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
202 266 1910 [email protected]
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Diverging Pathways: Immigrants’ Legal Status and Access to Postsecondary Credentials
Most of the nearly 24 million U.S. immigrants lacking credentials in 2019 had legal status and Pell Grant eligibility; unauthorized immigrants were barred from federal education support.
Record-Breaking Migrant Encounters at the U.S.-Mexico Border Overlook the Bigger Story
Headlines focusing on the record-breaking nature of the 2.4 million migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022 overlook the much bigger story: Migrant and asylum seeker flows have rapidly diversified beyond Mexico and northern Central America and as a result, U.S. enforcement policies are misaligned. Today's reality sharply underscores the need for new regional approaches, this commentary argues.
Busing and Flights of Migrants by GOP Governors Mark a New Twist in State Intervention on Immigration
Republican governors' busing and flights of migrants to Democratic cities escalated state-versus-state immigration politics and exposed gaps in the U.S. reception system.
19th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
This conference examined the Biden administration's immigration record, border and asylum policy, litigation trends, and humanitarian protection developments.
The Public-Charge Final Rule Is Far from the Last Word
The Biden administration public-charge final rule undoes deep restrictions imposed during the Trump era, codifying much of the policy in place from 1999 to 2019. Yet confusion and fear over triggering negative immigration consequences will continue to keep many immigrants and their U.S.-born relatives from accessing benefits and services for which they are eligible absent a robust educational campaign, this commentary explains.
One Year On: The Situation for At-Risk Afghans in Afghanistan and Abroad
Marking the one-year withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, experts reflected on the humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan, the region, and how to ensure at-risk Afghans can reach safety.
Welcoming Afghans and Ukrainians to the United States: A Case in Similarities and Contrasts
The United States used humanitarian parole to admit displaced Afghans and Ukrainians. But without congressional action, both groups face uncertain futures and no pathway to permanent residence.
Changing the Playbook: Immigrants and the COVID-19 Response in Two U.S. Communities
Immigrants in Nashville and the San Francisco Bay area served in essential COVID-19 roles while community groups bridged health gaps and pushed for foreign-born access to pandemic relief.
The Missing Link: Connecting Eligible Asylees and Asylum Seekers with Benefits and Services
Asylees are eligible for many U.S. refugee-equivalent benefits but lack systems to connect them. Weak outreach and fragmented data leave many underserved.
At Its 10th Anniversary, DACA Faces a Tenuous Future Despite Societal Benefits
Ten years on, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) has proven transformative for hundreds of thousands of Dreamers and the economy. But its future remains uncertain.
