Immigration 101

The enforcement of immigration laws is a complex and hotly-debated topic. Learn more about the costs of immigration enforcement and the ways in which the U.S. can enforce our immigration laws humanely and in a manner that ensures due process.

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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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

  • Fact Sheet

The Future of a Generation: How New Americans Will Help Support Retiring Baby Boomers

Publication Date: 
February 14, 2012
The United States is in the midst of a profound demographic transformation that will long outlast the current economic downturn. In 2011, the first of the baby boomers—Americans born between 1946 and...
  • Special Report

Opportunity and Exclusion: A Brief History of U.S. Immigration Policy

Publication Date: 
January 13, 2012
The United States and the colonial society that preceded it were created by successive waves of immigration from all corners of the globe. But public and political attitudes towards immigrants have...
  • Fact Sheet

Eliminating Birthright Citizenship Would Not Solve the Problem of Unauthorized Immigration

Publication Date: 
November 4, 2011
There is no evidence that undocumented immigrants come to the U.S. just to give birth.
  • Fact Sheet

Mexican Migration Patterns Signal a New Immigration Reality

Publication Date: 
August 1, 2011
Fewer Mexicans are Entering the U.S., Fewer Are Leaving, and Mexican American Births Now Outpace Immigration from Mexico Much of what we thought we knew about immigration is changing, and...
  • Special Report

Second Annual DHS Progress Report

Publication Date: 
April 12, 2011
In its second year under the Obama Administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—which is responsible for the nation’s three immigration agencies (USCIS, CBP, and ICE)—continues to...
  • Special Report

Constitutional Citizenship: A Legislative History

Publication Date: 
March 28, 2011
Attacks against the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment have picked up in recent months, with legislators at both the national and state levels introducing bills that would deny U.S. citizenship...
  • Fact Sheet

Papers Please: Eliminating Birthright Citizenship Would Affect Everyone

Publication Date: 
January 4, 2011
Attacks on birthright citizenship at the federal and state level are bound to take many forms—from outright repeal of the Fourteenth Amendment to refusal by states to issue birth certificates to...
  • Special Report

The New American Electorate (October 2010)

Publication Date: 
October 14, 2010
At a time when federal, state, and local elections are often decided by small voting margins—with...
  • Special Report

The Unwanted: Immigration and Nativism in America

Publication Date: 
September 13, 2010
It’s hardly news that the complaints of our latter-day nativists and immigration restrictionists—from Sam Huntington to Rush Limbaugh, from FAIR to V-DARE—resonate with the nativist arguments of some...
  • Research and Analysis

Explaining the Recent Decline in Unauthorized Migration

Publication Date: 
September 9, 2010
Immigration Enforcement in a Time of Recession Recent estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center indicate that the number of unauthorized...
  • Blog

US Policy Toward Haitian Immigrants Is Part of a Long, Troubled History

September 24, 2021

Shocking images have emerged of Border Patrol officers on horseback charging toward Haitian immigrants in and around the border town of Del Rio, Texas. Thousands of Haitians have come to our...

  • Blog

Fear of Another 9/11 Continues to Drive US Immigration Policy 20 Years Later

September 14, 2021

The September 11th terrorist attacks not only led to the tragic deaths of 2,977 people, they fundamentally changed the nature of immigration law and policy in the United States. Since 9/11, the U....

  • Blog

The House Offers First Glimpse at Legalization for Millions of Immigrants Through Reconciliation

September 13, 2021

House Democrats began to mark up a budget reconciliation bill on September 10 that would provide a path to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Although the...

  • Blog

California Law Would Prevent Transfers From Local Law Enforcement to ICE Custody

September 9, 2021

Proposed legislation in California that would further limit the state’s involvement in immigration detention has made progress toward becoming law. The VISION Act would prevent transfers to U.S....

  • Blog

President Biden is Overseeing a Historic Decline in Legal Immigration

August 31, 2021

The Biden administration predicts that it will fail to issue many of the legal permanent resident visas—also known as green cards—allotted this year for immigrants who have been sponsored by a U.S...

  • Blog

Felony Reentry Immigration Law Is Unconstitutional Due to Racist Origins, Judge Rules

August 27, 2021

The post Felony Reentry Immigration Law Is Unconstitutional Due to Racist Origins, Judge Rules...

  • Blog

Diversity Visa Lottery Winners Might Lose Chance to Come to the U.S. Due to Delays, Trump Policies

August 25, 2021

For the second year in a row, many winners of the diversity visa lottery face the prospect of losing their chance to come to the United States because the federal government can’t—or won’t—issue...

  • Blog

People of Color Made Up All of the United States’ Population Growth in the Last 10 Years

August 18, 2021

Demographers have known for decades that the United States is well on its way to becoming a predominantly multi-racial and multi-ethnic society. New data from the 2020 Census reveals how rapidly...

  • Blog

America’s Ending in Afghanistan Must Ensure Safe Passage for Our Afghan Allies

August 18, 2021

Across centuries, Afghanistan has been a nation unconquerable. From the conquest of Alexander the Great to the United States military, insurgent forces have beat back the offensive from some of...

  • Blog

The New CBP One App May Put Immigrants and Travelers’ Privacy at Risk

August 5, 2021

It is unquestionable that technology creates efficiencies. But efficiency should not come at the total expense of privacy. A new app from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) toes that line...

  • Blog

From Farm to Your Thanksgiving Table: America’s Food Supply Relies on Immigrant Crop Workers

November 22, 2022

As Thanksgiving approaches, many cooks are busy planning their holiday meals. However, this year’s Thanksgiving meals will likely be more expensive as food prices soar. This is partly due to...

  • Blog

Midterms 2022: How and Where Immigrants Have Helped Create a More Diverse Electorate

October 11, 2022

With the 2022 midterm elections just weeks away, all eyes are shifting to states where close races are expected. A lot has changed since the last midterm elections in 2018—including the...

  • Blog

A New Bill Would Allow Millions of Immigrants to Apply for Green Cards

October 11, 2022

On September 28, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced a bill in Congress that would allow millions of immigrants who have lived in the United States for many years to become Lawful Permanent...

  • Blog

Biden Administration’s New Public Charge Rule Should End Fear of Trump Wealth Test

September 16, 2022

Three years ago, the Trump administration sent fear throughout immigrant communities across the nation with its Public Charge rule, which functioned as a wealth test for green card applicants....

  • Blog

Hispanics in the US: What the Data Reveals About Shifting Geography, Ancestry, and Voting Patterns

September 14, 2022

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we look at the most recent Census and data to highlight the importance of Hispanics in the United States. For those wondering why Hispanic Heritage Month starts mid-...

  • Blog

Biden Administration Close to Reaching Increased Cap on Employment-Based Green Cards

September 13, 2022

The Biden administration is close to using all of the employment-based immigrant visas (green cards) allotted for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced...

  • Blog

Immigration Status Will No Longer Be a Barrier for Aspiring Lawyers in New Mexico

September 9, 2022

Written by American Immigration Council staff Leani García Torres and Raul Pinto The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative provides certain young, undocumented immigrants with a...

  • Blog

Fact Check: Migrants Aren’t the Ones Smuggling Fentanyl Into the United States

September 7, 2022

There is no doubt that fentanyl is a major problem inside the United States. Over the last decade, rising availability of fentanyl has caused a spike in overdose deaths across the nation. In 2021...

  • Blog

The Economic Impact When International Students Return Back to Campus

August 31, 2022

As hundreds of thousands of students prepare to go back to school this fall, it’s important to consider the outsized role international students play in both campus life and the United States...

  • Blog

How Schools Welcome Newly Arrived Immigrant and Refugee Students

August 25, 2022

School is back in session. For many states and localities across the country, that means welcoming newly arrived immigrant and refugee youth into the classroom. There will be increased need for...

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