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 411–420 of 821 results
Unauthorized Immigrants with Criminal Convictions: Who Might Be a Priority for Removal?
Even as President-elect Donald Trump claimed 2 million to 3 million unauthorized immigrants were criminals, MPI estimates 820,000 had criminal convictions in 2012.
United States Abandons its Harder Line on Haitian Migrants in the Face of Latest Natural Disaster
Hurricane Matthew forced the United States to suspend Haiti deportations in October 2016, just weeks after resuming them for the first time since the 2010 earthquake.
Farm to Table: The Role of Immigrants in U.S. Farm Labor in 2016
A discussion featuring data on immigration trends and farm labor that could help inform future reform debates, including what adjustments farm employers are making, including increased mechanization, improved wages and benefits, and the increased use of the H-2A program.
Immigration to the Heartland: A Profile of Immigrants in the Kansas City Region
The Kansas City region's immigrant population grew more than 300 percent between 1990 and 2015, with immigrants establishing deep roots and contributing broadly across industries.
U.S. Meets 2016 Syrian Refugee Admission Goal; Opposition to New Resettlement Mounts
After admitting fewer than 2,000 Syrian refugees in the first seven months of FY 2016, the United States surpassed its goal of 10,000 for the year, reaching 12,391 by late September.
13th Annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference
With issues of immigration policy very much at the forefront of the 2016 elections, this annual conference offers policy and legal analysis on key immigration topics facing the country and the incoming administration and Congress in 2017.
DACA at Four: Estimating the Potentially Eligible Population and Assessing Application and Renewal Trends
Marking the fourth anniversary of the implementation of the DACA program, this webinar presents findings on the most current estimates of potential DACA beneficiaries, trends in requests and application rates, and discussion of recent policy and political developments. Experts also discuss how DACA has affected the integration of qualifying young unauthorized immigrants.
DACA at Four: Participation in the Deferred Action Program and Impacts on Recipients
DACA has delivered economic and social gains to hundreds of thousands of young unauthorized immigrants. But nearly half the eligible population had not applied as of March 2016.
Republican and Democratic Party Platforms Reflect Parallel Universes on Immigration Policy
The 2016 party platforms on immigration diverged sharply, yet a July 2016 poll found more Republicans preferred a path to citizenship than building a border wall or greater deportations.
The Immigration Act of 1990: Unfinished Business a Quarter-Century Later
The Immigration Act of 1990 increased skill-based immigration only marginally, leaving U.S. visa allocation frozen in a 25-year-old design that no longer serves the economy.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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