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.
The Latest Research
U.S. Deportations and “Self-Deportations” in the First 18 Months of the Second Trump Term
Filling a gap amid a slowdown in official data reporting from the federal government, this analysis offers a window into deportation and "self…
Featured
Physicians in an Era of Changing Immigration Policy: The Case of Nephrology
The care of kidney disease in the United States relies heavily on international medical graduates (IMGs). Recent policy changes could deepen…
Temporary Visa Holders in the United States
The number of U.S. temporary visas plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, rebounded, and then fell again in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Preliminary data…
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…
More Featured Work
From Counterterrorism to Immigration Enforcement: 25 Years On, Post-9/11 U.S. Changes Have Been Repointed
Post-9/11 national security tools have been repurposed for immigration, expanding the U.S. government’s capacity for surveillance, data sharing, and…
Attacked as "De Facto Amnesty," U.S. Temporary Protected Status Is Abruptly Eroded
The Trump administration moved to terminate most of the 17 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations in place when its second term began,…
Though Rare, Birth Tourism to the United States Sparks Outsized Concern
While rare, birth tourism has become a central but contested justification in the Trump administration's push to end the guarantee of birthright…
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 621–630 of 824 results
Earned Legalization: Effects of Proposed Requirements on Unauthorized Men, Women, and Children
The brief models how common requirements in U.S. earned legalization plans, English skills, steady work, long-term U.S. residence, and monetary fines, would affect who qualifies.
DREAM Act Passes in the House during Lame-Duck Session, But Faces Uphill Battle in Senate
The U.S. House passed the DREAM Act in December 2010, but MPI estimated just 755,000 of 1.9 million eligible youth would be likely to gain lawful permanent residence.
More than IRCA: U.S. Legalization Programs and the Current Policy Debate
A century of U.S. registry and population‑specific legalization programs shows that the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was just one piece of the puzzle.
Immigrant Legalization in the United States and European Union: Policy Goals and Program Design
Since the 1980s, legalization has given legal status to 3.5 million U.S. and 5 million EU immigrants; inclusive program designs prove more cost effective than restrictive ones.
Updated Estimates of the 2010 DREAM Act
Of 1.9 million potential beneficiaries under the 2010 DREAM Act, about 755,000 would be likely to meet the requirements for permanent status.
Elections Alter the Political Landscape for Immigration Policy Debate
The 2010 Republican midterm sweep stalled federal immigration reform and pointed to a state enforcement wave, even as Hispanic voters proved decisive in key Democratic wins.
Structuring and Implementing an Immigrant Legalization Program: Registration as the First Step
An initial registration phase is central to successful legalization, allowing authorities to identify applicants and manage risks at scale.
Midterm Elections Generate Rush of Immigration Measures
A U.S. Senate vote in 2010 blocked the DREAM Act from advancing, but some proponents turned their hopes to a postelection lame-duck session.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin Discusses His Vision for CBP
Commissioner Bersin details his agenda for his agency and discusses illegal immigration, border enforcement, the impact to the economy on migration flows, the future of the Secure Border Initiative, drug trafficking, and other topics in this wide-ranging conversation with MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner and the audience.
The Wind Doesn't Need a Passport: Stories from the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
Book discussion with Tyche Hendricks, journalist and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism; Andrew Selee, Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute; and Doris Meissner, MPI Senior Fellow and Director of MPI’s U.S. Immigration Policy Program
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]