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.
The Latest Research
U.S. Deportations and “Self-Deportations” in the First 18 Months of the Second Trump Term
Filling a gap amid a slowdown in official data reporting from the federal government, this analysis offers a window into deportation and "self…
Featured
Physicians in an Era of Changing Immigration Policy: The Case of Nephrology
The care of kidney disease in the United States relies heavily on international medical graduates (IMGs). Recent policy changes could deepen…
Temporary Visa Holders in the United States
The number of U.S. temporary visas plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, rebounded, and then fell again in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Preliminary data…
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…
More Featured Work
From Counterterrorism to Immigration Enforcement: 25 Years On, Post-9/11 U.S. Changes Have Been Repointed
Post-9/11 national security tools have been repurposed for immigration, expanding the U.S. government’s capacity for surveillance, data sharing, and…
Attacked as "De Facto Amnesty," U.S. Temporary Protected Status Is Abruptly Eroded
The Trump administration moved to terminate most of the 17 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations in place when its second term began,…
Though Rare, Birth Tourism to the United States Sparks Outsized Concern
While rare, birth tourism has become a central but contested justification in the Trump administration's push to end the guarantee of birthright…
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 824 results
Temporary Protected Status at Risk: Implications for Central America and U.S. Policy
As the Trump administration weighs the future of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans, this teleconference focuses on the legal framework for TPS (particularly for Hondurans and Salvadorans) and profile of current TPS holders; the capacity of El Salvador and Honduras to receive and meaningfully reintegrate returnees; and the implications of TPS termination for broader U.S. policy goals in Central America.
Will Dreamers Crowd U.S.-Born Millennials Out of Jobs?
Dreamers make up less than 1 percent of millennial workers and are concentrated in different states and industries than U.S.-born peers, weakening job displacement claims.
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.
Immigration under Trump: A Review of Policy Shifts in the Year Since the Election
Rising enforcement, cancelled protections, and record-low refugee admissions marked Donald Trump's first year on immigration—though courts and Congress blocked key ambitions.
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.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]