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The Border Policy Research Institute

 

The Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) at Western Washington University is a multidisciplinary institute that undertakes research to inform policy-makers on matters related to the Canada–United States border, particularly in the Cascadia region.

Priority focus areas include:

  • Border management
  • Economic relationships
  • Cross-border mobility
  • Cross-border collaboration 

Western Washington University established the BPRI in 2005 after September 11th transformed border relations and security. The BPRI continues to promote research, academic programs, and public programming on critical policy issues affecting border crossings between British Columbia and Washington State. We work closely with cognate programs at the university and collaborate with many public and private entities throughout the region. 

Recent Publications 

News & Events

Upcoming Talk - Testing the Boundaries: Immigration and Border Security Policy

Beyond the Surface rainbow flyer

What makes politics about migration and the border so contested? How do we move beyond the rhetoric to understand the many dimensions of border security, including reasons why people immigrate and impacts of migration in the United States? This panel will bring together faculty in political science with the director of Western’s Border Policy Research Institute and a local immigration attorney to discuss what is at stake in this year’s election and to explore potential pathways and roadblocks to political resolutions.

Panelists

  • Laurie Trautman, Border Policy Research Institute
  • Rudy Alamillo, Department of Political Science
  • Hannah Stone, immigration attorney and former Fairhaven College instructor
  • Moderated by Michael Wolff, Department of Political Science

Date

October 15, 2024 - 4:00 pm - 5:30pm

Location

Miller Hall 138

Part of the Beyond the Surface: Election 2024 panel discussion series.

In Point Roberts, tourists' slow return prompts questions about the peninsula’s future

Waterway on Pt. Roberts

Featuring interview with Dr. Laurie Trautman and border data research from BPRI.

The U.S.’s preoccupation with border security is steadily turning north

Peace Arch Park

Op-Ed in the Globe and Mail written by Dr. Laurie Trautman and Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor Edward Alden.

Remote US town reliant on northern border crossings struggling to survive

map of Point Roberts

"Spotlight on America" Interview with Dr. Laurie Trautman & Chris Daniels

(Photo: SBG)