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]
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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.
Lessons From The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
While the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act was a landmark effort to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, its key design and implementation failures offer lasting lessons.
Free Flights and New Enforcement Proposals Address Unauthorized Migrants
A U.S.-Mexico repatriation program resumed in June 2005, offering free flights from Arizona to the interior of Mexico while Congress debated competing immigration bills.
Real Challenges for Virtual Borders: The Implementation of US-VISIT
US-VISIT's border security and counterterrorism goals exceed what the program can deliver. Policymakers should consider scaling back expectations and make more effective investments.
Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future: The Roadmap
This roadmap for MPI's Task Force on Immigration and America’s Future lists where immigration policy is failing and details rule of law, security, economy, and integration reforms.
Backlogs in Immigration Processing Persist
U.S. immigration processing backlogs grew more than 1,000 percent between 1990 and 2003, driven by rising naturalization applications and post-9/11 screening requirements.
Twilight Statuses: A Closer Examination of the Unauthorized Population
Up to 1.5 million unauthorized immigrants held legally recognized “twilight" statuses as of 2005, conferring some protection from deportation but no pathway to permanence.
Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics
This report examines the characteristics and demographics of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States as of 2004.
Expansive Bipartisan Bill Introduced on the Heels of REAL ID Passage
The 2005 Kennedy-McCain bill in the U.S. Senate proposed 400,000 new low-skilled worker visas, a legalization path for unauthorized immigrants, and family reunification reforms.
One Face at The Border: Behind the Slogan
The One Face at the Border unified border management initiative in the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has delivered efficiency gains but has fallen short operationally.