The International Network for Immigration Research (INIR) has been established in Budapest by the Migration Research Institute, together with renowned American, French, and Israeli partner institutions, to provide a pragmatic, scientific, and professional approach to the issue of migration, and rejecting unrealistic ideological approaches to the issue.

The terrorist attacks in Europe in recent weeks, as well as the violent incidents at Hungary’s southern borders, which have also involved the use of weapons, show that illegal migration remains one of the most important challenges facing Hungary and the European Union as a whole, and must be addressed through international cooperation.

The Migration Research Institute which opened in 2015 and operates under the auspices of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, will bring together research centers critical to the fight against illegal migration, disseminate the values, perspectives, and research results of its members, and exchange experiences between participants. One of the reasons for the initiative is that the current debate on illegal immigration is dominated by a human rights approach that deliberately conceals the social and economic problems caused by illegal border crossings. The founding members of the international organization are the Migration Research Institute, the Center for Immigration Studies (USA), NumbersUSA (USA), the Israeli Immigration Policy Center (Israel) and the Observatoire de l’immigration et de la démographie (France).

The diverse members of this new network believe that the state has the sovereign right to pursue its own immigration policy. They desire to look at the issue of migration in a pragmatic, scientific, and policy-based manner, instead of an over-emphasized ideological approach. “Knowledge flows more actively through international networking than through individual research. As different countries and regions are at different levels in dealing with irregular migration, they can give useful advice and share good practices,” said Viktor Marsai, Director of the Migration Research Institute and founding member of the international network at the inaugural meeting in Budapest.

At the event, the five founding member organizations signed a cooperation agreement. In addition to joint research and professional events, the member organizations will soon launch an English-language journal and a joint website, managed by an international editorial board. The International Network for Immigration Research is expected to grow with new members in the near future.

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