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 461–470 of 821 results
DACA at the Three-Year Mark: High Pace of Renewals, But Processing Difficulties Evident
By March 2015, 83 percent of eligible DACA beneficiaries had renewed. But processing delays and outreach gaps at USCIS raised the risk of coverage lapses for many recipients.
An Analysis of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States by Country and Region of Birth
While Mexico still accounts for more than half of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, Central American and Asian populations tripled after 2000.
Repealing Birthright Citizenship: The Unintended Consequences
Repealing birthright citizenship would grow the U.S. unauthorized population, contrary to its stated aims, and would create a self-perpetuating underclass excluded from social membership for generations.
Targeted Enforcement: Projecting the Effects of Executive Action on Deportations
This is the release event for an MPI report exploring the November 2014 executive actions related to revisions in DHS immigration enforcement priorities, and replacement of Secure Communities with the Priority Enforcement Program. The briefing will provide estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants now considered priorities for enforcement.
Understanding the Potential Impact of Executive Action on Immigration Enforcement
Changed DHS prosecutorial discretion guidelines in 2014 narrowed enforcement to 13 percent of unauthorized immigrants, according to MPI estimates.
Federal-Local Cooperation on Immigration Enforcement Frayed; Chance for Improvement Exists
A 2015 San Francisco shooting exposed deep rifts in federal-local immigration enforcement, at a time that more than 360 jurisdictions have limited their cooperation with ICE.
Quick Resolution of Challenge over Obama Administration Deportation Relief Programs Is Ever Less Likely
A federal appeals court ruling left President Barack Obama’s DAPA and expanded DACA in legal limbo while other executive actions moved ahead.
The Integration Outcomes of U.S. Refugees: Successes and Challenges
U.S. refugees become self-sufficient over time, but growing diversity and low literacy among recent arrivals strain a system with flat funding and focus on rapid employment.
In Historic Shift, New Migration Flows from Mexico Fall Below Those from China and India
China and India surpassed Mexico as leading recent sources of U.S. immigrants in 2013, signaling lasting shifts in flows and demographics.
Recent Court Decisions Put a Sharp Spotlight on U.S. H-2B Temporary Worker Visa Program
A legal battle over H-2B visa regulations has exposed a dispute about agency authority and the program's failure to protect workers.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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