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 321–330 of 821 results
A Profile of Houston’s Diverse Immigrant Population in a Rapidly Changing Policy Landscape
Houston's 1.6 million immigrants as of 2016 faced compounding uncertainty as enforcement expands and humanitarian protections narrow.
The U.S. Asylum System in Crisis: Charting a Way Forward
The U.S. asylum system's growing backlog demands administrative reforms and necessary funding, not just enforcement restrictions, to restore timely, fair protection.
Once Relatively Obscure, ICE Becomes a Lightning Rod in Immigration Debate
Created in 2003, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) went from a little-known enforcement agency to one at the center of the U.S. immigration debate.
Through the Back Door: Remaking the Immigration System via the Expected “Public-Charge” Rule
Nearly half of all green-card applicants could be deemed a public charge under a Trump administration rule expected to be unveiled soon, potentially significantly reshaping family-based legal immigration.
Tapping the Talents of Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States: Takeaways from Experts Summit
Brain waste costs the United States roughly $10 billion in forgone taxes each year, and reducing the underemployment of college-educated immigrants requires coordinated action.
Shifting Tides: Radical-Right Populism and Immigration Policy in Europe and the United States
Radical-right populism has reshaped immigration debates in Europe and the United States—but has operated mainly through agenda influence, not direct governance.
Cambios en el Panorama de Control Migratorio Interno Durante la Administración Trump
Un seminario en el que se analiza el funcionamiento del actual sistema de control en el interior del país y cómo están respondiendo los gobiernos estatales y locales, la sociedad civil y los consulados.
U.S. Immigration Policy under Trump: Deep Changes and Lasting Impacts
President Donald Trump has driven deep changes to U.S. immigration in his first year, but courts, Congress, and state and local resistance have blocked the most ambitious aims.
In Upholding Travel Ban, Supreme Court Endorses Presidential Authority While Leaving Door Open for Future Challenges
A divided U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Trump first-term travel ban. But the justices said they would require future bans be grounded in an evidentiary finding of harm.
Chilling Effects: The Expected Public-Charge Rule and Its Impact on Immigrant Families
MPI experts discuss an expected Trump administration public-charge rule that could have wide-reaching effects on the ability of immigrants legally present in the country to get a green card as well as who could qualify to enter the United States. The webinar focuses on an MPI report assessing how the proposed rule could affect future benefits usage by immigrants and their U.S.-citizen children.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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