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 301–310 of 821 results
The Travel Ban at Two: Rocky Implementation Settles into Deeper Impacts
Two years on, the Trump first-term travel ban cut monthly immigrant visas to five banned countries and collapsed refugee admissions.
Promising Strategies for Reintegration of Migrants Returning to Mexico and Central America
Authors of a year-long study of reception and reintegration services in Mexico and the Northern Triangle discuss the findings of their fieldwork, including the differing reintegration needs of individual migrant groups, promising reception and reintegration programs, ongoing challenges for origin communities, and policy recommendations to improve reintegration strategies.
Sustainable Reintegration: Strategies to Support Migrants Returning to Mexico and Central America
Mexico and Central American countries expanded reintegration services for returning migrants after 2015, but limitations in coverage, resources, and coordination persist.
Creativity amid Crisis: Legal Pathways for Venezuelan Migrants in Latin America
With more than 3 million Venezuelans living abroad as of late 2018, Latin American countries have improvised creative legal pathways but must now plan for the long term.
A Wall Cannot Fix Problems at Border; Smart Solutions for Asylum Crisis Can
Rather than spend $5.7 billion on a wall, it would be far more effective to use the money to retool an overwhelmed U.S. asylum system and tackle the factors propelling Central Americans to flee.
Creatividad dentro de la crisis: opciones legales para migrantes venezolanos en América Latina
Con más de 3 millones de venezolanos en el extranjero a fines de 2018, los países de América Latina han improvisado vías legales creativas, pero deben planificar a largo plazo.
Exploring the Potential of Two-Generation Strategies in Refugee Integration
At a time when the U.S. refugee resettlement program is facing an extraordinary set of pressures and challenges, MPI experts and state refugee coordinators from Utah and Colorado discuss findings from an MPI report that points to the promise of using a two-generation approach to strengthen refugee integration in the United States.
Promoting Refugee Integration in Challenging Times: The Potential of Two-Generation Strategies
Legal pathways for low-skilled migrants globally are narrow, male-dominated, and unlikely alone to replace unauthorized channels even if meaningfully expanded.
Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Actions on Asylum at the Southern Border Hit Legal Roadblock
The Trump administration's November 2018 asylum ban barring asylum for migrants who crossed the border illegally was blocked by a federal judge.
Sessions: The Trump Administration’s Once-Indispensable Man on Immigration
In under two years, Attorney General Jeff Sessions limited asylum, stripped immigration judges of key tools, and pushed the immigration court backlog past 1 million cases.
- General Inquiries
- Media Inquiries
-
Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]