Doris Meissner
Doris Meissner, former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), is a Senior Fellow at MPI, where she directs the Institute’s U.S. immigration policy work.
Her responsibilities focus in particular on the role of immigration in America’s future and on administering the nation’s immigration laws, systems, and government agencies. Her work and expertise also include immigration and politics, immigration enforcement, border control, cooperation with other countries, and immigration and national security. She has authored and coauthored numerous reports, articles, and op-eds and is frequently quoted in the media. She served as Director of MPI's Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future, a bipartisan group of distinguished leaders. The group's report and recommendations address how to harness the advantages of immigration for a 21st century economy and society.
From 1993-2000, she served in the Clinton administration as Commissioner of the INS, then a bureau in the U.S. Department of Justice. Her accomplishments included reforming the nation's asylum system; creating new strategies for managing U.S. borders; improving naturalization and other services for immigrants; shaping new responses to migration and humanitarian emergencies; strengthening cooperation and joint initiatives with Mexico, Canada, and other countries; and managing growth that doubled the agency’s personnel and tripled its budget.
She first joined the Justice Department in 1973 as a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the Attorney General. She served in various senior policy posts until 1981, when she became Acting Commissioner of the INS and then Executive Associate Commissioner, the third-ranking post in the agency. In 1986, she joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a Senior Associate. Ms. Meissner created the Endowment's Immigration Policy Project, which evolved into the Migration Policy Institute in 2001.
Ms. Meissner is Vice Chair of the board of trustees of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Inter-American Dialogue, the Pacific Council on International Diplomacy, the National Academy of Public Administration, the Administrative Conference of the United States, and the Constitution Society.
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Explore Content by Doris Meissner
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The Immigration Debate America Needs—and Is Not Having
Immigration is central to America’s economic future, yet debate fixates on border crises and policy failures instead of how a modern legal immigration system could power U.S. competitiveness.
Beyond “Shock and Awe”: Immigration Actions in the First Year under Trump 2.0
Analysts assessed the sweeping immigration enforcement actions, executive orders, and legal challenges marking Trump's second term's first year.
U.S. Immigration Courts at a Crisis Point
U.S. immigration courts are facing record backlogs and structural challenges. MPI examined the Biden and Trump administrations' policies and what reforms are needed to improve efficiency and fairness.
Breaking the Cycle of Dysfunction at the U.S. Immigration Courts
With 3.8 million deportation cases pending as of mid-2025, the U.S. immigration courts faced a deepening crisis requiring urgent legislative and administrative reform.
22nd Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Featuring a keynote by CNN's Fareed Zakaria, this conference explored pressing U.S. immigration issues, from mass deportations' and enforcement to legal services and the immigration court system.
Facing New Migration Realities: U.S.-Mexico Relations and Shared Interests
U.S.-Mexico cooperation reduced unauthorized migration from 2020 to 2024; lasting progress hinges on legal pathways, regional engagement, and border infrastructure.
Immigration Actions in First 100 Days of Trump Second Term
Analysts assessed the most consequential immigration actions taken during the first 100 days of President Trump's second term, detailed the litigation picture, and analyzed some of the early effects of policies on U.S. communities.
Jimmy Carter and Immigration: A Wide-Ranging Legacy That Remains Relevant Today
The passing of the nation’s 39th president has sparked numerous assessments of the Carter presidency, yet few have focused on the wide-ranging legacy that Jimmy Carter left in the immigration realm. The Carter presidency illustrates the long history of authorities that remain in use today, including 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.
The Biden Legacy on Immigration: A Complex Picture
What was the Biden record on border management, legal immigration, refugee resettlement, and other immigration aspects? Speakers assessed the Biden legacy and discussed MPI's analysis of the administration’s actions on immigration.
The Nascent Architecture for Managing U.S. Border Arrivals Shows Promise
While unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have plummeted in 2024, improving on these results requires immigration strategies that go far beyond the border. A new architecture for managing migration implemented over the past three years is fragile but holds promise and represents a necessary direction, this commentary argues.
