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 361–370 of 821 results
Tens of Thousands in United States Face Uncertain Future, as Temporary Protected Status Deadlines Loom
The proposed terminations of temporary statuses during the first Trump term put hundreds of thousands at risk of deportation, with few legal pathways to stay.
Legalization for Dreamers: A Realistic Appraisal of Potential Chain Migration
Legalizing Dreamers would result in each recipient sponsoring far fewer family members over their lifetime than critics contend, MPI estimates show.
A Profile of Current DACA Recipients by Education, Industry, and Occupation
DACA holders are a largely middle-skilled, economically integrated population. Under the Trump DACA termination, they would lose work permits at an average pace of 915 per day starting March 2018.
Will White House Immigration Wish List Tank Emerging DREAMer Momentum in Congress?
The Trump administration's sweeping October 2017 immigration demands threatened to derail a bipartisan deal for Dreamers.
MPI Estimates of Potential Beneficiaries under the 2017 DREAM Act and the Recognizing America’s Children Act
These MPI estimates provide a sense of the unauthorized populations that could potentially gain legal status under proposed legislation.
MPI Estimates of Unauthorized Populations That Could Benefit under Different DREAM Legalization Bills
These estimates offer insight into who could potentially gain legal status under the various DREAM Act-type bills introduced in Congress in 2017.
Protecting the DREAM: The Potential Impact of Different Legislative Scenarios for Unauthorized Youth
The 2017 legislative proposals to grant status to Dreamers could cover up to 2.1 million conditional status holders and 1.7 million eventual green-card recipients, MPI estimates.
Differing DREAMs: Estimating the Unauthorized Populations That Could Benefit under Different Legalization Bills
The five DREAM Act-type bills introduced in 2017 differed sharply in scope, with MPI estimating eligible pools ranging from 2 million to 3.6 million, depending on each bill's requirements.
14th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Missed the annual conference? Audio and video of the discussions by top experts of shifting immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, to policy changes regarding refugee resettlement, treatment of unaccompanied minors, Temporary Protected Status, DACA, and more are available here.
Trump Administration Rescinds DACA, Fueling Renewed Push in Congress and the Courts to Protect DREAMers
In its first term, the Trump administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, seeking to strip protection from roughly 790,000 Dreamers.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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