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]
Showing 691–700 of 819 results
Arizona Employer Sanctions Law Takes Effect
Arizona's employer sanctions law took effect January 1, 2008, requiring mandatory E-Verify use.
USCIS Faces Criticism over Visa Backlog
Growing application volumes, added security checks, and resource constraints have led to prolonged U.S. visa processing delays.
New York Governor Abandons Driver's Licenses for the Unauthorized
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer abandoned a plan to license unauthorized immigrants, laying bare the limits of state action when federal immigration policy stalls.
Judge Rules against DHS in Social Security "No-Match" Case
Wages and zoning, not immigration enforcement ordinances, pushed nearly one million Mexican immigrants out of Los Angeles between 1980 and 2000.
Social Security 'No-Match' Letters: A Primer
Social Security no-match letters became an immigration enforcement tool under 2007 guidance, a shift that has raised significant legal concerns about worker discrimination.
Federal Court Halts Sending of "No-Match" Letters
Finding that database errors could cost legal workers their jobs, a U.S. judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security's no-match letter rule in 2007.
Alternative Immigration Reforms Follow Failed Legislation
After comprehensive reform failed in June 2007, U.S. immigration policy shifted to narrower enforcement and legislative steps.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Eludes Senate, Again
After the Senate’s June 28, 2007 vote, comprehensive U.S. immigration reform had stalled and narrower measures remained possible.
Senate Immigration Bill, Attacked from All Sides, Gains Second Chance
In June 2007, the U.S. Senate revived a contested immigration bill that paired legalization with tougher enforcement and merit-based reform.
How Changes to Family Immigration Could Affect Source Countries' Sending Patterns
A proposal before Congress in 2007 would shift immigration to the United States from family-based toward points-based employment visas, reshaping who can immigrate.