E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
DREAM Act/Deferred Action

DREAM Act/Deferred Action

Conferring legal status on young unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children—a group referred to as DREAMers—has been the subject of legislation in Congress since 2001. In 2012, the Obama administration launched the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative to provide a temporary reprieve from deportation to qualified unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. In 2017, the Trump administration announced the program's termination. The research here offers a demographic portrait of the DACA and broader DREAMer populations. Check out our DACA data tools, with state-level and national-origin data, here.

Recent Activity

IMAGE 17thLAPC
Multimedia
September 21, 2020
17th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
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Multimedia
November 9, 2020
What Is Immigration Policy Expected to Look Like in a Biden Administration?
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Policy Briefs
November 2020
At the Starting Gate: The Incoming Biden Administration’s Immigration Plans
By  Doris Meissner and Michelle Mittelstadt
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Articles
November 5, 2020
Mexican Immigrants in the United States
By Emma Israel and Jeanne Batalova
3538597388_8557c53728_c FLICKR Sharon Mollerus Presidential Seal
Multimedia
September 10, 2020
The U.S. Immigration Policymaker-in-Chief: The Long History of Executive Authority over Immigration
Dismantling and Reconstructing the U.S. Immigration System: A Catalog of Changes under the Trump Presidency
Reports
July 2020
Dismantling and Reconstructing the U.S. Immigration System: A Catalog of Changes under the Trump Presidency
By  Sarah Pierce and Jessica Bolter
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Articles
February 14, 2020
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
By Jeanne Batalova, Brittany Blizzard, and Jessica Bolter
DACA rally in front of Supreme Court
Articles
November 21, 2019
Will Supreme Court Ruling on DACA Finally Force Congress to Break the Ice on Immigration Reform?
By Muzaffar Chishti and Jessica Bolter

Pages

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Reports
March 2011
Executive Action on Immigration: Six Ways to Make the System Work Better
By  Donald M. Kerwin, Doris Meissner and Margie McHugh
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Fact Sheets
December 2010
Updated Estimates of the 2010 DREAM Act
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Policy Briefs
July 2010
DREAM vs. Reality: An Analysis of Potential DREAM Act Beneficiaries
By  Jeanne Batalova and Margie McHugh
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Policy Briefs
October 2006
New Estimates of Unauthorized Youth Eligible for Legal Status under the DREAM Act
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix

Pages

Photo of U.S. President Joe Biden delivering remarks in front of White House.
Policy Beat
January 19, 2022
Biden at the One-Year Mark: A Greater Change in Direction on Immigration Than Is Recognized

While Donald Trump’s presidency is perceived as being the most active on immigration, touching nearly every aspect of the U.S. immigration system, President Joe Biden’s administration has far outpaced his predecessor in the number of executive actions taken during his first year in office—even as the pace of change has gone largely unnoticed, as this article explores.

A Dutch family at Ellis Island between 1915 and 1920.
Profile
January 6, 2022
Immigration Has Been a Defining, Often Contentious, Element Throughout U.S. History

As host to more immigrants than any other country, the United States has been shaped and reshaped by immigration over the centuries, with the issue at times becoming a flashpoint. This article covers the history of U.S. immigration and the major laws governing immigration, and provides a comprehensive overview of the present-day immigrant population.

A woman stands onboard the U.S. Navy vessel on which she was born.
Spotlight
October 15, 2021
Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

Vietnamese immigrants are among the largest foreign-born groups from Asia in the United States. The first significant arrivals came at the end of the Vietnam War; more recent immigrants from Vietnam have been more likely to come through family sponsorship programs. This article examines different dimensions of this immigrant population.

Spotlight
August 11, 2021
Central American Immigrants in the United States

The number of Central American immigrants in the United States has grown dramatically, amid political corruption, violence, and natural disasters in their native countries. But recent images of Central Americans arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border do not tell the whole story, with more than half the population arriving in 2000 or earlier. This article offers key data on the 3.8 million Central American immigrants in the United States.

President Joe Biden speaks to journalists at the White House.
Policy Beat
April 26, 2021
Border Challenges Dominate, But Biden’s First 100 Days Mark Notable Under-the-Radar Immigration Accomplishments

During his first 100 days in office, U.S. President Joe Biden took more than three times as many executive actions on immigration as predecessor Donald Trump. While rising encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have captured major attention, Biden has been remarkably active in areas that have received far less attention, including interior enforcement. This article explores the administration's actions during its first three months.

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EVENTPH 2014.12.3 Executive Action Webinar Flickr The Speaker flickr com photos thespeakernews 15660310918
Video, Audio
December 3, 2014

Digging Deeper Into Executive Action: A Further Examination of the Impacts

A discussion with MPI experts of the less-examined aspects of President Obama's executive actions on immigration, with respect to immigration enforcement, legal immigration, and immigrant integration.

EVENTPH 2014.10.21 11th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conf. USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez
Video, Audio
October 21, 2014

11th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

This conference, keynoted by USCIS Director León Rodríguez, featured panels on local immigrant integration policies; expected executive action on immigration; the treatment of unaccompanied children from Central America; and innovations in government-funded legal counsel and accelerated court cases.

EVENTPH 2014.9.16 DACA DREAM ED REQ. WEBINAR (USDOEDSC_0079 (1))
Audio
September 16, 2014

Realizing the DACA and DREAM Promise: Actions to Support Educational Attainment of Potentially Eligible Immigrant Youth

A discussion and report release on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, how its educational requirements may be impacting application rates, and recommendations for overcoming the education-success challenges that key subgroups of DACA-DREAM youth face.

EVENTPH 2014.9.4 EXEC ACTION PLACEHOLDER (Leading Chants)
Audio
September 4, 2014

Extending New Relief to Unauthorized Immigrants: Estimating the Impacts of Possible Executive Actions

Estimates of unauthorized immigrant populations that could receive relief from deportation under potential executive action scenarios to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, extend deferred action to other populations, or refine immigration enforcement priorities are discussed during this webinar.

EventPH 2014.8.6 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) at Two
Audio
August 6, 2014

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) at Two: New MPI Findings as Renewal Approaches

This webinar covers key findings from MPI's report about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative and eligible populations two years after its implementation, and also introduces MPI's data tool that provides national and state-level estimates of the current and potentially eligible DACA populations, as well as detailed profiles for the U.S. and 25 states.

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Recent Activity

Articles
March 14, 2023

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Want to check a fact about U.S. immigration? Interested in putting recent trends into perspective? This article compiles authoritative, up-to-date information about the U.S. immigrant population and how it has changed over time. Data cover immigrants' demographic, educational, and linguistic characteristics; their top states of residence; enforcement activities; refugees and asylum seekers; naturalization trends; visa backlogs; and more.

Articles
February 15, 2023

Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States

Venezuelans comprise one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States, nearly tripling in size from 2010 to 2021. Much of this migration has been fueled by crisis in Venezuela, where political unrest and economic strife have caused millions to flee since 2015, most remaining in Latin America. Venezuelan immigrants are far more likely than the overall foreign- and U.S.-born populations to have a college degree. Take an in-depth look at this immigrant population.

Articles
January 12, 2023

Chinese Immigrants in the United States

The number of Chinese immigrants in the United States had grown swiftly for decades but shrank amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a whole, Chinese immigrants tend to have more education and higher salaries than other immigrants, although they are less likely to be fluent in English. This article provides a sociodemographic profile of Chinese immigrants in the United States, their top destination globally.

Articles
December 7, 2022

Indian Immigrants in the United States

Significant immigration from India to the United States began only after 1965, when the United States dropped national-origin quotas that favored Europeans. Today, Indians make up the nation's second largest foreign-born group. On average, they tend to be very well educated: 80 percent have a college degree and nearly half hold a graduate or professional degree. This article offers a useful sociodemographic profile of the Indian population.

Articles
October 13, 2022

Mexican Immigrants in the United States

Mexicans are by far the largest immigrant group in the United States, accounting for nearly one-fourth of all immigrants. However their numbers have been declining and in 2021 there were 1 million fewer than a decade ago. At the same time, despite years in which more new migrants came from China and India, Mexicans once again count as the largest group of new arrivals. This article outlines the changing shape and composition of this immigrant population.

Video, Webinars
September 20, 2022

19th Annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference

Focusing on top immigration policy issues at federal and state levels, this 2022 Immigration Law and Policy Conference featured keynotes by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson exploring the growing role states are taking in the national immigration debate. Multimedia of the day's panel discussions will be posted later.

Articles
August 4, 2022

Brazilian Immigrants in the United States

Persistent economic turmoil and civil and political insecurity have been drivers of emigration from Brazil, including to the United States. Although the number of Brazilian immigrants in the United States has been on the rise since the 1980s, the magnitude of these flows has made the past decade unique. Read a useful profile of Brazilians immigrants, including U.S. destinations, modes of entry, and educational and work characteristics.

Articles
July 7, 2022

Caribbean Immigrants in the United States

Immigrants from the Caribbean living in the United States come from a diverse set of countries and territories, with Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago the top origins. This article offers a sociodemographic profile of Caribbean immigrants, who represent 10 percent of the U.S. foreign-born population and nearly half of all Black immigrants in the United States.

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