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Former ICE, DHS, and White House Leaders Unveil Visionary Blueprints for Immigration Reform

A roadmap to modernize U.S. immigration  

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — December 9, 2025 — Today, a group of former high-ranking U.S. immigration officials released a set of sweeping recommendations designed to overhaul the American immigration system. Together, they offer a roadmap for a forward-looking immigration vision that addresses the crises that defined the Biden era, tackles the root causes that have plagued the sector for decades, and restores humanity amid an era of relentless over-enforcement.

“The Immigration Blueprints” are a series of pragmatic, credible, and viable proposals developed through Hyphen’s Immigration Policy Fellowship. The Blueprints were designed by deeply experienced former senior officials and pressure-tested by experts from across the political spectrum, including faith, labor, and national security leaders and state and local government officials, to ensure they are both humane and achievable. Together, they offer a new model for enforcement, asylum, and lawful immigration pathways that is fair, just, and addresses the needs and concerns of the American public. 

“We’re in a moment where we need real, visionary leadership on what a fair, humane, and effective immigration system looks like,” said Archana Sahgal, founder and president of Hyphen. “These Blueprints don’t shy away from the thorniest issues that have been punted for decades– they confront them head on and chart a path forward.” 

“The Immigration Blueprints represent bold, innovative, and fresh solutions that reflect the moment that we’re in. We developed them with the people who saw the cracks up close and know how to fix them. And, we tested them with the people who understand policy and how it affects people, so we know they have the power to reshape our system for the better,” Sahgal continued. 

The Blueprints were crafted by eight leading experts with decades of federal experience: 

• Felicia Escobar Carrillo, former chief of staff at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and former Special Assistant to President Barack Obama for Immigration Policy at the White House Domestic Policy Council 

• Ashley Feasley, former Director for Transborder Security at the White House National Security Council, Senior Advisor at Administration for Children and Families within the Department of Health and Human Services and Executive Director of Policy at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Department of Homeland Security

• Emily Mendrala, former Deputy Assistant to the President, Senior Advisor on Migration, Coordinator for the Southwest Border at the White House, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

• Royce Murray, former Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy at the Department of Homeland Security and Senior Counselor to the Secretary for Immigration

• Bitta Mostofi, former Senior Advisor to the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and former New York City Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs

• Avideh Moussavian, former Senior Advisor to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and former Chief of the agency’s Office of Policy & Strategy

• Jen Smyers, former Deputy Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

• Claire Trickler‑McNulty, former Senior Counselor to the Director at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and former Assistant Director, Office of Immigration Program Evaluation at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  

 

They have firsthand knowledge of the operational and policy concerns of the current system and understand what it will take to make reform effective.

“For too long, discussions around immigration have been political; we need to urgently look at what actually works on the ground and how communities can rely on it,” said Cecilia Muñoz, former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council for President Obama and Senior Advisor to Hyphen. “What once kept our immigration system stable no longer works. Record border arrivals, shifting regional migration, and post-COVID pressures make one thing clear: the U.S. needs a new approach. This is the set of proposals that marry modern realities with American values.”

The Blueprints tackle the most entrenched aspects of our immigration system, including reimagining enforcement and border management to restore integrity, fairness, and proportional consequences. This involves creating new legal pathways and foreign policy measures to deter unauthorized immigration, as well as improving the care, treatment, and due process for immigrants and unaccompanied children on our soil. The proposals include:

• Establishing a statute of limitations for law-abiding noncitizens and an immigration probation program as an alternative to deportation.

• Limiting asylum access to ports of entry, except in exceptional circumstances.

• Creating a community sponsorship program, where employers, family members, and other community stakeholders can support long-time workers and families stabilize their immigration status.

• Mandating guardrails and accountability for screening and vetting standards, nationality-based entry bans and third-country removals.

• Establishing a new Office of the Civil Detention Trustee to manage conditions of confinement at all immigration-related detention facilities, including asylum reception centers.

• Increasing federally-funded legal representation for unaccompanied children and indigent noncitizens in removal proceedings.

• Establishing and funding a national coordination council to spearhead local-to-federal coordination needed around migration to improve information flow, efficiency of service delivery, and the overall implementation of immigration policies and programs.

• Identifying and scaling promising regional pilots in Latin America and the Caribbean that offer innovative policies in the areas of financing, lawful pathways to countries other than the United States, protection systems, and screening and removal cooperation.

 

Support for common-sense measures extends beyond policymakers. A Pew Research Center survey found 65% of U.S. adults say there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to stay legally if they meet certain requirements, a sign that the public is aligned behind practical, values-driven reform.
Before launch, the Blueprints were pressure-tested by stakeholders nationwide, whose early engagement directly informed their final form. These sessions included advocacy groups, community and faith leaders, and local, state, and federal officials, who provided direct feedback on the feasibility and impact of the policy recommendations.

Hyphen is briefing policymakers, media, and civil society leaders to ensure the Blueprints help shape the next phase of immigration reform and provide actionable guidance for legislative and administrative action.

To learn more, visit www.hyphenpartnerships.org/immigration-policy-fellowship

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Media Contact:

Faiza Omar

iie@ellecomm.com