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)- General Inquiries
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]
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Foreign-Born Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces
Foreign-born veterans form a small but highly integrated share of the U.S. veteran population, yet some still struggle with citizenship hurdles.
Party Platforms Discuss Immigration, But Candidates Scarcely Mention It
In 2008, U.S. Republican and Democratic platforms staked out opposing visions on immigration, yet both presidential candidates barely mentioned it at their conventions.
Government Self-Deportation Program Attracts More Criticism Than Immigrants
A 2008 U.S. voluntary departure pilot drew only six participants out of 457,000 eligible immigrants.
Reports Spur Debate Over Immigrant Detention Conditions
As U.S. immigration detention reached 311,213 people in 2007, a federal watchdog report and proposed legislation exposed gaps in detainee medical care.
Iowa Raid Raises Questions about Stepped-Up Immigration Enforcement
The May 2008 Agriprocessors raid in Iowa, billed as the largest criminal worksite action in U.S. history, charged many workers criminally rather than administratively.
Congress Addresses Immigration But Appears Unlikely to Pass Piecemeal Bills
Piecemeal immigration bills are advancing in Congress in 2008, but passage looks unlikely amid partisan gridlock.
USCIS Receives 163,000 H-1B Applications for Fiscal Year 2009
Employers filed approximately 163,000 H-1B petitions in five days for fiscal year 2009, more than twice the 65,000 annual cap, forcing a computer lottery to select winners.
Virtual Border Fence Given Mixed Assessment in First Test
The U.S. virtual fence pilot program known as Project 28 had a troubled test run.
USCIS: Backlog in Naturalization Applications Will Take Nearly Three Years to Clear
The U.S. 2007 naturalization surge stretched processing to 16 to 18 months, even as new federal and state rules tightened ID checks and employer sanctions.
Behind the Naturalization Backlog: Causes, Context and Concerns
A surge of naturalization applications in 2007, combined with outdated systems and security checks, produced a sharp backlog threatening timely access to U.S. citizenship.