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.

READ MORE

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.

READ MORE

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.

READ MORE

All Immigration 101 Content

  • Blog

What the New Citizenship Fee Structure Means for Aspiring Americans

May 11, 2016

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is primarily a fee-funded agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Every two years they are required to review the fees they...

  • Blog

Report on Immigrant Welfare Use is Fundamentally Flawed—Here’s Why

May 10, 2016

It’s déjà vu all over again at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). Having released one flawed report on immigrant “welfare” use late last year, CIS has followed up with another that contains...

  • Blog

Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Would Seriously Damage the U.S. Economy

May 9, 2016

Donald Trump’s approach to immigration seems to rest on three pillars: the construction of a big wall across the entire U.S.-Mexico border, the banning of all Muslim immigration to the United...

  • Blog

Sorry Trump, Immigration is Still Associated with Less Crime and Safer Communities

April 29, 2016

Donald Trump opened a political rally in Southern California last night by sharing the stage with activists who have lost loved ones at the hands of immigrants in the U.S. without legal status....

  • Blog

GOP Perfects Its Formula for Losing the Latino Vote

April 25, 2016

After each of the last few national elections, Republican strategists prognosticated that despite their low support among Latino voters, the Republican Party could begin to win them over by...

  • Blog

Polls Show Millennials More Likely to Reject Deportation and Support Path to Citizenship

April 4, 2016

In contrast to the virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from several presidential candidates, new polling shows that the majority of Americans – 62 percent – support allowing undocumented...

  • Blog

Steve King’s Committee Continues Attack on President’s Immigration Actions

March 15, 2016

This week, the newly created “Task Force on Executive Overreach” and its Chairman Steve King (R-IA) held a sparsely-attended hearing on President Obama’s executive actions on immigration,...

  • Blog

Democratic Candidates Promise Not to Deport Children or Immigrants Without Criminal Records at Univision Debate

March 10, 2016

While many of the recent Presidential debates have uncovered little new thinking or policy positions on immigration, last night’s Univision-sponsored debate at Miami-Dade College in Southern...

  • 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

Re-Definition of ‘Public Charge’ Could Drastically Slash Family Immigration

June 28, 2018

The Trump administration is quietly attempting to revamp the U.S. immigration system by circumventing Congress and changing the nation’s immigration policies through new federal regulations. The...

  • Blog

Read This Year’s ‘Celebrate America’ Creative Writing Contest Winning Entry

June 15, 2018

  The American Immigration Council is proud to announce the winner of the 21st Annual Celebrate America Fifth Grade Creative Writing Contest. This contest encourages educators to incorporate...

  • Press Release

The Immigrant Success Story: How Family-Based Immigrants Thrive in America

June 12, 2018
Through analysis of data from the decennial census and administrative data from the Immigration and Naturalization Service, this special report examines the earnings gains over time of all immigrants, as well as the earnings gains experienced by family-based immigrants compared to employment-based immigrants.
  • Special Report

The Immigrant Success Story

Publication Date: 
June 11, 2018
Some confusion exists regarding the economic aspects of family-based immigration. To help unpack those aspects, this report focuses on one of them—namely, the earnings of family-based immigrants.
  • Blog

Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month and Being Welcoming Is Good for You and Your Community

June 5, 2018

June is Immigrant Heritage Month, and given the shrill and often negative rhetoric we hear around immigration, it seems more important than ever to take time to appreciate our immigration history...

  • Blog

Trump’s Nominee for Refugee Bureau Has an Anti-Immigrant History

May 30, 2018

When it comes to U.S. refugee policy, the Trump administration is asking Congress to let the fox guard the hen house. The administration has nominated Ronald Mortensen to be assistant secretary of...

  • Blog

Government Playing Fast and Loose With ‘Gang Member’ Label

May 24, 2018

There is no doubt that criminal gangs operating in the United States adversely impact the lives of many people living in communities throughout the country. However, in a nefarious act, President...

  • Blog

What You Need to Know About Immigrant Women Entrepreneurs

May 21, 2018

The United States depends on a growing private sector to remain strong and immigrant entrepreneurship is a key component to this growth. Immigrants are more likely to start businesses than their...

  • 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...

Most Read

  • Publications
  • Blog Posts
  • Past:
  • Trending