Cecilia Esterline

Yesterday, @USCIS dropped its first major data release since the change of administration. Here are some of the most noteworthy findings (more analysis to come!):

DOL oversees critical aspects of our legal immigration system, including protections for American workers. If properly implemented, the new Office of Immigration should reduce delays, improving businesses' and employers' access to the necessary workers legally. Hope to see…

This was a lot of fun. It's great to see so much momentum for better organ donation policy. Thanks @waitlistzero and @NiskanenCenter for hosting! Here's a donor pic from the event — 9 total kidneys in this picture (7 kidney donors plus liver donor @CecEsterline)

Not my usual immigration content, but if interested, please consider attending. Last year I became a non-directed living liver donor and am eager to collaborate with @lawsonhmansell on this work! For the curious ones, I shared my story with FOX24 here: youtu.be/8Ckkq3Rezjs

For those interested in organ donation policy, @NiskanenCenter will be co-hosting a happy hour next week with @waitlistzero to bring together policy folks working to improve the rates of nondirected organ donation. If that's you, come join us on Tuesday! eventbrite.com/e/organ-donati…

Could full-blown conflict with Iran lead to a refugee or security crisis with Iranian nationals at the southern border? My latest research finds that despite a spike in Iranian irregular migration in January 2025, their numbers have since cratered to virtually zero.

Pleased to share my latest research in @ForeignPolicy on what the impact of revoking visas for Chinese students could be: foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/04/chi…

Restricting students from China & Hong Kong could cost the U.S. economy billions. In 2023–24 alone, they likely contributed ~$11B & supported 95,000 jobs. But the bigger loss? Talent.

Top OPT and STEM OPT employers like Amazon, Google, Intel, Deloitte, and Facebook are most likely to be affected by this move as Harvard's recent international graduates rapidly lose their underlying OPT work authorization

With Harvard's graduation next week, there will also be a fresh batch of graduates who would normally be eligible for legal work authorization through OPT. ICE is clear that OPT authorization is not transferrable, so if they've accepted jobs, they may have to renege on offers.

This SEVP revocation will also affect recent Harvard graduates working on OPT or STEM OPT. @NiskanenCenter data obtained from FOIA requests showed that as of 2024, Harvard was the school of record for 1856 OPT participants and 576 STEM OPT who had end dates in or after May 2025.