Program

U.S. Immigration Policy Program

The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides analysis of immigration pathways, impacts of enforcement and other policies, and immigrant population characteristics.

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.

Commentary July 29, 2026

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…

People at a pedestrian crosswalk crossing the street

Policy Beat July 30, 2026

In Its Second Term, Trump Administration Quietly Expands Family Separation

Immigration enforcement during the second Trump term is driving a quieter, more diffuse wave of family separations inside the United States, often…

A silhouette of a young child looking sad and alone

Commentary May 2026

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…

Male and female business professionals gathered at a conference table

Policy Beat May 28, 2026

Attacked as "De Facto Amnesty," U.S. Temporary Protected Status Is Abruptly Eroded

A woman wearing scrubs in a health-care setting reviews a chart

Commentary March 2026

U.S. Third-Country Deportation Agreements Are More About Fear than Numbers

Image of unauthorized immigrant in shackles entering plane for deportation flight

Policy Beat April 29, 2026

Though Rare, Birth Tourism to the United States Sparks Outsized Concern

Fact Sheet February 2026

A Profile of the Growing Black Immigrant Population in the United States

A Black female nurse in blue scrubs walking outside

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)

A line of people with their hands up taking the oath during a U.S. citizenship ceremony

Get Timely U.S. Immigration Analysis

The monthly U.S. Policy Beat covers, in brief, top developments at U.S., state, and local levels, and in the courts.

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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. 

An Idea Whose Time Has Finally Come? The Case for Employment Verification

This brief argues the time is right to build a reliable, automated U.S. employment verification system that is mandatory for all employers.

Immigration Enforcement Spending Since IRCA

U.S. immigration enforcement spending more than quadrupled between 1985 (the year before the Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed) and 2002, with 60 percent aimed at the border.

Eligible to Work? Experiments in Verifying Work Authorization

The Basic Pilot employment verification program was promising but flawed, with compliance gaps. It can only achieve its goals if made mandatory, but reassessment is first needed.

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.

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.