E.g., 08/07/2020
E.g., 08/07/2020

North America

North America

United States
Canada
Mexico

North America is a dynamic migration region, with the United States home to more immigrants than any other country in the world, the Mexico-U.S. corridor the globe's top migration corridor, and Canada a leading destination for migrants. Research collected here focuses on everything from visa policy and border management to immigrant integration, national identity, the demographics of immigrants in the region and their educational and workforce outcomes, and ways to more effectively use migration policy as a lever for national and regional competitiveness.

A doctor wearing a face mask performing a test
Fact Sheets

Immigrant Workers: Vital to the U.S. COVID-19 Response, Disproportionately Vulnerable

Six million immigrant workers are at the frontlines of keeping U.S. residents healthy and fed during the COVID-19 pandemic, representing disproportionate shares of physicians, home health aides, and retail-store pharmacists, for example. They also are over-represented in sectors most immediately devastated by mass layoffs, yet many will have limited access to safety-net systems and to federal relief, as this fact sheet details.

Boats along a river in the Darien Gap, Panama
Articles

As More Migrants from Africa and Asia Arrive in Latin America, Governments Seek Orderly and Controlled Pathways

Growing numbers of African and Asian migrants are moving through Latin America, many hoping to reach the United States or Canada after expensive, arduous, and often dangerous journeys that can take months or even years. As more extracontinental migrants transit through South and Central America, Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica have developed the most comprehensive policies to manage these flows, sometimes working in coordination with the U.S. government.

Recent Activity

Reports
July 2004
Beyond Remittances: The Role of Diaspora in Poverty Reduction in their Countries of Origin
By Kathleen Newland and Erin Patrick
Reports
July 2004
Observations on Regularization and the Labor Market Performance of Unauthorized and Regularized Immigrants
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Kevin O'Neil, and Maia Jachimowicz
Articles
July 1, 2004
Administration Seeks Homeland Security Progress Despite Setbacks
By Maia Jachimowicz, Betsy Cooper
Articles
July 1, 2004
Educational Attainment of the Foreign Born in the United States in 2000
By Elizabeth Grieco
Articles
July 1, 2004
IRCA: Lessons of the Last U.S. Legalization Program
By Mary G. Powers, Ellen Percy Kraly, William Seltzer
Fact Sheets
June 2004
Health Insurance Coverage of the Foreign Born in the United States: Numbers and Trends
By Elizabeth Grieco
Articles
June 1, 2004
Democrats Introduce Immigration Reform Bill
By Maia Jachimowicz
Articles
June 1, 2004
The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program
By Erin Patrick

Pages

Recent Activity

Reports
July 2004

Beyond Remittances: The Role of Diaspora in Poverty Reduction in their Countries of Origin

This report analyzes the impact of established diaspora on the reduction of poverty in their countries of origin. It examines their contributions beyond individual remittances, in the dimensions of foreign direct investment, market development, technology transfer, philanthropy, tourism, political contributions, and the more intangible flows of knowledge, new attitudes, and cultural influence.

Reports
July 2004

Observations on Regularization and the Labor Market Performance of Unauthorized and Regularized Immigrants

The regularization, or legalization, of unauthorized immigrants has become a central, if controversial, policy tool in many developed countries’ struggle to manage irregular immigration. Because of the sheer size of irregular immigration in the advanced industrial world, regularization programs have become a significant source of legal workers and, in many instances, of prospective citizens.

Articles
July 1, 2004

Administration Seeks Homeland Security Progress Despite Setbacks

Subsidiary of Offshore Firm Wins $10 Billion DHS Contract... Government Moves to Cut Backlog of Immigration Benefits Applications... Government Sources Point to Border Security Flaws... Congress May Delay Biometric Passports Plan...
Articles
July 1, 2004

Educational Attainment of the Foreign Born in the United States in 2000

This Spotlight examines the educational attainment of the five largest immigrant groups in the United States, including those from Mexico, the Philippines, India, China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan), and Vietnam. According to the results of Census 2000, 62 percent of all foreign born in the United States have at least a high school education. Other measures of educational attainment, such as college or graduate degrees, vary widely by country of origin. The data presented in this Spotlight were derived from the U.S. Census 2000 1 Percent Public Use Micro-Sample (PUMS) file.

Articles
July 1, 2004

IRCA: Lessons of the Last U.S. Legalization Program

Many news reports and commentators in the United States link immigration, especially when unauthorized, to negative economic effects, cultural fragmentation, and issues of national security. As a result of these perceived negative consequences, resistance to immigration, especially unauthorized immigration, appears to have increased. Others stress the benefits to this country of continuing immigration.

Fact Sheets
June 2004

Health Insurance Coverage of the Foreign Born in the United States: Numbers and Trends

This report examines health insurance coverage among the United States’ foreign-born population. Findings highlight differences in coverage rates between native citizens, naturalized foreign-born citizens, and non-citizens.

Articles
June 1, 2004

Democrats Introduce Immigration Reform Bill

MPI's Maia Jachimowicz outlines the newly proposed immigration reform legislation: Safe, Orderly, Legal Visas and Enforcement Act of 2004 (SOLVE).
Articles
June 1, 2004

The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program

MPI Associate Policy Analyst Erin Patrick provides the latest figures on the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which is still operating well below traditional levels long after being thrown into crisis by the Sept. 11 attacks.

Pages