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E.g., 04/19/2024
United States

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

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Reports
June 2011
Emerging Transatlantic Security Dilemmas in Border Management
By  Elizabeth Collett
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Reports
June 2011
New Streams: Black African Migration to the United States
By  Randy Capps, Kristen McCabe and Michael Fix
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Reports
June 2011
Opportunities for Transatlantic Cooperation on International Migration
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
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Reports
June 2011
Improving Immigrants' Employment Prospects through Work-Focused Language Instruction
By  Margie McHugh and A.E. Challinor
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Reports
June 2011
Mexican and Central American Immigrants in the United States
By  Kate Brick, A.E. Challinor and Marc R. Rosenblum
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Reports
June 2011
Eight Policies to Boost the Economic Contribution of Employment-Based Immigration
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
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Books
June 2011
Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience
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Reports
June 2011
Rethinking Points Systems and Employer-Selected Immigration
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption

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Policy Beat
March 1, 2004
Bush Boosts Immigration Enforcement in FY2005 Budget
Bush Proposes $40.2 Billion FY2005 DHS Budget... Judge Faults Adjustment Delays for Approved Asylees... H-1B Cap Reached Months Before End of FY2004... Fee Increase Proposed for Immigration Applications and Services...
Spotlight
March 1, 2004
Mexican Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Force in 2000

MPI’s Elizabeth Grieco and Brian Ray outline the characteristics of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. workforce.

Feature
March 1, 2004
U.S. Temporary Worker Programs: Lessons Learned

MPI Senior Fellow and former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner examines the challenges and opportunities, past and present, posed by temporary migrant labor programs.

Feature
March 1, 2004
From Traitors to Heroes: 100 Years of Mexican Migration Policies

Jorge Durand examines Mexico's long history of and ambivalent attitude toward migration to the U.S..

February 1, 2004
Bush Proposes New Temporary Worker Program
MPI's Maia Jachimowicz outlines the latest developments affecting U.S. migration policy, focusing President George W. Bush's announcement regarding undocumented immigrants.

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Recent Activity

Reports
June 2011

Mexican and Central American Immigrants in the United States

Since 1970, the immigrant populations from Mexico and Central America living in the United States have increased significantly: rising by a factor of 20 even as the total U.S. immigrant population increased four-fold over the period. This demographic report examines the age, educational, and workforce characteristics of these immigrants.

Reports
June 2011

Improving Immigrants' Employment Prospects through Work-Focused Language Instruction

This report describes the range of policies available to improve immigrants’ economic integration through language acquisition, especially those focused on getting immigrants into jobs or moving into higher-paying jobs. It assesses promising models and practices from Europe and North America.

Reports
June 2011

Opportunities for Transatlantic Cooperation on International Migration

The EU-U.S. relationship is one of the most significant partnerships among wealthy nations. Interconnections between the two on migration issues make dialogue necessary and inevitable, as each relies on each other to attain a number of policy objectives, most clearly in the case of travel and border security.

Reports
June 2011

New Streams: Black African Migration to the United States

This report explores the migration patterns and demographics of Black African immigrants in the United States, examining their admission channels, human-capital characteristics, and labor market performance. The authors also provide an analysis of these immigrants' integration prospects.

Reports
June 2011

Emerging Transatlantic Security Dilemmas in Border Management

The exponential growth of international travel since the 1960s has left border management systems worldwide struggling to keep up and has exposed weaknesses in states’ abilities to effectively manage their borders, especially regarding terrorist attacks, human trafficking, and illegal migration.

Reports
June 2011

The Role of Immigration in Fostering Competitiveness in the United States

While aspects of the U.S. immigration system facilitate newcomers’ contributions to economic growth and competitiveness, others undermine them. Reforms are needed to enhance the job-creating power of U.S. employers and strengthen the system’s ability to select effectively from the large pool of foreign workers.
Reports
June 2011

Migration and Development: Policy Perspectives from the United States

The report examines U.S. immigration and international development policies, which have unique objectives and respond to distinct political and administrative constraints, and points out that international development has never been a U.S. immigration policy objective; nonetheless, it is an unintended consequence.

Reports
June 2011

Rethinking Points Systems and Employer-Selected Immigration

Two competing models for selecting economic-stream immigrants are now prevalent in advanced industrialized economies: points-based and employer-led selection. Increasingly, however, hybrid selection systems are being created, implementing best practices from each selection process.

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