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 281–290 of 821 results
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.
A Profile of Highly Skilled Mexican Immigrants in Texas and the United States
Many college-educated Mexican immigrants in Texas face underemployment due to credential-recognition barriers and limited English proficiency.
Noncitizens in the U.S. Military: Navigating National Security Concerns and Recruitment Needs
Enhanced vetting requirements since 2016 have limited U.S. military service for noncitizens even as recruitment shortfalls grow, leaving hundreds discharged and thousands waiting.
Despite Flurry of Actions, Trump Administration Faces Constraints in Achieving Its Immigration Agenda
Court injunctions, local resistance, and resource constraints are blocking the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda at the border and in the interior in its first term.
Children of Immigrants and Child Welfare Systems: Key Policy and Practice
Marking the release of an MPI report, this webinar examines the intersection between immigration and child welfare systems and promising child welfare policies and agency approaches to address the needs of children of immigrants and their families.
Is U.S.-Mexico Cooperation on Migration Possible?
As the numbers of Central American migrants crossing into Mexico and the United States rises—putting migration front and center in the U.S.-Mexico relationship again—this event examines the opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, along with ways to improve U.S. and Mexican asylum systems, create new approaches to labor migration, address smuggling networks, and modernize border management.
International vs. National Protection for Refugees: Diverging Trends?
MPI's Kathleen Newland, Refugee Council USA's Mary Giovagnoli, and David Scott FitzGerald, author of Refuge beyond Reach, discuss how and why international and national responses to the rising challenge of refugee displacement are diverging. Topics include what lies ahead for the Global Compact on Refugees and how adjustments to asylum policies in many high-income democracies are narrowing the paths to protection.
How Many Unauthorized Immigrants Graduate from U.S. High Schools Annually?
MPI estimated 98,000 unauthorized immigrants graduate from U.S. high schools per year, with California and Texas accounting for 44 percent.
Illegal Immigration in the United States
How have the size and characteristics of the unauthorized population changed over time? And how are unauthorized immigration patterns changing?
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]