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.
The Latest Research
U.S. Deportations and “Self-Deportations” in the First 18 Months of the Second Trump Term
Filling a gap amid a slowdown in official data reporting from the federal government, this analysis offers a window into deportation and "self…
Featured
Physicians in an Era of Changing Immigration Policy: The Case of Nephrology
The care of kidney disease in the United States relies heavily on international medical graduates (IMGs). Recent policy changes could deepen…
Temporary Visa Holders in the United States
The number of U.S. temporary visas plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, rebounded, and then fell again in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Preliminary data…
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…
More Featured Work
From Counterterrorism to Immigration Enforcement: 25 Years On, Post-9/11 U.S. Changes Have Been Repointed
Post-9/11 national security tools have been repurposed for immigration, expanding the U.S. government’s capacity for surveillance, data sharing, and…
Attacked as "De Facto Amnesty," U.S. Temporary Protected Status Is Abruptly Eroded
The Trump administration moved to terminate most of the 17 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations in place when its second term began,…
Though Rare, Birth Tourism to the United States Sparks Outsized Concern
While rare, birth tourism has become a central but contested justification in the Trump administration's push to end the guarantee of birthright…
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 21–30 of 824 results
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.
22nd Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Featuring a keynote by CNN's Fareed Zakaria, this conference explored pressing U.S. immigration issues, from mass deportations' and enforcement to legal services and the immigration court system.
Maine’s Immigrant Communities: Diverse Origins, Characteristics, and Challenges
Maine’s small but growing immigrant population, with many from Africa, Asia, and Canada, is vital to the state workforce yet still face barriers in housing, language, and access to benefits.
A New Era of Immigration Enforcement Unfolds in the U.S. Interior and at the Border under Trump 2.0
The transformation in U.S. immigration enforcement taking place at the U.S.-Mexico border and in communities across the United States during the second Trump term is tangibly captured in government data for fiscal year (FY) 2025. This short read sifts through the available data to look at encounters, arrests, detentions, and deportations during the fiscal year.
Changing Origins, Rising Numbers: Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
MPI estimates 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the United States as of mid-2023, up 3 million since 2019, with more diverse origins and legal circumstances.
Trump Administration’s Expansion of Fast-Track Deportation Powers Is Transforming Immigration Enforcement
The Trump administration is using fast-track deportation powers on an unprecedented scale as it seeks to carry out 1 million deportations annually.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]