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)- General Inquiries
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]
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Beyond Walls and Tariffs: Responding to Migration Challenges at the U.S.-Mexico Border
This event organized by the Migration Policy Institute and American Enterprise Institute features a conversation on U.S.-Mexico border conditions, as well as policy responses and regional cooperation on illegal immigration.
Strategic Solutions for the United States and Mexico to Manage the Migration Crisis
MPI and El Colegio de México outline five strategies to address irregular Central American migration through asylum reform, legal pathways, and targeted development aid.
As the Trump Administration Seeks to Remove Families, Due-Process Questions over Rocket Dockets Abound
Accelerated "rocket" dockets for families yielded 80 percent in absentia removal orders by mid-2019, exposing due-process failures around court notice and access to counsel.
Spike in Unaccompanied Child Arrivals at U.S.-Mexico Border Proves Enduring Challenge; Citizenship Question on 2020 Census in Doubt
Approximately 11,500 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in May, putting this year on track to exceed 2014's surge. As the U.S. government struggles to care for these child migrants, with public outrage mounting over reports of unsafe, filthy conditions in initial Border Patrol custody, the failure of the executive branch and Congress to plan for increased shelter and care demands are increasingly apparent, as this article explores.
Will Immigration Reform Ever Succeed Again? The Legacy of IRCA & Its Enduring Lessons
This provocative discussion showcases Charles Kamasaki's book, Immigration Reform: The Corpse That Will Not Die, and explores the lessons that can be learned from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, its intended and unintended consequences, and how the law’s legacy has shaped contemporary politics surrounding immigration.
“Merit-Based” Immigration: Trump Proposal Would Dramatically Revamp Immigrant Selection Criteria, But with Modest Effects on Numbers
President Donald Trump's merit-based immigration plan would shift admissions from primarily family-based to mostly employment-based without meaningfully reducing total immigration.
"Merit-Based" Immigration: Designing Successful Selection Systems
MPI and OECD experts discuss what policymakers should consider in designing and managing immigrant selection systems in a time of intense labor-market and demographic change.
A Mirror for the Nation? The Changing Profile of Mexican Immigrants in Texas
At this event, experts from MPI and Southern Methodist University’s Texas-Mexico Center offer an overview of immigration trends and key characteristics of highly skilled Mexican immigrant adults at the national level and for Texas, and engage in a discussion on the causes behind the changing trends in immigration and implications for Texas, its economy, and more broadly for the nation.
Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions
This review maps eight pressing U.S. immigration issues where Congress faces key unanswered questions, including border security, refugee admissions, and H-1B reform.
Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration
During the first half of its first term, the Trump administration pursued a broad immigration agenda primarily through executive action.