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
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…
Trump Restrictions on Legal Immigration Could Sharply Reduce U.S. Population Growth
President Donald Trump's second-term curbs on legal immigration, spanning visas, refugees, and family reunification, could meaningfully slow U.S…
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)
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]
Showing 571–580 of 819 results
Relief from Deportation: Demographic Profile of the DREAMers Potentially Eligible under the Deferred Action Policy
Up to 1.8 million unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States as children were potentially eligible for deportation relief under the Obama-created DACA program.
Understanding Mexico's Economic Underperformance
Despite three decades of market reforms, Mexico's sluggish economic growth traces to credit failures, informality incentives, input market inefficiencies, and Chinese competition.
Unaccompanied Minors and Their Journey through the U.S. Immigration System
A discussion on unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S. Mexico border with representatives from Women's Refugee Commission and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).
Contested Ground: Immigration in the United States
U.S. policy has fixated on enforcement against unauthorized immigration while neglecting integration of the second generation, where the real long-term challenge lies.
Challenges Ahead on Implementing Executive Action to Prevent Deportation of Unauthorized Youth
President Barack Obama's plans of deferred action for unauthorized youth could benefit 1.4 million people, but capacity constraints and unresolved policy gaps may limit its scope.
Long-Term Impact of the Supreme Court Ruling on Key Provision of Arizona's SB 1070 May Hinge on Political Calculus
Whatever the U.S. Supreme Court rules on SB 1070, the long-term impact may depend less on law than on who wins the November presidential election.
ICE's Long-Awaited Detention Reform Prompts Questions from Supporters and Detractors
U.S. immigration detention reforms announced in early 2012 drew criticism from both conservatives and immigrant advocates.
The Development and Fiscal Effects of Emigration on Mexico
Mexico's fiscal balance benefits from emigration—GDP rose 8.8 percent and tax collection 7.4 percent between 1990 and 2000, driven by remittances and labor market effects.
Bipartisan Measures Urge Use of a Temporary Worker Program to Admit Irish Immigrants
Bipartisan U.S. measures earmarking E-3 temporary worker visas for Irish nationals reflect a congressional turn toward targeted, standalone immigration bills.
Questions Arise with Implementation of Obama Administration's New Prosecutorial Discretion Policy
A Obama administration policy to deprioritize certain removals is the first to require a comprehensive review of the roughly 300,000 pending immigration court cases.
