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 721–730 of 824 results
Immigration and America's Future: A New Chapter
A comprehensive U.S. immigration overhaul spanning admissions, enforcement, and integration is essential to meet 21st-century economic, demographic, and security needs.
America's Human Rights Challenge: International Human Rights Implications of U.S. Immigration Enforcement Actions Post-September 11
Post-9/11 U.S. immigration enforcement, from detention without cause to racial profiling, violate due process protections enshrined in international human rights law.
Fall Forecast: Immigration Reform Unlikely, Census Bureau Issues New Data on the U.S. Foreign-Born Population
With comprehensive immigration reform stalled in Congress in 2006, U.S. census data showed a 16 percent growth in the U.S. foreign-born population from 2000 to 2005.
The Impact of Immigration on Native Workers: A Fresh Look at the Evidence
The wage and employment effects of immigration on U.S.-born workers remain contested—and are just one piece of a far more complex economic picture.
Congressional Republicans Continue Field Hearings on Immigration, Introduce New Immigration Reform Proposal
In July 2006, U.S. senators introduced a bill allowing unauthorized immigrants to join a temporary worker program after certification of U.S. border security; 21 more House field hearings deepened the reform stalemate.
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.
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.
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.
- General Inquiries
- Media Inquiries
-
Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]