Jimmy Carter and Immigration: A Wide-Ranging Legacy That Remains Relevant Today

Doris Meissner and Muzaffar Chishti, MPI, January 2025

"The passing of the nation’s 39^th president has sparked numerous assessments of the Carter presidency, yet few appraisals have focused on the wide-ranging legacy that Jimmy Carter left on immigration policy and the lasting markers to address humanitarian and enforcement challenges. The Carter presidency illustrates the long history of authorities that are used today, including humanitarian parole and creation of lawful pathways to admit people in orderly ways, and the persistent roots of issues such as spontaneous migration from the Caribbean.  As the country recalls the values that informed much of Carter’s presidency, perhaps the most important was his embrace of human rights as a defining principle of public policy. He established upholding human rights as a new and enduring tenet of American foreign policy. His actions on refugee and immigration policy matters, including establishing the modern refugee resettlement system, were a manifestation of that promise, both in foreign and domestic policy realms. ..."