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
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…
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…
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…
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)Showing 791–800 of 821 results
The Foreign Born in the U.S. Labor Force: Numbers and Trends
Immigrants were a growing share of the U.S. workforce, rising from 9 percent in 1990 to 14 percent by 2002. But noncitizens had higher unemployment rates than all other workers.
DHS May Axe Special Registration of Foreign Visitors
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moved to end Special Registration and President George W. Bush signed expedited military naturalization in 2003.
DHS Secures Funding, Authority in Visa Matters
The U.S. Congress approved a $37.6 billion Homeland Security budget in October 2003, as the agency assumed oversight of visa policy.
Unauthorized Immigration to the United States
An estimated 9 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the United States in 2003, a population growing by about 350,000 annually between 1990 and 1999.
Visitor Tracking Technology Faces Obstacles
Key fall 2003 U.S. policy developments included biometric passport delays, a new California driver's license law, and the annual H-1B visa cap falling to 65,000.
Security Concerns Spur Policy Changes
Fall 2003 U.S. policy changes included suspending visa-free transit programs, new border student visa categories, and extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 2,700 Liberian nationals.
Immigration Since September 11, 2001
After 9/11, nonimmigrant entries fell 15 percent and U.S. refugee admissions hit a 25-year low, even as legal permanent resident numbers held steady.
Government Widens Efforts to Scrutinize Foreign Visitors
Mid-2003 U.S. measures mandated visa interviews for about 13 million annual visitors.
Report Alleges Abuse of Immigrant Detainees Post-Sept. 11
A June 2003 U.S. Justice Department report found abuse of hundreds of post-September 11 immigrant detainees; a court upheld secrecy on more than 1,200 detainee names.
Comprehensive Visitor Tracking Program Moves Forward
June 2003 U.S. immigration news spanned U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indictor Technology (US-VISIT) biometric rollout, Somali Bantu resettlement, and more.
- General Inquiries
- Media Inquiries
-
Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]