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
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Congressional Negotiations Stall while Bush Administration Pushes Enforcement, Integration
With House-Senate negotiations on immigration reform pushed to September 2006 at earliest, the Bush administration ramped up border and workplace enforcement as a stopgap.
Immigration Enforcement: Beyond the Border and the Workplace
Border policing alone cannot stop unauthorized immigration—effective enforcement requires layered interior strategies covering visa tracking, worksite screening, and removal.
Immigrants and Labor Force Trends: The Future, Past, and Present
Driving more than half of U.S. labor force growth as of 2005, immigrants were projected to fill nearly one in five jobs by 2030—especially in the fastest-growing occupations.
The Contributions of High-Skilled Immigrants
Evidence shows high-skilled immigrants, who are largely complementary to U.S.-born workers and are concentrated in medicine and STEM fields, raise productivity and create jobs for native workers.
Senate Approves Scaled-Back Immigration Bill, President Calls for National Guard on Border
The U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill in May 2006 by a 62-36 vote, adding amendments to cap temporary workers at 200,000 annually and strengthen border fencing.
Senate Debate Resumes and DHS Boosts Internal Enforcement
The 2006 Hagel-Martinez immigration bill in the U.S. Senate proposed 325,000 annual temporary work visas and tiered legalization for unauthorized immigrants as of spring 2006.
Senate Debates Temporary Worker Program and Path to Legal Status for the Unauthorized
A March 2006 U.S. Senate bill proposed 400,000 annual temporary work slots and legalization for unauthorized immigrants as hundreds of thousands rallied in support.
Bush calls for Worksite Enforcement Funding in 2007, Senate Poised to Debate Immigration Reform
U.S. President George w. Bush's FY 2007 budget requested $135 million for employment verification and 1,500 new Border Patrol agents.
Bush Immigration Appointees, Immigration Judges Criticized
U.S. President George W. Bush used recess appointments for immigration posts.
Countering Terrorist Mobility: Shaping an Operational Strategy
Making terrorist mobility a central U.S. counterterrorism focus will require better management and coordination across intelligence, border, and immigration agencies.