E.g., 12/05/2023
E.g., 12/05/2023
DREAM Act/Deferred Action

DREAM Act/Deferred Action

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Conferring legal status on young unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children—a group referred to as DREAMers—has been the subject of legislation in Congress since 2001. In 2012, the Obama administration launched the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative to provide a temporary reprieve from deportation to qualified unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. In 2017, the Trump administration announced the program's termination. The research here offers a demographic portrait of the DACA and broader DREAMer populations. Check out our DACA data tools, with state-level and national-origin data, here.

Recent Activity

A mariachi band performing in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Articles
October 13, 2022
Mexican Immigrants in the United States
By Raquel Rosenbloom and Jeanne Batalova
Attorney General William Tong
Multimedia
September 20, 2022
19th Annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference
Image of band playing music at a concert in Athens, GA.
Articles
August 4, 2022
Brazilian Immigrants in the United States
By Jaret Waters and Jeanne Batalova
Image of marchers at Dominican Day parade in New York City
Articles
July 7, 2022
Caribbean Immigrants in the United States
By Jane Lorenzi and Jeanne Batalova
Image of aspiring pastor and DACA recipient speaking at DACA event in Minneapolis
Articles
June 9, 2022
At Its 10th Anniversary, DACA Faces a Tenuous Future Despite Societal Benefits
By Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt
An image of an immigration boarding line.
Articles
March 17, 2022
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
By Cecilia Esterline and Jeanne Batalova
A pile of documents on a desk.
Articles
February 23, 2022
Mounting Backlogs Undermine U.S. Immigration System and Impede Biden Policy Changes
By Muzaffar Chishti and Julia Gelatt
Cover image for Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency
Reports
February 2022
Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency
By  Jessica Bolter, Emma Israel and Sarah Pierce

Pages

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Policy Briefs
February 2017
Trump Executive Order and DHS Guidance on Interior Enforcement: A Brief Review
By  Sarah Pierce and Randy Capps
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Fact Sheets
October 2016
Immigration to the Heartland: A Profile of Immigrants in the Kansas City Region
By  Randy Capps and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
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Policy Briefs
August 2016
DACA at Four: Participation in the Deferred Action Program and Impacts on Recipients
By  Faye Hipsman, Bárbara Gómez-Aguiñaga and Randy Capps
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Reports
February 2016
Deferred Action for Unauthorized Immigrant Parents: Analysis of DAPA's Potential Effects on Families and Children
By  Randy Capps, Heather Koball, James D. Bachmeier, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Jie Zong and Julia Gelatt
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Fact Sheets
January 2016
A Profile of U.S. Children with Unauthorized Immigrant Parents
By  Randy Capps, Michael Fix and Jie Zong
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Reports
September 2015
Implications of Immigration Enforcement Activities for the Well-Being of Children in Immigrant Families: A Review of the Literature
By  Randy Capps, Heather Koball, Andrea Campetella, Krista Perreira, Sarah Hooker and Juan Manuel Pedroza
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Reports
September 2015
Health and Social Service Needs of U.S.-Citizen Children with Detained or Deported Immigrant Parents
By  Heather Koball, Randy Capps, Sarah Hooker, Krista Perreira, Andrea Campetella, Juan Manuel Pedroza, William Monson and Sandra Huerta
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Reports
August 2015
An Analysis of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States by Country and Region of Birth
By  Marc R. Rosenblum and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto

Pages

The U.S. Supreme Court.
Policy Beat
March 30, 2023
Federal Judges Step into the Void to Set U.S. Immigration Policy

Virtually all major U.S. immigration policy reforms have faced lawsuits in recent years, giving federal judges wide latitude to shape national policy. The situation, which began during the Obama administration and has escalated, is a byproduct of congressional inaction and the emergence of immigration as a political wedge issue. This article tracks the trend, which has added new volatility to the immigration system, and places it in context.

A flag hangs at the vice president's residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, DC.
Spotlight
March 14, 2023
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Want to check a fact about U.S. immigration? Interested in putting recent trends into perspective? This article compiles authoritative, up-to-date information about the U.S. immigrant population and how it has changed over time. Data cover immigrants' demographic, educational, and linguistic characteristics; their top states of residence; enforcement activities; refugees and asylum seekers; naturalization trends; visa backlogs; and more.

Asylum seekers from Venezuela in Texas.
Spotlight
February 15, 2023
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States

Venezuelans comprise one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States, nearly tripling in size from 2010 to 2021. Much of this migration has been fueled by crisis in Venezuela, where political unrest and economic strife have caused millions to flee since 2015, most remaining in Latin America. Venezuelan immigrants are far more likely than the overall foreign- and U.S.-born populations to have a college degree. Take an in-depth look at this immigrant population.

People in a business meeting.
Spotlight
January 12, 2023
Chinese Immigrants in the United States

The number of Chinese immigrants in the United States had grown swiftly for decades but shrank amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a whole, Chinese immigrants tend to have more education and higher salaries than other immigrants, although they are less likely to be fluent in English. This article provides a sociodemographic profile of Chinese immigrants in the United States, their top destination globally.

A guest takes a photo at a Diwali reception at the White House.
Spotlight
December 7, 2022
Indian Immigrants in the United States

Significant immigration from India to the United States began only after 1965, when the United States dropped national-origin quotas that favored Europeans. Today, Indians make up the nation's second largest foreign-born group. On average, they tend to be very well educated: 80 percent have a college degree and nearly half hold a graduate or professional degree. This article offers a useful sociodemographic profile of the Indian population.

Pages

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EVENT PH 2016.1.27 Event Photo Brannon, Graham, Meissner
Video, Audio
January 27, 2017

Hanging in the Balance: The Future of DACA and the Dreamers

As the Trump administration assumes office and the DACA program faces an uncertain future, University of California President Janet Napolitano; Donald Graham, cofounder of TheDream.Us; and Ike Brannon, Visiting Fellow at the CATO Institute join MPI's Doris Meissner for a discussion on the possible impacts of rescinding DACA, particularly in the areas of higher education, philanthropy, and the economy.  

13th Annual Immigration Law Policy keynotes
Video, Audio
September 28, 2016

13th Annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference

The 13th annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference offered policy and legal analysis on key immigration topics, including: the election and the future of immigration policy; refugee resettlement in the United States; immigration detention and enforcement; and the impacts of the Supreme Court opinion in the important U.S. vs Texas case

DACA 5
Video, Audio
August 11, 2016

DACA at Four: Estimating the Potentially Eligible Population and Assessing Application and Renewal Trends

Marking the fourth anniversary of the implementation of the DACA program, this webinar presents findings on the most current estimates of potential DACA beneficiaries, trends in requests and application rates, and discussion of recent policy and political developments.

Event PH 2016.4.14 DAPA Supreme Court webinar Rally at Supreme Court majunzk flickr
Video, Audio
April 14, 2016

DAPA in the Balance: Supreme Court Arguments and Potential Impacts on U.S. Families and Communities

Experts provide legal analysis ahead of the April 18th U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on the fate of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program, explore who makes up the affected population, and examine the potential immediate and long-term implications of this case on immigrant families in the United States.

Event PH 2016.1.13 Unauthorized Parent Children Profile flickr American Dream BushBollay
Video, Audio
January 13, 2016

A Profile of Children with Unauthorized Immigrant Parents in the United States

This webinar offers a discussion of the economic, linguistic and educational disadvantage experienced by U.S. children with unauthorized immigrant parents. The MPI researchers discuss their finding that 86 percent of the 5.1 million such children in the United States have a parent who could potentially benefit from the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program.

Pages

Recent Activity

Articles
October 13, 2022

Mexican Immigrants in the United States

Mexicans are by far the largest immigrant group in the United States, accounting for nearly one-fourth of all immigrants. However their numbers have been declining and in 2021 there were 1 million fewer than a decade ago. At the same time, despite years in which more new migrants came from China and India, Mexicans once again count as the largest group of new arrivals. This article outlines the changing shape and composition of this immigrant population.

Video, Webinars
September 20, 2022

19th Annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference

Focusing on top immigration policy issues at federal and state levels, this 2022 Immigration Law and Policy Conference featured keynotes by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson exploring the growing role states are taking in the national immigration debate. Multimedia of the day's panel discussions will be posted later.

Articles
August 4, 2022

Brazilian Immigrants in the United States

Persistent economic turmoil and civil and political insecurity have been drivers of emigration from Brazil, including to the United States. Although the number of Brazilian immigrants in the United States has been on the rise since the 1980s, the magnitude of these flows has made the past decade unique. Read a useful profile of Brazilians immigrants, including U.S. destinations, modes of entry, and educational and work characteristics.

Articles
July 7, 2022

Caribbean Immigrants in the United States

Immigrants from the Caribbean living in the United States come from a diverse set of countries and territories, with Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago the top origins. This article offers a sociodemographic profile of Caribbean immigrants, who represent 10 percent of the U.S. foreign-born population and nearly half of all Black immigrants in the United States.

Articles
June 9, 2022

At Its 10th Anniversary, DACA Faces a Tenuous Future Despite Societal Benefits

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program reached its 10th anniversary in June 2022. This article reviews the evidence on DACA’s impacts for Dreamers and the broader society, looks at the increased reliance on similar limited legal statuses to help segments of the unauthorized immigrant population, and examines the legal challenges the program has and is continuing to face.

Articles
March 17, 2022

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Need information about U.S. immigration trends or the makeup of the country's immigrant population? This useful, stats-rich article answers the most common questions about the size, shape, and changing nature of the U.S. foreign-born population. It also offers data on immigration enforcement actions, backlogs, and other elements of the U.S. immigration system.

Articles
February 23, 2022

Mounting Backlogs Undermine U.S. Immigration System and Impede Biden Policy Changes

President Joe Biden has made efforts to overhaul the U.S. immigration system, but could see his administration's agenda slowed by massive backlogs across the immigration system. Case application wait times and immigration court queues have swelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, slowing legal arrivals to the United States and undermining the entire immigration system.

Reports
February 2022

Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency

The Trump administration set an unprecedented pace for executive action on immigration, reshaping many aspects of the U.S. immigration system through changes large and small. This report chronicles the 472 administrative changes enacted during this four-year period—ranging from COVID-19 response measures and immigration enforcement, to humanitarian protection, travel bans, legal immigration and DACA changes, and more.

Pages