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 651–660 of 821 results
Side-by-Side Comparison of 2009 House CIR ASAP Bill with 2006, 2007 Senate Legislation
This side-by-side shows the 2009 House comprehensive immigration reform bill offered more generous legalization and less enforcement than its 2006 and 2007 Senate predecessors.
Senate Avoids Adding an Immigration Wrinkle to the 2010 U.S. Census
A narrowly defeated U.S. Senate amendment would have tied House apportionment to citizen counts alone, threatening representation in high-immigration states.
Denial and Delay: How Terrorism-Related Provisions in Immigration Law Affect Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Discussion on with the Director of MPI's Refugee Policy Program; report co-author and Senior Counsel and Deputy Director of Human Rights First's Refugee Protection Program; Special Advisor for Refugee & Asylum Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and HIAS Senior Director of U.S. Programs and Advocacy.
Tied to the Business Cycle: How Immigrants Fare in Good and Bad Economic Times
Between 1994 and 2008, immigrants' U.S. employment outcomes tracked the business cycle more sharply than native workers', driven by concentration in cyclical sectors.
Immigration Controversy Lands in the Middle of Health-Care Reform Debate
All 2009 health-care reform bills maintained the five-year Medicaid bar for lawful permanent residents, leaving an estimated 4.2 million uninsured.
Paper Citizens - A Book Discussion on the Illicit Market for Citizenship in the Developing World
Discussion with book author Dr. Kamal Sadiq, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California at Irvine, and Susan Ginsburg, MPI Director of the Mobility and Security Program.
With Kennedy's Death, Loss of Major Figure in U.S. Immigration Policy
Senator Edward M. Kennedy shaped nearly every major U.S. immigration law in recent years, leaving a void as Congress faced renewed pressure to overhaul the system.
Immigrant Detention: Can ICE Meet Its Legal Imperatives and Case Management Responsibilities?
Report release with Donald Kerwin, MPI Vice President for Programs; Serena Lin, MPI Data/Statistical Analyst; Dora Schriro, Director, ICE Office of Detention Policy and Planning; and Andrea Black, Detention Watch Network Coordinator.
Immigrant Detention: Can ICE Meet Its Legal Imperatives and Case Management Responsibilities?
A panel discussion exploring whether ICE is capable of meeting legal standards and manage its detention system with ICE's Dora Schriro, Detention Watch Network's Andrea Black, and MPI expert Donald Kerwin.
Immigrant Detention: Can ICE Meet its Legal Imperatives and Case Management Responsibilities?
Weak data and oversight hinder U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ability to meet detention standards, spurring calls for risk-based custody.
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Michelle Mittelstadt
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