee-agency/  All of MPI’s work on climate migration is here: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/topics/climate-change      00:00 Intro  02:45 Climate impacts on refugee settlements in Uganda 09:32 Legal and socioeconomic barriers to climate adaptation 16:52 Exclusion of refugees from climate policy processes 19:21 Refugee-led community resilience strategies 23:11 Climate challenges upon return: The case of South Sudan 27:24 Closing thoughts: co-creation and refugee inclusion

Why has immigration become so politically divisive – and why is it so difficult for governments to design policies that satisfy both public concerns and economic needs? In this episode, MPI’s Meghan Benton speaks with Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and a member of the UK's Migration Advisory Committee. Drawing on insights from her new book, What Is Immigration Policy For?, she explains why immigration policy involves trade-offs between economic, humanitarian, and political goals—and why these tensions often lead to public dissatisfaction. The episode also examines challenges in regulating unauthorized migration and spontaneous asylum flows, the limits of deterrence policies, and decisions around low-wage labor migration.

Nearly 28 million U.S. residents, more than half of whom are U.S. citizens, reported limited proficiency in English as of 2023. How government agencies at all levels communicate with multilingual publics can have significant consequences for public safety and emergency responses, access to public information and services, community well-being, and the overall effectiveness of government programs.   Amid a shifting landscape, with the Trump administration enshrining English as the official language and dismantling language access initiatives across federal agencies, the work of state and local governments in this area over the past two decades is taking on even greater relevance.     While longstanding federal civil-rights requirements to provide language access remain in place, the changes coming out of Washington in this policy area have created uncertainty and confusion.    This webinar from MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, which has long mapped the language access policy landscape, exploreS the role of state and local policies in today’s rapidly changing national policy context. Experts assess opportunities for state and local stakeholders to support and expand their language access policies and programs. The webinar accompanies the release of the report, New Frameworks for Language Access: Tracking the Expansion & Features of State & Local Laws & Policies.   Speakers include: Ana Paula Noguez Mercado, State Language Access Manager, Office of New Americans, New Jersey Department of Human Services Michael Mulé, Civil-rights attorney / language access expert Jodie Stanley, International Support and Language Access Coordinator, Human Rights Department, City of Greensboro, NC Jacob Hofstetter, Policy Analyst, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI www.migrationpolicy.org

As states begin to take up the U.S. Secretary of Education’s offer to apply for waivers to their obligations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, there are significant implications for English Learner (EL) students around the country. In July 2025, the U.S. Department of Education issued a letter encouraging states to seek waivers to their federal mandate to improve student academic achievement and maximize the impact of federal education funding. One state, Iowa, received waiver approval, and several other states have begun the waiver request process.  ESSA outlines statutory requirements that not only fund public education, but also provide guardrails to ensure all students, regardless of their background or community, have access to a quality education that prepares them to achieve in today’s world. The law also grants the Secretary of Education the authority to waive certain requirements outlined in the law, which has long been viewed as ensuring that ELs and all other students receive an equitable, quality education.  While states have long had the ability to seek waivers, the Trump administration’s efforts to end the federal role in education, including by diminishing civil-rights oversight of schools, and attempts to cut program funding for particular populations, such as ELs, underscore the importance of understanding the potential implications of these actions for ELs and their communities. This webinar brings together a panel of experts to discuss the ESSA waiver process and requirements, an overview of current state waivers and their objectives, and what these developments mean in practice for ELs and the schools they attend.    Speakers include: Megan Hopkins, Professor & Chair, Department of Education Studies, University of California, San Diego Trish Morita-Mullaney, Professor, English Language Learning, Purdue University Dave Powell, Senior Consultant, Education First Delia Pompa, Senior Fellow for Education Policy, MPI   More information: www.migrationpolicy.org

As humanitarian protection needs grow amid near-record displacement globally, labor migration pathways offer another route to safety and stability for qualified refugees while helping meet destination countries’ skill needs. In practice, however, qualified refugees can struggle to qualify for work visas due to poorly designed frameworks or operational practices. The circumstances of their displacement can make it impossible to meet certain requirements, such as providing a valid passport or original proof of qualifications or traveling for necessary appointments. And employers and visa applicants alike can be deterred from using these pathways because of cumbersome procedures, complex requirements, and unpredictable results. As countries across Europe and beyond explore reforms to their labor pathways to attract sought-after talent, and civil-society actors push to expand protection opportunities, this MPI Europe webinar explored ways to make work visas more accessible to qualified refugees.  Speakers examined the barriers that prevent refugees from successfully applying for work visas and assessed initiatives and practices that aim to close this gap. They will discussed concrete policy design changes and practical solutions to help make visa systems more accessible and predictable—benefiting not only refugee workers, but employers and all applicants alike. The webinar marked the launch of Building Refugee-Inclusive Labour Mobility Pathways: A visa evaluation framework and accompanying scorecard that give policymakers a framework to understand how accessible different work visas are for refugee candidates and opportunities for reforms that can achieve these twin goals of addressing labor shortage and protection needs.  This webinar was organized as part of the Skills, Talent, and Empowerment through Pathways (STEP) project, which focuses on developing and expanding labor mobility channels for displaced workers, in particular those to Ireland, Italy, and Spain. STEP is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (AMIF).   Speakers included: Bassel Ramli, Co-Founder & Director, Global Initiatives, Jumpstart Refugee Talent Marius Tollenaere, Partner, Fragomen, Germany Belén Zanzuchi, Policy Analyst, MPI Europe Kate Hooper, Senior Policy Analyst, MPI More information: www.migrationpolicy.org