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 511–520 of 821 results
IRCA in Retrospect: Guideposts for Today’s Immigration Reform
The statutory design flaws of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, not just implementation failures, enabled the unauthorized population growth it sought to eliminate.
2013 E Pluribus Unum Prizes Awards Ceremony
This awards ceremony honored the 2013 winners of the E Pluribus Unum Prizes, which provides $50,000 prizes to exceptional U.S. immigrant integration initiatives. The awardees took part in a panel discussion with White House and state officials, followed by remarks from Congressman Luis Gutierrez and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Alabama Settlement Marks Near End of a Chapter in State Immigration Enforcement Activism
Alabama's settlement gutting HB 56 marked the end of a period of state omnibus laws targeting unauthorized immigration.
10th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
The 10th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference featured keynotes by U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, and panel discussions on the prospects for legislative action, policy options, and political mobilization; lessons learned from past immigration legislation and programs; and an assessment of current conditions at the U.S. border and considerations for future policy.
The Ongoing Challenge of Ensuring Human Rights for Migrants in the European Union and United States
In the wake of the Lampedusa tragedy the Director of the European Agency for Fundamental Rights discussed the state of rights protection in Europe as well as the agency’s role in this evolving arena, while ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project Founder and former National Director, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights President, and U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division Senior Counsel discuss the U.S. immigrant-rights movement.
As Immigration Reform Stalls in Congress, Activists Take a Page from the Civil-Rights Movement
Stalled immigration reform sparked a 2013 shift to civil disobedience, with 200 activists and eight members of Congress arrested near the Capitol in a single day.
Newcomers to the Aloha State: A Portrait of Mexicans in Hawaii
Coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month, panelists presented the findings from an MPI report about the little-known, yet growing, Mexican community in Hawai`i.
State Access to Federal Immigration Data Stirs New Controversy in Debate over Voting Rights
Iowa joined Florida and Colorado in using a federal benefits tool for voter purges, even as data revealed very few noncitizen voters.
Newcomers to the Aloha State: Challenges and Prospects for Mexicans in Hawai'i
Hawai'i's Mexican community is predominantly U.S.-born and lawfully present, yet faces disproportionate enforcement, geographic dispersal, and fragmented identity.
A Year In: A Review of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program
MPI experts discussed an MPI profile of the DACA population and reflect on the policy’s success and shortcomings.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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