The US-Mexico border wall at Playas de Tijuana covered in colorful murals and messages of hope, extending into the Pacific Ocean

Human Security Initiative

Safety and dignity for all

HUMSI leads research, advocacy, and education to protect human rights and promote security for vulnerable people.

Our Mission

Research, Advocacy, Education

The Human Security Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting safety and dignity for all people through three interconnected approaches.

Research

Conducting rigorous research and analysis on human rights and global justice issues to inform policy and practice.

Advocacy

Working with communities, policymakers, and institutions to advance protections for vulnerable people.

Education

Developing educational materials and trainings on global justice issues and advocacy.

Our Work

People walking in line at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing, depicting immigration enforcement operations

Human Impact Project

A searchable database documenting harm from U.S. immigration enforcement. The project tracks detentions, deportations, family separations, officer misconduct, deaths in custody, and other impacts to support justice for impacted people and advance accountability for harm.

View Project

Community members navigating a flooded, eroded street after severe weather, showing the direct environmental impacts that drive displacement

Climate, Environment & Displacement

Partners: International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Stanford Law School, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center

HUMSI conducts field research at the U.S.-Mexico border examining the intersection of environmental conditions with other root causes of displacement. Our work includes consultation for IRAP's Climate program, development of practice guides for climate-related asylum claims, and legal frameworks to protect climate-displaced populations.

Publications

Migrants walking along a path through a village in the Darien Gap region, carrying backpacks on their journey through Central America

Cross-Border Mobility & Migration

Partners: Immigrant Defenders Advocacy Center, Quixote Center, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Witness at the Border, American Immigration Council, Red Franciscana Para Migrantes

HUMSI conducts research examining conditions faced by displaced people along migration routes in the Americas. Our work includes documenting violence, environmental impacts, and other challenges along migration routes to support advocacy for safe and legal migration pathways. HUMSI led field research and a coalition report on challenges faced by individuals crossing the Darién Gap connecting Colombia and Panama.

Publications

An institutional building in a rural East African highland landscape, representing international educational collaboration

Education & Training

Partners: Stanford Law School, University of Rwanda Law School, UC Berkeley, Stanford, UC Santa Cruz

HUMSI provides research, writing, and support for Stanford Law School's Rule of Law Program, including a legal education project on the laws and legal institutions of Rwanda with University of Rwanda faculty. HUMSI's director also delivers guest lectures and trainings on climate-related mobility and border policy at universities including UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UC Santa Cruz.

Our Team