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 741–750 of 819 results
U.S. Border Enforcement: From Horseback to High-Tech
This brief traces a century of U.S. border enforcement, from low-tech horse patrol to billion-dollar operations, and questions whether the massive investment has achieved its aims.
Bush Puts Immigration Reform Back on Agenda, Approves Funding for DHS
The Bush administration outlined a three-part immigration reform plan in October 2005 and signed a $30.8 billion Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill for FY 2006.
Immigration Enforcement at the Worksite: Making it Work
Systemic flaws exist in the U.S. employer sanctions regime, making critical reforms, including a real-time employment verification system, necessary.
Documentation Provisions of the Real ID Act
The REAL ID Act's identity document mandates carry steep, disputed costs and raise unresolved legal, privacy, and humanitarian concerns.
Legal Immigration to United States Up from Last Year
Legal immigration to the United States increased by one-third between fiscal years 2003 and 2004, even as refugee and temporary admissions largely rebounded to near pre-9/11 levels.
Aftermath of Katrina Affects Immigration Enforcement
After Hurricane Katrina, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suspended employer sanctions.
United States-Canada-Mexico Fact Sheet on Trade and Migration
This fact sheet examines the trilateral relationship between the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the decade since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and provides facts and figures relating to trade and migration among the three countries.
CAFTA Brings Immigration Debate, Local Enforcement Tactics Struck Down
U.S. President George W. Bush signed the Central American Free Trade Act (CAFTA) in August 2005; its immigration effects remain contested.
Reflections on Restoring Integrity to the United States Immigration System: A Personal Vision
The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act failures suggest durable U.S. immigration reform requires enforcing laws, expanding visas, and creating a fair path to earned legal status.
Immigration Reform Bill and DHS Restructuring Focus on Enforcement and Facilitation
A U.S. Senate bill introduced July 19, 2005, pairs $12 billion in new enforcement with a temporary worker program requiring migrants to apply from abroad.