Immigration 101

The U.S. immigration system is complex and can be difficult to understand. These resources provide key data points, historical information, and background on hot topics in immigration. Learn the basics about immigration.

Recent Features

Why Don’t Immigrants Apply for Citizenship?

There is no line available for undocumented immigrants and the “regular channels” do not include them.

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Fact Sheet
Temporary Protected Status: An Overview

This fact sheet provides an overview of how Temporary Protected Status designations are made, what benefits TPS confers, and how TPS beneficiaries apply for and regularly renew their status.

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How the United States Immigration System Works

U.S. immigration law is very complex. Here's basic information about how the U.S. legal immigration system is designed.

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All Immigration 101 Content

  • Blog

Who Would Benefit from DAPA?

March 4, 2016

Within the next few months, the Supreme Court will determine whether the President’s deferred action initiatives announced in November 2014—namely, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and...

  • Blog

Nativists Line Up in Support of Trump’s Presidential Campaign

March 2, 2016

If one is judged by the company one keeps, then Donald Trump needs some new friends. The now-undisputed frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary campaign has been receiving endorsements...

  • Blog

Former Mexican President Says Country Not Paying for a Stupid, Useless Wall

February 8, 2016

For the past several months, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has taken a harsh stance on immigration, stating more than once that he would finish the wall between the U.S. and Mexico and...

  • Blog

Undocumented Population Continues to Decline in the U.S.

January 25, 2016

Despite significant job growth and an economic recovery over the last few years, the undocumented population in the United States has continued to decline. According to a new report by the Center...

  • Blog

Xenophobic Immigration Policy Would Wreck the U.S. Economy

January 22, 2016

The GOP candidates for President are falling over one another to demonstrate who would be the “toughest” on immigrants and who would finally make U.S. borders “secure.” Leading the way is Donald...

  • Blog

U.S. Children of Undocumented Immigrants Set up for Failure by Current Policies

January 14, 2016

U.S. children are clearly at a disadvantage if they have at least one undocumented parent. According to a report by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) released yesterday, of the estimated 5.1...

  • Blog

Our Top 10 Most-Read Posts of 2015

December 23, 2015

As 2015 comes to a close we revisit the year’s most-read blog posts on ImmigrationImpact.com. The top 10 posts include analysis of the presidential candidate’s immigration policy positions,...

  • Blog

Hardening Immigration Platforms of the Republican Presidential Candidates

December 16, 2015

During the final GOP public debate of 2015, Republican candidates continued articulating what they would do on immigration if they were commander-in-chief. Many of the candidates have already...

  • Blog

Giving the Immigration Facts a Fighting Chance

December 14, 2015

As we move through the 2016 presidential election cycle, the issue of immigration will continue to be a central topic of the debate. The United States is at a tipping point after more than two...

  • Blog

Trump’s Muslim Immigration Policy, Unconstitutional and Unworthy of America

December 8, 2015

The latest, outrageous proposal out of the Trump for President campaign came via a “Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration” where the candidate calls “for a total and complete shutdown of...

  • Blog

The Trump Administration Is Placing More Long-Residing Immigrants Into Court Proceedings

April 24, 2018

For years, immigration enforcement officials prioritized recent border-crossers over long-time residents with U.S.-born children, clean criminal records, or other evidence of roots in the United...

  • Blog

Canadian Lawsuit Challenges the United States’ Designation as a Safe Country for Asylum Seekers

April 20, 2018

The United States has historically been viewed as a nation that welcomes refugees fleeing from violence and persecution in their home countries. Yet, the Trump administration recently reiterated...

  • Blog

Fewer Foreign Doctors Could Spell Disaster for America’s Most Underserved Communities

April 13, 2018

The United States has long been the country of choice for international physicians seeking a graduate medical education. But for the second year in a row, the number of foreign doctors who applied...

  • Blog

This Controversial Immigration Enforcement Program Threatens U.S. Communities

April 9, 2018

In an era of increased immigration enforcement, it is even more important to understand the ways in which some states and localities collaborate with the federal government. Recent research also...

  • Blog

Trump Administration Refugee Admissions Fall Drastically Short of Six-Month Benchmark

March 29, 2018

Six months into fiscal year 2018, the Trump administration has admitted roughly 10,520 refugees, a number so low that it may be impossible to reach the 45,000 target set by the administration last...

  • Blog

What Are the Risks of Adding a Citizenship Question to the Decennial Census?

March 28, 2018

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Monday night that a question on citizenship status will be added to the 2020 decennial census questionnaire. This decision, which was adopted in response...

  • Blog

The Invisible Wall That President Trump Has Already Built

March 21, 2018

Legal immigration and the number of foreigners visiting the United States has taken a serious hit within the last year, as the Trump administration makes changes to policies and procedures without...

  • Blog

The United States’ Undocumented Population Has Been on the Decline Since 2010

March 8, 2018

With approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, curbing unauthorized immigration has been at the forefront of the Trump administration’s enforcement...

  • Fact Sheet

The End of Immigration Enforcement Priorities Under the Trump Administration

Publication Date: 
March 7, 2018
Enforcement of U.S. immigration laws has historically been guided by policies that emphasize prioritization. However, this practice has largely been abandoned since the inauguration of President...
  • Blog

Removal of ‘Nation of Immigrants’ from USCIS Mission Ignores Agency’s Mandate and American History

February 26, 2018

Francis Cissna, Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), unveiled a new mission statement for the agency last week, notably deleting the words “a nation of...

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