The 2019 Jefferson Fellowships will explore a theme of “Migration Policy & Public Sentiment.” An immersive three-week dialogue, travel, and reporting program to Honolulu, Hawaii; Seoul, South Korea; Manila, Philippines; and Sydney, Australia will enable participating journalists to contextualize and compare migration patterns and policy solutions as well as better understand how economic, political, social, and cultural concerns are influencing public sentiment and fostering support for nativist policies and populist politicians. The 2019 Jefferson Fellowships will begin at the East-West Center in Honolulu with an examination of migrant patterns in the United States and the Asia Pacific, including countries of origin, educational attainment, gender, and distribution within recipient countries. Journalists will also explore President Donald Trump’s push for more restrictive immigration policies along with how this has framed the public debate and influenced sentiment. Site visits in Honolulu will provide unique opportunities to engage with affected community members. Travel to Seoul will examine the driving forces underpinning South Korea’s migration patterns; public sentiment regarding those patterns; and the gradual implementation of policies intended to attract expatriate nationals and foreign workers. Travel to Manila will similarly explore domestic push factors compelling Filipinos abroad; the evolution of related policymaking; and the various institutions and civil society organizations aimed at facilitation and protection of overseas workers. Travel to Sydney will examine Australia’s move away from family migration to skilled migration targeting national workforce needs; the rise of temporary and “two-step migration”; the controversial “Pacific Solution”; and the public’s response. Finally, meetings with government officials, security officers, academics, media colleagues, students, civil society leaders, and immigrants will provide first-hand exposure to and a more nuanced understanding of the theme while building the professional networks of participating journalists.

The 2019 Jefferson Fellowships will explore a theme of “Migration Policy & Public Sentiment.” An immersive three-week dialogue, travel, and reporting program to Honolulu, Hawaii; Seoul, South Korea; Manila, Philippines; and Sydney, Australia will enable participating journalists to contextualize and compare migration patterns and policy solutions as well as better understand how economic, political, social, and cultural concerns are influencing public sentiment and fostering support for nativist policies and populist politicians. The 2019 Jefferson Fellowships will begin at the East-West Center in Honolulu with an examination of migrant patterns in the United States and the Asia Pacific, including countries of origin, educational attainment, gender, and distribution within recipient countries. Journalists will also explore President Donald Trump’s push for more restrictive immigration policies along with how this has framed the public debate and influenced sentiment. Site visits in Honolulu will provide unique opportunities to engage with affected community members. Travel to Seoul will examine the driving forces underpinning South Korea’s migration patterns; public sentiment regarding those patterns; and the gradual implementation of policies intended to attract expatriate nationals and foreign workers. Travel to Manila will similarly explore domestic push factors compelling Filipinos abroad; the evolution of related policymaking; and the various institutions and civil society organizations aimed at facilitation and protection of overseas workers. Travel to Sydney will examine Australia’s move away from family migration to skilled migration targeting national workforce needs; the rise of temporary and “two-step migration”; the controversial “Pacific Solution”; and the public’s response. Finally, meetings with government officials, security officers, academics, media colleagues, students, civil society leaders, and immigrants will provide first-hand exposure to and a more nuanced understanding of the theme while building the professional networks of participating journalists.