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 431–440 of 821 results
A Profile of Children with Unauthorized Immigrant Parents in the United States
This webinar offers a discussion of the economic, linguistic and educational disadvantage experienced by U.S. children with unauthorized immigrant parents. The researchers discuss their finding that 86 percent of the 5.1 million such children in the United States have a parent who could potentially benefit from the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program.
Trends in Unaccompanied Child and Family Migration from Central America
After reaching record highs in 2014, Central American child migration fell for a few months before rising again, showing enforcement surges cannot resolve the structural causes of this emigration.
A Profile of U.S. Children with Unauthorized Immigrant Parents
Children with unauthorized immigrant parents face sharply higher poverty and linguistic isolation than other U.S. children. State policies risk worsening these disadvantages.
Border Metrics: How to Effectively Measure Border Security and Immigration Control
Without reliable border metrics, Congress and the U.S. public cannot assess whether immigration enforcement works or make informed decisions about legislative reform.
Under Executive Actions on Immigration, Who Can Apply for Protection from Deportation?
Learn who could be eligible for the DAPA and expanded DACA programs, should the Supreme Court permit the programs to go forward.
Leadership Visions: A Discussion with Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz-Massieu
An MPI Leadership Visions discussion with the Foreign Minister of Mexico, Claudia Ruiz-Massieu, for her first public appearance in Washington, DC.
Reception and Reintegration Services in Central America: Ending the Deportee Revolving Door
A webinar releasing a report examining deportations to Central America and reception and reintegration services in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Twenty Five Years Later: Reflecting on the Immigration Act of 1990
To mark the 25th anniversary of the 1990 Act, MPI hosted a discussion examining the history of the legislation, how it was accomplished politically, and the stakeholders and issues that were critical to its passage.
Investor Visa Programs: Examining their Utility, Challenges, and Successes
A discussion on the U.S. EB-5 program, the motivations underpinning recent changes to other investor visa programs in North America, Europe, and elsewhere, and the implications for the future direction of these programs.
Stopping the Revolving Door: Reception and Reintegration Services for Central American Deportees
Northern Central American governments offer basic returnee reception but long-term reintegration programs reach only a fraction of returnees, leaving many at risk of remigration.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]