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United States

United States

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Historically a nation of immigrants, the United States is home to nearly 45 million immigrants, who represent 13.7 percent of the total population and play a key role in the economic, civic, and cultural life of the country. The research collected here covers many facets of immigration to the United States, by the numbers and how immigrants fare in the country's classrooms and workplaces, the policies and regulations that shape the admission of new immigrants, the enforcement programs and polices in place at U.S. borders and within the interior, and integration policies and efforts taking place in local communities, in states, and at the federal level.

A naturalization ceremony at the White House.
Articles

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Immigration touches on many facets of life in the United States. Get the facts with this useful resource, which compiles in one place answers to some of the most often-asked questions about immigration and immigrants in the United States now and historically. This article contains essential data on the immigrant population, immigration levels, trends in immigration enforcement, and much more.

A man in a high-visibility jacket and gloves at work
Policy Briefs

A New Way Forward for Employment-Based Immigration: The Bridge Visa

U.S. employment-based visa policies, last updated in 1990, are not aligned with the country’s current and future labor market needs. This policy brief outlines MPI’s proposal for a new visa pathway that could help the United States better leverage immigration to meet its labor market needs, boost protections for both U.S.- and foreign-born workers, and flexibly adapt to future economic and demographic changes.

Inadmissible migrants, some seeking asylum, are processed by CBP officers
Reports

Outmatched: The U.S. Asylum System Faces Record Demands

The U.S. humanitarian protection system, known for its long history of assisting those in need, has come under incredible pressure in recent years. The asylum adjudications system, which is under-resourced, is struggling to keep up with record asylum seeker arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border. This report examines the state of the asylum system, including changes under the Biden administration and potential lessons for other countries.

President Joe Biden signs an executive order.
Articles

Biden at the Three-Year Mark: The Most Active Immigration Presidency Yet Is Mired in Border Crisis Narrative

In three years, President Joe Biden has surpassed the number of immigration-focused executive actions taken by the Trump administration throughout its entire four-year term, making his the most active U.S. presidency ever on immigration. Yet the Biden administration has been repeatedly accused of inaction at the U.S.-Mexico border, where record levels of migrant encounters have occurred. This article reviews the Biden track record on immigration.

Recent Activity

cover credMRAs
Reports
December 2013
Skilled Immigrants in the Global Economy: Prospects for International Cooperation on Recognition of Foreign Qualifications
By  Madeleine Sumption, Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Sarah Flamm
Cover ManagingBorders
Books
December 2013
Managing Borders in an Increasingly Borderless World
Articles
November 20, 2013
Green-Card Holders and Legal Immigration to the United States
By Gregory Auclair and Jeanne Batalova
Articles
November 14, 2013
Alabama Settlement Marks Near End of a Chapter in State Immigration Enforcement Activism
By Muzaffar Chishti and Faye Hipsman
cover COI DualLanguageLearners
Reports
November 2013
Early Education for Dual Language Learners: Promoting School Readiness and Early School Success
By  Linda M. Espinosa
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Multimedia
October 31, 2013
10th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Articles
October 24, 2013
Naturalization Trends in the United States
By Gregory Auclair and Jeanne Batalova
Articles
October 17, 2013
As Immigration Reform Stalls in Congress, Activists Take a Page from the Civil-Rights Movement
By Muzaffar Chishti and Faye Hipsman

Pages

January 1, 2007
The “Brain Gain” Race Begins with Foreign Students

The United States has been a destination for education and research for generations of foreign students and scholars. MPI's Jeanne Batalova explores why the country has become less dominant in the global education market in recent years.

Feature
January 1, 2007
Second-Generation Latinos in Nebraska: A First Look

Nebraska's foreign-born population grew faster than that of any other Midwestern state between 1990 and 2000. Lourdes Gouveia and Mary Ann Powell of the University of Nebraska at Omaha shed light on the second generation's progress in the country's heartland.

Policy Beat
December 1, 2006
Elections Improve Odds for Immigration Reform in 2007

MPI’s Julia Gelatt reports on the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, the role of immigration reform in the November elections, plans to raise fees for immigration benefits, the first phase of Boeing’s border control strategy, and more.

Top Ten
December 1, 2006
U.S. Immigration Reform: Better Luck Next Year

In January 2004, President George Bush declared the current immigration system "broken" and proposed a temporary worker program open to the unauthorized as well as new foreign workers. Nearly three years later, the United States has not come much closer to that goal although events in 2006 may have changed the political climate in which immigration will be debated next year.

Top Ten
December 1, 2006
U.S. State and Local Governments Respond to Federal Inaction on Immigration

With the U.S. Congress unable to reconcile vastly differing views of immigration legislation (see Issue #3: U.S. Immigration Reform: Better Luck Next Year), the city of Hazleton, in eastern Pennsylvania, decided to act, passing its "Illegal Immigration Relief Act" in August.

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Recent Activity

Reports
December 2013

Skilled Immigrants in the Global Economy: Prospects for International Cooperation on Recognition of Foreign Qualifications

This report analyzes mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) between countries, which allow professionals to transfer their skills and experiences across borders more effectively. The report, part of a series on the recognition of foreign credentials, evaluates existing MRAs and discusses the prospects for cooperation between the United States and the European Union.
Books
December, 2013

Managing Borders in an Increasingly Borderless World

This edited volume showcases approaches toward border management in Europe, Central America, and North America, and reflects on the challenges that countries in these regions face in managing their borders. The book brings together perspectives from both sides of the Atlantic on what border security means in practice, the challenges that continue to evade policymakers, and what policies have been the most (and least) successful in achieving “secure” borders.

Articles
November 20, 2013

Green-Card Holders and Legal Immigration to the United States

More than 1 million people became lawful permanent residents (LPRs) of the United States in 2012, with family-sponsored immigrants accounting for two-thirds of those gaining a green card. This Spotlight examines federal statistics on foreign nationals who gained LPR status during 2012.

Articles
November 14, 2013

Alabama Settlement Marks Near End of a Chapter in State Immigration Enforcement Activism

With the state of Alabama's recent legal settlement ensuring that key portions of its highly contested immigration enforcement law will never take effect, an important chapter of heightened activism by states in immigration enforcement has drawn to a near close. This article explores Alabama's decision, which traces its roots to the Supreme Court's 2012 ruling in Arizona v. United States, as well as the Infosys civil settlement with federal prosecutors over its use of foreign workers, new refugee admission numbers, extension of Temporary Protected Status for Somalis, and more.

Reports
November 2013

Early Education for Dual Language Learners: Promoting School Readiness and Early School Success

This report profiles the population of Dual Language Learner children in the United States, who represent nearly one-third of all U.S. children under age 6, outlining school readiness and patterns of achievement. It evaluates the research on early care and education approaches that have been shown to support higher levels of language and literacy development for this population.

Video, Audio
October 31, 2013

10th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

The 10th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference featured keynotes by U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, as well as panel discussions covering a range of key immigration topics.

Articles
October 24, 2013

Naturalization Trends in the United States

About 757,000 immigrants took U.S. citizenship in 2012, a 9 percent increase from the year before. As of 2012, 46 percent of the nation’s 40.8 million immigrants were naturalized Americans. This article examines the latest naturalization data available for the United States, including historical trends, data by country of origin and state of residence, as well as socioeconomic characteristics of the 18.7 million naturalized U.S. citizens residing in the United States in 2012.

Articles
October 17, 2013

As Immigration Reform Stalls in Congress, Activists Take a Page from the Civil-Rights Movement

While budget issues and the debt ceiling dominated the congressional agenda and public attention last week, thousands of activists in Washington were stepping up civil disobedience and mobilization tactics to pressure lawmakers into voting to overhaul the nation’s immigration system. This article explores this growing trend and its possible implications for immigration reform in the 113th Congress. It also provides an update on other national, state, and local developments in immigration policy.

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