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 231–240 of 824 results
Millions of U.S. Citizens Could Be Excluded under Trump Plan to Remove Unauthorized Immigrants from Census Data
The Trump administration's plan to exclude unauthorized immigrants from the 2020 Census data used to reapportion 435 congressional seats among the 50 states could misclassify as many as 20 million U.S. citizens, as the result of expected data-matching errors. The effects of this exclusion could be most pronounced in low-income urban and rural communities, reducing their voting power relative to more affluent ones, as this commentary explains.
As #DefundThePolice Movement Gains Steam, Immigration Enforcement Spending and Practices Attract Scrutiny
U.S. immigration enforcement spending outpaces all major federal criminal agencies combined, but accountability, oversight, and transparency have not kept pace with the dramatic growth.
Beyond the Border: U.S.-Mexican Migration Accord Has Ushered in Sweeping Change in Mexico in Its First Year
As the U.S.-Mexico migration cooperation agreement marks its first year, this discussion examines how the accord has reshaped Mexico’s immigration enforcement policies, exposed weaknesses in its humanitarian protection system, and exacerbated precarious conditions for migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. Speakers also explore how pandemic-induced changes to mobility may affect the future of U.S.-Mexico relations.
COVID-19 and Unemployment: Assessing the Early Fallout for Immigrants and Other U.S. Workers
Immigrants—especially Latina workers—suffered steeper early COVID-19 job losses than U.S.-born workers, driven largely by industry concentration.
One Year after the U.S.-Mexico Agreement: Reshaping Mexico’s Migration Policies
The June 2019 U.S.-Mexico migration agreement pushed Mexico toward enforcement-first policies, cutting border crossings while straining humanitarian protections.
Un año después del Acuerdo Estados Unidos-México: La transformación de las políticas migratorias mexicanas
El acuerdo de junio de 2019 entre Estados Unidos y México redujo los cruces irregulares pero desbordó la capacidad humanitaria e institucional mexicana.
USCIS Budget Implosion Owes to Far More than the Pandemic
Citing coronavirus-related disruptions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services urged Congress to provide $1.2 billion to address its severe budget shortfall. Without this emergency infusion, the agency warned it might have to furlough up to 80 percent of its staff by mid-July 2020. Yet a deeper look at USCIS operations shows it was facing serious budget problems long before the pandemic—ones that are the logical results of actions undertaken by the Trump administration.
The U.S. Stands Alone in Explicitly Basing Coronavirus-Linked Immigration Restrictions on Economic Grounds
The United States became the first country to restrict legal immigration on economic—not health—grounds during COVID-19, with uncertain but far-reaching implications.
Mixed-Status Families Ineligible for CARES Act Federal Pandemic Stimulus Checks
Learn which families are eligible and ineligible for COVID-19 pandemic response assistance.
Barriers to COVID-19 Testing and Treatment: Immigrants without Health Coverage in the United States
Some 7.7 million uninsured noncitizens faced barriers to COVID-19 testing and treatment in 2020, with millions excluded from Medicaid due to immigration status restrictions.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]