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 391–400 of 824 results
Advances in U.S.-Mexico Border Enforcement: A Review of the Consequence Delivery System
The Consequence Delivery System used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reduced recidivism. But its deterrence assumptions no longer fit changing border flows.
A Revolving Door No More? A Statistical Profile of Mexican Adults Repatriated from the United States
Repeat unauthorized migration by Mexicans is declining sharply: the share intending to return to the United States fell from 95 percent in 2005 to 49 percent in 2015.
The First 100 Days: Immigration Policy in the Trump Administration
As President Trump’s 100th day in office approaches, this MPI discussion examines the administration’s actions related to U.S. immigration policy and possible steps forward.
Despite Little Action Yet by Trump Administration on Sanctuary Cities, States and Localities Rush to Respond to Rhetoric
While the Trump administration had taken no concrete steps to penalize “sanctuary” cities as of April 2017, jurisdictions rushed to set immigration policies of their own.
The First 100 Days: Summary of Major Immigration Actions Taken by the Trump Administration
The first 100 days in President Donald Trump’s first term brought sweeping executive orders on travel bans, refugee admissions, enforcement, and work visas.
Trump Executive Order and DHS Implementation Memo on Border Enforcement: A Brief Review
This January 2017 Trump executive order and DHS memo expanded expedited removal authority, authorized border wall construction, and redefined who qualifies as an unaccompanied child.
Muscular Public Relations Strategy to Paint Immigrants and Immigration as Negatives Embedded Deep Within Trump Executive Orders
Executive orders issued during the first Trump term launched a reporting machinery designed to churn out for the U.S. public statistics on the costs and threats of immigration.
Revised Trump Executive Order and Guidance on Refugee Resettlement and Travel Ban
A revised March 2017 Trump travel ban and suspension of refugee resettlement dropped the minority-religion refugee provision to reduce the executive order’s legal vulnerability.
The Revised Trump Travel Ban: Who Might Be Affected from the Six Targeted Countries?
President Donald Trump's March 2017 revised travel ban bars nationals of six countries and cuts refugee admissions to 50,000, with no parallel in recent U.S. immigration history.
Judge’s Pause of Trump Travel Ban Takes Page from Republican Challenge to Obama Executive Action on DACA
A court’s pause of the travel ban implemented during the first Trump term drew on the playbook of challenges to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
- General Inquiries
- Media Inquiries
-
Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]