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
Following Years of High Border Arrivals, the U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Hits New Peak
MPI estimates the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population reached a new peak of 15.8 million as of mid-2024, after holding steady at around 11 million…
In Its Second Term, Trump Administration Quietly Expands Family Separation
Immigration enforcement during the second Trump term is driving a quieter, more diffuse wave of family separations inside the United States, often…
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…
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)
Showing 111–120 of 821 results
Federal Judges Step into the Void to Set U.S. Immigration Policy
With Congress overwhelmingly silent on immigration, federal courts have become de facto policymakers, halting or allowing executive actions, managing backlogs, and more.
SNAP Access and Participation in U.S.-Born and Immigrant Households: A Data Profile
Post-1996 federal welfare rules bar many lawfully present immigrants from SNAP. In 2019, many of the 13 million people in low-income immigrant households faced limited or no access to food assistance.
Revamping Asylum at the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Workable Rescue?
The border asylum proposed rule the Biden administration unveiled in February represents a bid to save the U.S. asylum system, not shut it down, as some contend. Whether it can succeed, however, depends on how it is implemented and on other steps that are beyond the bounds of the proposed rule, as this commentary explains.
Imminent End of Formal U.S. Pandemic Emergencies Marks New Era in Immigration Realm
The end of U.S. pandemic emergency declarations will shrink public benefits and reduce health-care access for U.S. residents, with immigrants bearing a disproportionate share of the fallout.
Unblocking the U.S. Immigration System: Executive Actions to Facilitate the Migration of Needed Workers
Without congressional action, U.S. federal agencies can take targeted steps to cut processing backlogs and keep needed workers authorized and productive in the U.S. economy.
Biden at the Two-Year Mark: Significant Immigration Actions Eclipsed by Record Border Numbers
Two years in, the Biden administration set a record pace of executive immigration actions, but high border encounters, court setbacks, and congressional inaction left its agenda unfinished.
Four Strategies to Improve Community Services for Unaccompanied Children in the United States
Coordination, school-based hubs, interdisciplinary care, and a skilled workforce are four key strategies to improve post-release services for unaccompanied children.
The Skills and Economic Outcomes of Immigrant and U.S.-Born College Graduates
Immigrant college graduates match or exceed U.S.-born peers economically, yet the skills of one-fifth of them are underutilized. The gap can be closed with English skills training and credential reform.
After a Slump, Legal Immigration to the United States Is Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels
U.S. legal immigration is bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels, but massive processing backlogs continue to slow recovery.
A Profile of Low-Income Immigrants in the United States
In 2019, nearly 15 million U.S. immigrants were low income and had higher uninsured rates and lower public benefits use than their U.S.-born counterparts at similar income levels.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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