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United States

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Historically a nation of immigrants, the United States is home to nearly 45 million immigrants, who represent 13.7 percent of the total population and play a key role in the economic, civic, and cultural life of the country. The research collected here covers many facets of immigration to the United States, by the numbers and how immigrants fare in the country's classrooms and workplaces, the policies and regulations that shape the admission of new immigrants, the enforcement programs and polices in place at U.S. borders and within the interior, and integration policies and efforts taking place in local communities, in states, and at the federal level.

A naturalization ceremony at the White House.
Articles

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Immigration touches on many facets of life in the United States. Get the facts with this useful resource, which compiles in one place answers to some of the most often-asked questions about immigration and immigrants in the United States now and historically. This article contains essential data on the immigrant population, immigration levels, trends in immigration enforcement, and much more.

A man in a high-visibility jacket and gloves at work
Policy Briefs

A New Way Forward for Employment-Based Immigration: The Bridge Visa

U.S. employment-based visa policies, last updated in 1990, are not aligned with the country’s current and future labor market needs. This policy brief outlines MPI’s proposal for a new visa pathway that could help the United States better leverage immigration to meet its labor market needs, boost protections for both U.S.- and foreign-born workers, and flexibly adapt to future economic and demographic changes.

Inadmissible migrants, some seeking asylum, are processed by CBP officers
Reports

Outmatched: The U.S. Asylum System Faces Record Demands

The U.S. humanitarian protection system, known for its long history of assisting those in need, has come under incredible pressure in recent years. The asylum adjudications system, which is under-resourced, is struggling to keep up with record asylum seeker arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border. This report examines the state of the asylum system, including changes under the Biden administration and potential lessons for other countries.

President Joe Biden signs an executive order.
Articles

Biden at the Three-Year Mark: The Most Active Immigration Presidency Yet Is Mired in Border Crisis Narrative

In three years, President Joe Biden has surpassed the number of immigration-focused executive actions taken by the Trump administration throughout its entire four-year term, making his the most active U.S. presidency ever on immigration. Yet the Biden administration has been repeatedly accused of inaction at the U.S.-Mexico border, where record levels of migrant encounters have occurred. This article reviews the Biden track record on immigration.

Recent Activity

2013 ChildrenImmigrants
Multimedia
January 17, 2013
Critical Immigration, Health, and Education Policies Affecting Young Children of Immigrants
Articles
January 2, 2013
International Protection for a Newly Surfacing Refugee Community
By Kelsey Lundgren
Cover_Pillars
Reports
January 2013
Immigration Enforcement in the United States: The Rise of a Formidable Machinery
By  Doris Meissner, Donald M. Kerwin, Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron
Cover ArkansasImmigrants
Reports
January 2013
A Profile of Immigrants in Arkansas: Changing Workforce and Family Demographics
By  Randy Capps, Kristen McCabe and Michael Fix
Cover_unconsolidateddemocracy
Reports
January 2013
In the Lurch between Government and Chaos: Unconsolidated Democracy in Mexico
By  Luis Rubio
Cover_RMSG SeleeArnsonOlson
Reports
January 2013
Crime and Violence in Mexico and Central America: An Evolving but Incomplete U.S. Policy Response
By  Andrew Selee, Cynthia J. Arnson and Eric L. Olson
Cover_RMSG Manufacturing
Reports
January 2013
Manufacturing in the United States, Mexico, and Central America: Implications for Competitiveness and Migration
By  Peter A. Creticos and Eleanor Sohnen
Articles
December 27, 2012
College-Educated Immigrants in the United States
By Qingqing Ji and Jeanne Batalova

Pages

Policy Beat
April 1, 2006
Senate Debates Temporary Worker Program and Path to Legal Status for the Unauthorized

MPI's Julia Gelatt reports on the Judiciary Committee's proposals for immigration reform, which set the stage for Senate debate on the topic, plus other immigration news.

Feature
April 1, 2006
CAFTA: What Could It Mean for Migration?

The Central America Free Trade Agreement may be the most important economic event in the region in 20 years. However, it seems unlikely to reverse established migration trends, reports Salomon Cohen.

Feature
March 1, 2006
Second-Generation Mexicans: Getting Ahead or Falling Behind?

Of the 5.7 million children of immigrants under age 10 in the United States, 37 percent of them are of Mexican origin. Recent data shed light on their prospects for integration and social and economic mobility, according to Roger Waldinger of the University of California Los Angeles.

Policy Beat
March 1, 2006
Bush calls for Worksite Enforcement Funding in 2007, Senate Poised to Debate Immigration Reform

MPI’s Julia Gelatt reports on funding for immigration in Bush’s 2007 budget proposal, the State of the Union Address, upcoming immigration debate in the Senate, expedited removal along the northern border, and more.

Feature
March 1, 2006
Countering Terrorist Mobility

With Congress considering immigration reform, Susan Ginsburg argues that it's time to examine how counterterrorism strategy relates to border security and how terrorist mobility can be hindered.

Pages

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Recent Activity

Video, Audio
January 17, 2013

Critical Immigration, Health, and Education Policies Affecting Young Children of Immigrants

MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy convened a major public policy research symposium focused on young children of immigrants in the U.S.

Articles
January 2, 2013

International Protection for a Newly Surfacing Refugee Community

Many countries, and in particular the United States, have begun granting asylum claims filed on the basis of sexual orientation in the past few decades. Despite the efforts by U.S. and other governments to reinforce protection for LGBT refugees, this community remains a marginalized group.

Reports
January 2013

Manufacturing in the United States, Mexico, and Central America: Implications for Competitiveness and Migration

This report examines trends in manufacturing – with a focus on advanced manufacturing – in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the United States. Although these countries’ manufacturing histories and contexts are different, the sectors are increasingly interdependent, and the sector potentially holds great promise for improving individual livelihoods and overall regional competitiveness.

Reports
January 2013

Crime and Violence in Mexico and Central America: An Evolving but Incomplete U.S. Policy Response

The U.S. government has increased its attention to public security issues in Mexico and Central America since 2007. This report suggest the policy emphasis has begun to shift away from the earlier focus on combating drug trafficking and transnational crime toward addressing the citizen security crisis.

Reports
January 2013

In the Lurch between Government and Chaos: Unconsolidated Democracy in Mexico

Over the past two decades, governing institutions in Mexico and parts of Central America have proven too primitive to cope with the volatility of democratic transitions. Organized crime has taken over key activities of various levels of government and corruption has become more entrenched. These regions must face the challenge of building democratic institutions capable of engaging in good governance.

Reports
January 2013

A Profile of Immigrants in Arkansas: Changing Workforce and Family Demographics

This report, Volume 1 of a three-volume set commissioned by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation that examines the immigrant population in Arkansas, provides a demographic and socioeconomic profile of Arkansas immigrants and their children, including a description of immigrant workers in the Arkansas economy. The three volumes build upon a previous study of the Arkansas immigrant population that was published in 2007.
Reports
January 2013

Immigration Enforcement in the United States: The Rise of a Formidable Machinery

The U.S. government spends more on federal immigration enforcement than on all other principal federal criminal law enforcement agencies combined, allocating nearly $187 billion since 1986. This report traces the evolution of the immigration enforcement system, analyzing how programs and policies resulted in a complex, interconnected, cross-agency system.

Articles
December 27, 2012

College-Educated Immigrants in the United States

Immigrants accounted for 16 percent of the 58.8 million college-educated persons in the United States in 2011, with one in three immigrants holding a college degree. In this spotlight, MPI's Qingqing Ji and Jeanne Batalova provide a demographic and socioeconomic profile of college-educated natives and immigrants in the country.

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