Demographics

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

Blog

States Will Need Immigrants to Counter Aging of the Labor Force

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 to aging, lower fertility rates, and people moving out of the state.

Fact Sheet

Unauthorized Immigrants Today

Unauthorized immigrants include adults and children, mothers and fathers, homeowners and people of faith. Three-fifths of the unauthorized population has been here for over a decade or longer and they represent one out of every 20 U.S. workers.

Fact Sheet

Immigrant Women and Girls in the United States

September 24, 2020

There are more than 23 million female immigrants in the United States, and they are a formidable presence in U.S. society and the economy.

Special Report

Changing Patterns of Interior Immigration Enforcement in the United States, 2016 -2018

July 1, 2019

To better understand the changing interior enforcement trends under the Trump administration, this report analyzes individual-level data on immigration enforcement outcomes.

Special Report

The Role of Contact and Values in Public Attitudes Toward Unauthorized Immigrants

April 30, 2019

This report uncovers the degree to which contact with immigrants and personal values are associated with views about unauthorized immigrants.

Special Report

The Landscape of Immigration Detention in the United States

December 5, 2018

This analysis reveals that individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were commonly held in privately operated and remotely located facilities, far away from basic community...

Fact Sheet

The Impact of Immigrant Women on America’s Labor Force

March 8, 2017

There are nearly 12 million immigrant (foreign-born) women workers in the United States today, comprising just over 7 percent of the total labor force.

Fact Sheet

Unauthorized Immigrants Today

August 19, 2014

Unauthorized immigrants include adults and children, mothers and fathers, homeowners and people of faith, most of whom are invested in their communities.

Special Report

Stepping Up: The Impact of the Newest Immigrant, Asian, and Latino Voters

September 3, 2013

This analysis of immigration trends and the demographic composition of U.S. House districts shows that numerous congressional districts have emerging electorates who have many reasons to care deeply...

Fact Sheet

Legalize Who?: A Portrait of the 11 Million Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States

January 31, 2013

As the immigration debate heats up in Congress, the central question will be what to do about the 11 million...

Fact Sheet

African Immigrants in America: A Demographic Overview

June 28, 2012

Immigrants from Africa constitute a highly diverse and rapidly growing group in the United States. As Census data demonstrate, the African foreign-born population doubled in size between 2000 and...

Fact Sheet

Latinos in America: A Demographic Overview

April 26, 2012

Latinos in the United States are a diverse and fast-growing group that is amassing considerable economic and political power. As data from the 2010 Census and other sources demonstrate, Latinos now...

Blog

The Media Is Obsessed With the ‘Latino Vote’ – There Is No Such Thing

November 6, 2020

A major theme of the 2020 election has been how demographic shifts in the American electorate would influence the outcome. Political pundits have given a great deal of airtime to examining the...

Blog

Naturalization Fees: A Poll Tax Hidden in Plain Sight

October 21, 2020

The application fee to apply for U.S. citizenship was due to rise from $640 to $1170 on October 2. Though the fee hike was temporarily blocked in federal court, this is not the first time U.S....

Blog

Citizenship Backlogs at USCIS Will Block Hundreds of Thousands from Voting in the 2020 Election

September 10, 2020

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants might be prevented from voting in the 2020 election—even though they are just one step away from becoming new Americans. Years of fiscal mismanagement at U.S....

Blog

Immigrant Workers are Essential to the United States Postal Service

August 31, 2020

The United States Postal Service (USPS) will play an outsized role in the 2020 presidential election, as more states focus on mail-in voting to help curb the spread of the coronavirus at polling...

Blog

Why a Shorter Census Timeline Hurts Immigrant Communities

August 6, 2020

The Trump administration announced on August 3 plans to end the 2020 Census one month earlier than previously planned. The change has led to fears that immigrant and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and...

Blog

3 Things You Need to Know About Trump’s Unconstitutional Census Executive Order

July 22, 2020

President Trump issued an executive order on June 21 that laid out a plan to violate the U.S. Constitution by excluding undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census. An accurate census count is...

Blog

1 in 10 Eligible Voters Is Now an Immigrant. Here’s Why That Matters for America.

April 9, 2020

Immigrants are participating in the U.S. political process in record numbers, which is a clear sign of successful integration into American society. In fact, nearly one out of every 10 eligible...

Blog

As Trump Slashes All Immigration, Other Countries Open Their Doors

March 4, 2020

The Trump administration has worked to close the door on all types of immigrants—including people trying to come to the United States on visas. Consequently, the United States is experiencing a...

Blog

Undocumented, Black, and Unseen

February 27, 2020

I am one of approximately 619,000 undocumented, Black immigrants living in the United States. My immigration story began at seven years old, when I came to the United States from Belize without my...

Blog

Demographic Change Is Hard, Especially When Our Leaders Stoke Our Worst Fears

January 29, 2020

After more than 20 years in the immigrant justice movement, I confess that I missed the mark. In my drive to improve the lives of immigrants and refugees, I was blind to some key realities taking...

Press Release

Executive Order to Exclude Millions From the Census Gets It Wrong; All People Must Be Counted

July 21, 2020

President Trump issued an executive order to prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted as part of the 2020 Census. This policy would unlawfully exclude 10.7 million undocumented immigrants, despite the clear requirement of the 14th Amendment to count “the whole number of persons in each state.”

Press Release

How Personal Values and Contact Impact Views on Unauthorized Immigrants

April 30, 2019

A new report by the American Immigration Council finds that Americans’ attitudes toward unauthorized immigrants are, among other factors, deeply related to their personal values and to the type of contact they have with immigrants in their daily lives.

Press Release

Government Data Reveals the Inner Workings of the U.S. Immigration Detention System

December 5, 2018

A report on immigration detention examines the United States’ complex, sprawling network of facilities used to detain immigrants. The report, “The Landscape of Immigration Detention in the United States,” reveals that detained individuals were commonly held in facilities operated by private entities and located in remote areas, far away from basic community support structures and legal advocacy networks.

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.

Blog