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)
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Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910 [email protected]
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20th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Experts examined the Biden administration's immigration actions, border policy, state actions, legal representation, humanitarian parole for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals, and other top issues in immigration policy.
A Turning Point for the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States
The unauthorized immigrant population in the United States stood at approximately 11.2 million people in mid-2021, with larger annual growth than at any point since 2015, according to MPI's latest estimates. Even as the Mexican unauthorized immigrant population continued its decade-long decline, there were new entrants from a growing array of other countries.
A Shrinking Number of DACA Participants Face Yet Another Adverse Court Ruling
The DACA program has received another blow to its survival, with a federal court once again ruling that the executive branch exceeded its authority in creating the program. But with litigation likely to continue for years, it is attrition that is actively reducing the program. This commentary examines the shrinking population of DACA holders, as well as those who have been locked out from participating.
In the Twilight Zone: Record Number of U.S. Immigrants Are in Limbo Statuses
A record 1.9 million migrants were in the United States on temporary statuses in 2023, the result of unprecedented executive actions taken by the Biden administration.
Investing in the Future: Higher Ed Should Give Greater Focus to Growing Immigrant-Origin Student Population
Eighty percent of the increase in U.S. college enrollment between 2000 and 2021 came from U.S.-born students with immigrant parents or first-generation immigrant students. This population, often overlooked, should receive significantly more focus as leaders in higher education and workforce development seek to deliver a skilled workforce for a rapidly changing U.S. labor market, this commentary argues.
Straining under the Backlog: Fixing a U.S. Immigration Court System in Crisis
As the U.S. immigration court system struggled with record case backlogs in 2023, this discussion examined the factors that have driven the system to the point of crisis and possible fixes.
At the Breaking Point: Rethinking the U.S. Immigration Court System
By 2023, the U.S. immigration court backlog surpassed 3 million cases. Incremental fixes have failed—fundamental redesign of the system is essential.
Canada's New Tech Talent Strategy Takes Aim at High-Skilled Immigrants in the United States
Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy is highly unusual for its explicit targeting of visa holders in another country. Opening a dedicated stream specifically for high-skilled immigrants in the United States who hold an H-1B visa is the latest salvo in a growing global competition for talent—one in which some countries are racing ahead of the United States in terms of policy dynamism, as this commentary explores.
Activism on Immigration by U.S. States Is Back, with New Tactics and Different Targets
Immigration activism is back—more polarized than ever—with some states expanding immigrant rights while others enact sweeping enforcement laws and deploy National Guard troops.
U.S. Border Asylum Policy Enters New Territory Post-Title 42
The end of the Title 42 expulsions policy ushered in sweeping border asylum restrictions, but capacity limits, record court backlogs, and litigation have left U.S. border policy on uncertain ground.
