U.S. Immigration Policy Program
The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides thought leadership on ways to improve the U.S. immigration system so that it works most effectively in the national interest. To that end, its work focuses on immigration pathways to the United States and immigration enforcement policies and their impacts. It examines the complex demographic, economic, social, political, foreign policy, and other forces that shape U.S. immigration.
Program staff produce data and analyses of immigration trends and the characteristics of U.S. immigrant populations, including unauthorized immigrants. And they conduct original research on the impacts of policy change and the experiences of immigrant populations in diverse parts of the country. This work is frequently informed by private convenings of policymakers and key stakeholders. For more, click here.
Featured
The Immigration Debate America Needs—and Is Not Having
Immigration is central to America’s economic future, yet debate fixates on border crises and policy failures instead of how a modern legal…
Trump Restrictions on Legal Immigration Could Sharply Reduce U.S. Population Growth
President Donald Trump's second-term curbs on legal immigration, spanning visas, refugees, and family reunification, could meaningfully slow U.S…
More Featured Work
Key Statistics
Learn more about immigrants and immigration to the United States
14.8%
The immigrant share of the total U.S. population
Learn how this share has evolved (opens in a new tab)50.2 million
The number of immigrants in the United States
Explore Data Profiles by State (opens in a new tab)18.4%
The share of workers in the U.S. civilian labor force who are immigrants
Get the data at U.S. and state levels (opens in a new tab)
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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Escalation of ICE Operations Emboldens State and Local Lawmakers to Constrain Its Operations
As ICE enforcement intensified in 2026, a record number of states enacted laws limiting or expanding their cooperation, creating a growing patchwork.
A Profile of the Growing Black Immigrant Population in the United States
The Black immigrant population in the United States reached 4.7 million in 2024, growing faster than the overall foreign-born population, with near-equal African and Caribbean shares.
Graduating into Uncertainty: Unauthorized Immigrant Students in U.S. High Schools
About 75,000 unauthorized immigrants graduate from U.S. high schools annually, MPI estimates. Amid immigration policy and enforcement changes, many are graduating into uncertainty.
Beyond “Shock and Awe”: Immigration Actions in the First Year under Trump 2.0
Analysts assessed the sweeping immigration enforcement actions, executive orders, and legal challenges marking Trump's second term's first year.
Unleashing Power in New Ways: Immigration in the First Year of Trump 2.0
The Trump second-term immigration overhaul—500-plus policy actions in the first year, record enforcement, and sweeping legal rollbacks—is reshaping who is welcome in America.
Trump Administration Public-Charge Rule Would Amplify Harms to Immigrant Families
A Trump administration proposed rule that would give government adjudicators wide discretion in deciding when public benefits use can be held against green-card applicants and prospective immigrants could discourage many eligible households, including those with U.S.-citizen children, from accessing health, nutrition, and education supports—with significant implications for well-being, as this short read explains.
U.S. Immigration Courts at a Crisis Point
U.S. immigration courts are facing record backlogs and structural challenges. MPI examined the Biden and Trump administrations' policies and what reforms are needed to improve efficiency and fairness.
Employment Verification: The Next Front for U.S. Immigration Enforcement?
E-Verify covers just 14 percent of U.S. employers after nearly 30 years. There are patchwork state rules for the system, which authenticates an individual’s right to lawfully work in the United States, and enforcement has focused on workers over businesses.
Breaking the Cycle of Dysfunction at the U.S. Immigration Courts
With 3.8 million deportation cases pending as of mid-2025, the U.S. immigration courts faced a deepening crisis requiring urgent legislative and administrative reform.
U.S. Immigrant Detention Grows to Record Heights under Trump Administration
U.S. immigrant detention hit historic highs under President Donald Trump’s second term, with record funding and private prison expansion. Most detainees had no criminal convictions.
