Jessica Vaughan

Jessica M. Vaughan serves as Director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a DC-based research institute that examines the impact of immigration on American society and educates policymakers and opinion leaders on immigration issues. She has been with CIS since 1992, and her area of expertise is immigration policy and operations, covering topics such as visa programs, immigration benefits, and immigration law enforcement. Vaughan has completed several major projects on immigration and crime, including a Department of Justice-funded project studying the use of immigration law enforcement in transnational gang suppression efforts. Previously, Vaughan was a foreign service officer with the State Department, where she served in Belgium and Trinidad and Tobago. Her articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Economist, and other publications. She has testified before Congress several times and advises state lawmakers and agencies on immigration issues.