Demographics

The immigration laws and regulations provide some avenues to apply for lawful status from within the U.S. or to seek relief from deportation.  The eligibility requirements for these benefits and relief can be stringent, and the immigration agencies often adopt overly restrictive interpretations of the requirements.  Learn about advocacy and litigation that has been and can be undertaken to ensure that noncitizens have a fair chance to apply for the benefits and relief for which they are eligible.  

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.

All Demographics Content

  • Research and Analysis

Thinking Ahead About Our Immigrant Future: New Trends and Mutual Benefits in Our Aging Society

January 1, 2008
By Dowell Myers, Ph.D. There are two stories now being told about immigration and the future of America. Each has some basis in fact,...
  • Research and Analysis

Undocumented Immigration by Congressional Districts

October 1, 2006
In this IPC Policy Brief, author Rob Paral uses new census data to update his earlier IPC report (Playing Politics on Immigration: Congress Favors Image over Substance in Passing H.R. 4437) on the...
  • Research and Analysis

The Growth and Reach of Immigration: New Census Bureau Data Underscore Importance of Immigrants

August 1, 2006
New data from the 2005 American Community Survey (ACS), released by the Census Bureau on August 15, 2006, underscore the extent to which immigration continues to fuel the expansion of the U.S. labor...
  • Special Report

Unequal Access: Immigrants and U.S. Health Care

July 1, 2006
By Sarita A. Mohanty, M.D., M.P.H.Despite the important role that immigrants play in the U.S. economy, they disproportionately...
  • Research and Analysis

More Than a Temporary Fix: The Role of Permanent Immigration in Comprehensive Reform

January 1, 2006
The immigration debate once again is dominated by narrow thinking and the search for simplistic solutions to complex problems. Most lawmakers and the press have come to equate “immigration reform”...
  • Research and Analysis

A Lifeline to Renewal: The Demographic Impact of Immigration at State and Local Levels

August 1, 2005
Immigrant numbers should be taken in the context of native population growth or decline to better understand the impact of immigration.
  • Fact Sheet

Ties that Bind: Immigration Reform Should be Tailored to Families, Not Just Individuals

May 1, 2005
Given the extent to which undocumented immigrants already living in the United States are part of U.S.-based families, comprehensive immigration reform must include more than just a new temporary...
  • Research and Analysis

Minority Newcomers: Fair Comparisons of Immigrants and the Native Born

November 1, 2003
Comparisons of the mostly “minority” foreign-born and mostly “white” native-born populations that fail to account for the socioeconomic impact of ethnicity incorrectly suggest that place of birth,...
  • Research and Analysis

Migrating to Recovery: The Role of Immigration in Urban Renewal

July 1, 2003
Policymakers in states from Iowa to Utah and in cities from Albuquerque to Boston have realized that immigration is a key source of long-term economic vitality, particularly in urban areas...
  • Research and Analysis

U.S. Soldiers from Around the World: Immigrants Fight for an Adopted Homeland

March 1, 2003
As American troops, including many immigrants, are now engaged in military action in Iraq, the Immigration Policy Center has updated its fact sheet about the role and participation of immigrants in...
  • Blog

The Trump Administration Loses Fight to Add Citizenship Question to the 2020 Census

January 16, 2019

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s plan to add a question on U.S. citizenship to the 2020 Census on Tuesday, ruling that the controversial move “violated the public trust” and...

  • Blog

How Rural Communities Are Embracing Immigrants and Thriving as a Result

January 15, 2019

Small and rural towns across America are increasingly faced with the opportunities and challenges that come with settling new immigrants. In nearly 3,000 rural American towns, the immigrant...

  • Blog

First International Agreement on Migration Lacks US Participation

December 13, 2018

For the first time, countries across the world recognized the importance of coordinated action to address the growing challenges of managing migration. On Monday, more than 160 United Nations...

  • Blog

The United States Could Solve Undocumented Immigration With a Better System

December 4, 2018

New estimates indicate that the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States continues a decade-long decline, standing at about 10.7 million as of 2016 (down from 12.2 million in 2007)....

  • Blog

How States Took Action on Immigration in 2018

November 27, 2018

States and localities continue exploring policies and positions on immigration to serve the needs of their communities and, at times, respond to the aggressive immigration agenda touted by the...

  • Blog

Latino Voter Suppression in the 2018 Midterm Elections Not New

November 5, 2018

Latino voters are more engaged in the 2018 midterm elections than in years past. Enthusiasm towards voting is higher and Latinos have already contributed to record turnout in some states. Yet this...

  • Blog

How Does Immigration Factor into Americans’ Sense of Identity?

October 25, 2018

With the midterm elections fast approaching, immigration has become—yet again—one of the hottest political topics among candidates and likely voters. Much of the public debate over immigration is...

  • Blog

Rural Communities Get Boost From Growing Immigrant Population

September 12, 2018

In rural communities throughout the United States, immigration has been a demographic lifeline that offsets—at least in part—the dwindling number of native-born Americans. In fact, as a report...

  • 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

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...

  • 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.
  • Blog

Record Low U.S. Birth Rate and Retirements Will Result in Contracting U.S. Prosperity, If Unaddressed

April 26, 2019

The U.S. population is aging quickly. Baby boomers are retiring en masse and Americans are having far fewer children, on average, than any other time in our history. The median age in this country...

  • Blog

How America’s Fluid Racial Identities Are Challenging the Assumption of a Declining White Majority

April 1, 2019

For years, politicians, the media, and social scientists have predicted a declining white-majority population in the United States and a not-too-distant future where minorities assume political...

  • Blog

Number of Undocumented Immigrants in US at a 25-Year Low

March 1, 2019

  Contrary to President Trump’s claim that “large-scale unlawful migration” across the southern border constitutes a “national emergency” that requires building a wall, research suggests that...

  • Blog

Immigrants Have More Faith in American Institutions Than the Native-Born

February 7, 2019

Despite the fact that immigrants living in and arriving in the United States today are not exactly receiving a warm welcome by key government institutions, a recent poll by the Cato Institute...

  • Blog

The Trump Administration Loses Fight to Add Citizenship Question to the 2020 Census

January 16, 2019

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s plan to add a question on U.S. citizenship to the 2020 Census on Tuesday, ruling that the controversial move “violated the public trust” and...

  • Blog

How Rural Communities Are Embracing Immigrants and Thriving as a Result

January 15, 2019

Small and rural towns across America are increasingly faced with the opportunities and challenges that come with settling new immigrants. In nearly 3,000 rural American towns, the immigrant...

  • Blog

First International Agreement on Migration Lacks US Participation

December 13, 2018

For the first time, countries across the world recognized the importance of coordinated action to address the growing challenges of managing migration. On Monday, more than 160 United Nations...

  • 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.
  • 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...

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