Immigration 101

Our legal system rests upon the principle that everyone is entitled to due process of law and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. But for far too long, the immigration system has failed to provide noncitizens with a system of justice that lives up to this standard. Learn about ways in which the immigration system could ensure that all noncitizens have a fair day in court.  

Recent Features

All Immigration 101 Content

July 19, 2016

The immigration component of the 2016 Republican Party Platform is deeply flawed. The document reflects a fundamental lack of understanding not only of how the U.S. immigration system works, but...

July 15, 2016

By 2050, minorities will become the majority in the United States. This is the first point Hillary Clinton made while speaking before the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in...

July 14, 2016

In Mike Pence, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump has found a kindred spirit in his crusade against immigrants. Trump’s get tough approach to immigration has been no secret and reports...

July 13, 2016

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania is a manufacturing town that has seen hard economic times. After the coal mining industry disappeared, factories involved in shoemaking, dressmaking, ironwork and...

July 12, 2016

There are roughly 27.3 million eligible Latino voters in the United States (up from 19.5 million in 2008). So it should come as no surprise that, for any modern presidential candidate, winning...

June 27, 2016

Republican presidential contender Donald Trump may claim to speak in the name of the “American people,” but the fact is that most Americans continue to reject his nativist rhetoric of fear and...

June 24, 2016

The American Immigration Council’s 19th Annual Celebrate America Fifth Grade Creative Writing Contest winner is Eliana Jaffee from the Pardes Jewish School in Scottsdale, Arizona. The contest...

June 13, 2016

The tentacles of the modern anti-immigrant movement in the United States extend far and wide, but they emanate from a single source: John Tanton—a white nationalist trying his hardest to ensure...

June 9, 2016

If there’s one constant throughout human history, it’s that everything changes. New scientific discoveries are made and new technologies are invented. New nations are born from the ashes of...

June 1, 2016

New population projections from the University of Virginia’s Demographics Research Group show that in many states in the Northeast and Midwest, growth of the working-age population is slowing due...

August 14, 2018

America’s generosity is reflected in our immigration system. Throughout our nation’s history (with some shameful exceptions), we have allowed individuals to come to the United States to reunite...

July 24, 2018

How long does it take to process an application for permanent residence in the United States, or a “green card?” You might be surprised by how difficult it is to find a reliable answer to this...

Publication Date: 
July 18, 2018
This fact sheet provides an overview of how USCIS calculates processing times and the concerns over the accuracy of these estimates.
July 17, 2018

As thousands of asylum-seeking parents were separated from their children in recent months, the Trump administration actively portrayed them as law breakers who must be prosecuted and punished for...

July 3, 2018

Coinciding with the Fourth of July each year, naturalization ceremonies turn immigrants into new American citizens. This Independence Day, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will...

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...

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...

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.
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.
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...

Most Read

  • Publications
  • Blog Posts
  • Past:
  • Trending