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 401–410 of 821 results
Hanging in the Balance: The Future of DACA and the Dreamers
As the Trump administration assumes office and the impacts of rescinding DACA are under review, MPI hosts a discussion with University of California President Janet Napolitano; Donald Graham, cofounder of TheDream.Us; and Ike Brannon, Visiting Fellow at the CATO Institute.
The Obama Record on Deportations: Deporter in Chief or Not?
President Barack Obama's deportation record was more nuanced than critics claimed, focusing on criminals and recent border crossers while reducing removals of long-settled immigrants.
Taking Action to Reflect Current Reality: Obama Administration Ends “Wet Foot, Dry Foot” Policies on Cuban Migration
The Obama administration in 2017 ended the “wet-foot, dry-foot policy,” treating Cuban arrivals like other migrants as part of broader U.S.-Cuba normalization.
The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program Is an Unsuitable Target
President Donald Trump's first-term order cutting refugee resettlement misidentifies risk: no resettled refugee has ever killed anyone in a U.S. terrorist attack.
Doctors as Taxi Drivers: The Costs of Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States
A report release and presentation of first-ever U.S. estimates on the actual economic costs of skill underutilization for immigrants, their families, and the U.S. economy, in terms of forgone earnings and unrealized federal, state, and local taxes.
Brain Waste: Researchers Discuss Economic Costs of Skill Underutilization among Highly Skilled Immigrants
What does it cost the U.S. economy when college-educated immigrants cannot find work at their skill level?
Untapped Talent: The Costs of Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States
Brain waste affects nearly 2 million college-educated immigrants, costing the United States $39 billion in forgone earnings and $10 billion in lost tax revenues each year.
The Costs of Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in Select States
Brain waste among highly skilled immigrants costs U.S. states billions in forgone earnings annually, with Florida posting the highest underutilization rate, as these state fact sheets show.
What Is the Cost of Brain Waste for Highly Skilled Immigrants in the U.S.?
The skill underutilization of college-educated immigrants in the United States who are either stuck in low-skilled work or cannot find jobs imposes significant costs on immigrant families, government, and the broader U.S. economy.
Despite Hard-Line Immigration Campaign Pledges, Trump Policy Remains in Flux
Incoming President Donald Trump's postelection comments reflected narrower deportation targets, but the choice of Jeff Sessions attorney general signaled a tougher line.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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