Migration is surging worldwide — as is the backlash to it. Perhaps nowhere is this backlash more evident at the moment than in the United States, where newly minted President Donald Trump has said he will deport all of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country.

Amy Pope doesn’t think that is practical, or productive.

Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration, which falls under the United Nations, told Devex that such a mass deportation would have a range of repercussions, assuming it’s even feasible.

“In the United States where you’re talking over 11 million people who’ve been living and working there, frankly — and I know this because I worked at a time when more than 400,000 people were removed in a year under President Obama — the system cannot bear removing 11 million people. The logistical capacity does not exist,” she told Devex Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar during a special episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

While the logistical capacity may not exist, the economic toll certainly does, Pope said.

“It is clear that American industry has been relying on migrants — high-skilled, low-skilled, irregular, regular — across the board. So if you start to pull out that workforce, if you do not have another workforce ready to go in, you’re going to see the impact across the board,” she said, citing industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and food processing.

Moreover, irregular migration strengthens smugglers and traffickers while weakening trust in governments.

“It undermines confidence in government. Because if the government cannot manage its border and if there’s a perception that everybody can come to the border and cross and you don’t have to wait in a line … it undermines public confidence,” she said.

Rather, governments need to set up a system where migration is legal and orderly.

“If you’ve been living in a country, if you have been holding a job, paying your taxes, not committing crimes, kids are in school, whatever … you offer people a way to regularize their status,” she said. “Let’s give them status — make sure they’re paid fairly, make sure that their entry into the workforce is being done in a regular way.”

To hear more of Pope’s thoughts — including why people migrate and what aid agencies can do in a time of ever-tightening budgets — check out the podcast.

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Davos Dispatch: IOM chief talks about the realities of migration and deportation

On a special special episode of This Week in Global Development, Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, warned of major consequences for people with HIV if U.S. under President Trump cuts funding to programs such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund. 

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Davos Dispatch: 'People may die' if US cuts foreign aid, says UNAIDS chief

This Week in Global Dev: #81: What does Trump's first week in office mean for global development?

This week our entire newsroom has been on the story of how the Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

The administrative leave of much of USAID's workforce, including senior executives and almost all international staff, coupled with the layoff of thousands of contractors, has cast a long shadow over the future of U.S. foreign aid as we know it and raised concerns across the development sector about the continuity of critical programs.

On Feb. 5, our team was on the ground as thousands rallied outside the U.S. Capitol, protesting the gutting of USAID.

What will happen next? 

To make sense of the situation, Devex Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with Devex Reporters Sara Jerving and Elissa Miolene for the latest edition of our weekly podcast series. 

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This Week in Global Dev: #83: US foreign aid goes dark: USAID’s final hours

This week we were closely following the lawsuits filed against the Trump administration for freezing U.S. foreign assistance. One of the lawsuits targets Elon Musk, stating that the billionaire has decimated the U.S. Agency for International Development without the authority to do so. However, the government appears to be determined to fight back against those who are ready to challenge its decisions. 

We also look back at the Munich Security Conference, where we were media partners. From conversations on food security to the attendance of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, we discuss the key takeaways from the event. 

For the latest episode of our podcast series, Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar, and Devex Managing Editor Anna Gawel, to dig into these stories and more. 

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This Week in Global Dev: #85: In legal limbo: Inside the lawsuits against Trump's aid freeze

This week we closely followed the latest developments on the U.S. government’s attempt at dismantling USAID.

We learned that the Trump administration has decided to cut 1,600 USAID personnel based in the United States, while also placing nearly all direct hires worldwide on administrative leave by midnight Sunday.

Simultaneously, the Trump administration terminated nearly 10,000 foreign aid awards under USAID and the U.S. State Department, including those delivering critical humanitarian aid.

And following a contentious legal battle in the lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court paused a judge’s order forcing the government to pay $2 billion in frozen foreign aid, giving the Trump administration a temporary reprieve from the directive issued by a U.S. District Court.

What’s next for USAID and U.S. foreign assistance?

To take a look at the situation, Devex Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Senior Reporter Sara Jerving and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

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This Week in Global Dev: #86: The latest on the dismantling of USAID

This week the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to not pay billions of dollars in foreign aid to USAID and State Department partners — lifting a temporary reprieve granted by Chief Justice John Roberts. 

On the topic of USAID, the U.S. African Development Foundation mounted a direct challenge to the Trump administration. Wednesday saw USADF staff physically prevent Department of Government Efficiency officials from entering their offices.

Across the pond, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the shifting of billions in aid spending to fund a larger military. This means that the U.K.’s aid budget will be cut to just 0.3% of gross national income by 2027, despite a manifesto promise to increase this figure from 0.5% back to 0.7%. 

To explore these stories and others, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with Deputy Managing Editor Fiona Zublin and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

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This Week in Global Dev: #87: The battle for USAID's future, and shock cuts to UK foreign assistance

This week a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay USAID partners for billions of dollars in foreign aid work completed before Feb. 13. The ruling also stated that the president does not have “unbounded power” in the realm of foreign affairs. This means that the U.S. government must spend the money that’s already been appropriated by Congress. We discuss whether this ruling will hold and what it will mean for U.S. foreign assistance. 

We also analyze the potential effects of evolving U.S. foreign aid policies on the World Food Programme's fight against global hunger and contemplate whether philanthropy will fill the gap left by governments. 

To dig into these stories, and others, Devex’s David Ainsworth sits down with Anna Gawel and Ayenat Mersie for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

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This Week in Global Dev: #88: What does the latest federal ruling mean for US foreign assistance?

This week, the Trump administration released a detailed inventory of 5,341 discontinued USAID programs, alongside the 898 projects that are still active. We dig into the ins and outs of the data to assess the true scope of the government's policy changes, as well as reveal which programs have been most affected. 

During the conversation, we also discussed how the Trump administration’s foreign policy is affecting U.N. agencies and their funding. 

On the topic of the United Nations, the U.N. Arab Group, which represents the U.N.’s 22 Arab countries, has formally nominated Palestinian diplomat Riyad Mansour for the U.N. General Assembly presidency, setting the stage for a clash with the U.S. and Israel.

For the latest podcast episode, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger and Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch to discuss these stories and others.

NOTE ON THIS EPISODE: This podcast was recorded before the White House withdrew Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. U.S. President Donald Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social Thursday that he has asked her to step aside so Republicans could keep the majority in the House of Representatives and not risk giving up her seat.

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This Week in Global Dev: #90: Which programs were hit hardest by the Trump administration’s aid cuts?

The Trump administration formally informed Congress of its proposal to abolish USAID, merging key aspects of its operations into the State Department. This plan involves the complete shutdown of the agency and subsequent staff layoffs. Despite this, the U.S. government intends to preserve vital programs concerning humanitarian assistance, food security, and global health, potentially leading to the rehiring of some former USAID employees under the State Department. 

This week we are also in Oxford, United Kingdom, at Skoll World Forum — the annual gathering for social entrepreneurs. We take a look at the key takeaways from the conference, where leaders from some of the world’s biggest foundations are calling philanthropists to step up and do more to help the nonprofit sector.

To explore these stories, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Business Editor David Ainsworth for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

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This Week in Global Dev: #91: Trump's USAID abolition plan: What does it mean for global development?

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