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 331–340 of 821 results
Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together
Mexico's economic and cultural transformation has created deep, mutually beneficial interdependencies with the United States that no border wall can undo, this book by MPI’s president argues.
Crisis at the Border? Not by the Numbers
Despite the declaration of crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, May 2018 apprehensions matched levels from 2013 to 2016, as flows shifted toward families and asylum seekers.
House Bills Would Largely Dismantle Asylum System at U.S.-Mexico Border
Two 2018 House Republican bills would sharply curtail the U.S. asylum system by declaring Mexico a safe third country and eliminating protections for unaccompanied minors.
A Narrower Path in the House for Most DREAMers
Covering fewer Dreamers than Senate proposals, a pair of 2018 House bills would protect anywhere from 590,000 to 1.25 million young unauthorized immigrants, MPI estimates.
Far from a Retreat, the Trump Administration’s Border Policies Advance its Enforcement Aims
President Donald Trump's June 2018 order ending family separation advanced a broader strategy to detain all asylum-seeking families and narrow credible-fear claim grounds.
Chilling Effects: The Expected Public Charge Rule and Its Impact on Legal Immigrant Families’ Public Benefits Use
The proposed 2018 public-charge rule would affect 47 percent of noncitizens, according to MPI analysis, producing chilling effects on benefits use and reshaping legal immigration.
Family Separation and “Zero-Tolerance” Policies Rolled Out to Stem Unwanted Migrants, But May Face Challenges
The April 2018 “zero-tolerance” policy criminalizing all irregular border crossers will strain courts and detention, with little evidence it will deter unauthorized arrivals.
The Changing Landscape of Interior Immigration Enforcement Under Trump
Marking the release of an MPI study, this discussion examines the operation of today’s interior enforcement system and how state and local governments, civil society, and consulates are responding.
Revving Up the Deportation Machinery: Enforcement under Trump and the Pushback
Interior immigration arrests rose 42 percent during Donald Trump's first eight months, but “sanctuary” policies limited enforcement and created uneven outcomes nationwide.
National Guard Heads to Southern Border Amid Differing Reality from Earlier Deployments
President Donald Trump's April 2018 call to deploy up to 4,000 National Guard troops at the U.S.-Mexico border marked a significant departure from past practice.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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