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

  • Blog

The Battle Over Birth Certificates in Texas

October 20, 2015

In May, a group of undocumented parents, represented by South Texas Civil Rights Project and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas for denying their children, born...

  • Blog

Four Immigration Issues Covered at the First Democratic Primary Debate

October 14, 2015

The first Democratic debate of the 2016 presidential campaign was held Tuesday in Nevada, which is home to 529,164 immigrants and the highest percentage of undocumented immigrants of any state....

  • Blog

Four Reasons Why Report on Immigrant Welfare Use Is Wrong

September 3, 2015

Numerous studies have demonstrated and documented the ways in which immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy. As workers, consumers, taxpayers, entrepreneurs, and innovators, the overwhelming...

  • Blog

Hopes Mount That Pope Francis’ Visit Can Tone Down Anti-Immigrant Political Rhetoric

September 1, 2015

A change in topic is desperately needed right now in the political and policy debate over immigration. The most recent public discussions on how to reform immigration—led in large part by the...

  • Blog

Where GOP Candidates and the Public Part Ways on Immigration

August 25, 2015

While some politicians on the campaign trail dial-up the anti-immigrant rhetoric and rehash old debates around birthright citizenship and mass deportation, the majority of America is unmoved....

  • Blog

Birthright Citizenship: What It Is and Why We Need to Preserve It

August 21, 2015

There has been a media frenzy over one of the more draconian components of Republican presidential contender Donald Trump’s immigration policy platform. In his plan, released earlier this week, he...

  • Blog

New Report Shines Light on the Changing Nature of Unauthorized Immigration

August 20, 2015

The nature of unauthorized immigration to the United States is changing. Economic and social conditions are changing in both the United States and the countries from which it has traditionally...

  • Blog

Trump Dumps His Immigration Plan on America

August 17, 2015

Over the weekend, Donald Trump—the current frontrunner in the race for the 2016 GOP Presidential nomination—released his immigration policy platform, which is at its core a smorgasbord of tired,...

  • Blog

Who and Where Are the Actual and Potential Beneficiaries of DACA?

August 12, 2015

Since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was first implemented in August 2012, hundreds of thousands of young immigrants were provided with a temporary reprieve from...

  • Blog

Six Takeaways from the First Presidential Debate on Immigration Issues

August 7, 2015

In Cleveland, Ohio, home to nearly half a million immigrants, 10 Republican presidential candidates took to the stage in the first primary debate of the season. Given the pressing need to reform...

  • Blog

Immigrants Make up a Smaller Share of the U.S. Population Than They Did 100 Years Ago

October 23, 2017

The United States has been created by successive waves of immigration over the course of centuries. Each wave of immigrants from different parts of the world has helped to build the U.S. economy...

  • Blog

Immigrants and Refugees Are Among America’s 2017 Nobel Prize Winners

October 19, 2017

The Nobel Prizes, awarded annually in recognition of extraordinary achievement in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace, have once again been won by Americans who came...

  • Blog

The White House Has Slashed Refugee Admissions to Record Lows

October 2, 2017

The White House announced late last week that for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, beginning Oct. 1, 2017, the United States will only admit a maximum number of 45,000 refugees. This represents the lowest...

  • Blog

Public’s Appetite for Harsh Immigration Polices on the Decline

September 22, 2017

While undocumented immigration remains a concern among two-thirds of the American public, most Americans, including Republicans, support proposals which provide law-abiding immigrants a chance to...

  • Blog

Welcoming Week Opens Its Arms to Immigrants Across the Country

September 15, 2017

Each year, a series of events and community gatherings take place across America that bring both the foreign- and native-born together to build inclusive communities. These “Welcoming Week”...

  • Blog

Trump Administration Issues New Visa Sanctions on Four Countries, In Retaliation for Their Stance on Deportation

September 14, 2017

Following through on a directive from President Trump made during his first week in office, the State Department on Monday invoked a rarely-used law to impose visa restrictions on Cambodia,...

  • Blog

Where Do You Find the Most Resistance to Immigration?

August 23, 2017

Conventional thinking may lead some to believe that those communities that fight the hardest against immigration are the ones receiving the greatest influx of foreign newcomers. If people are wary...

  • Fact Sheet

The RAISE Act

Publication Date: 
August 11, 2017
The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act (RAISE Act) or S. 354 would mark a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. immigration system. It would significantly reduce levels of legal...
  • Blog

Three-Year-Old Immigrant Child Released After Two Years of Detention

August 9, 2017

An immigration judge ordered the immediate release of a three-year-old immigrant child and his mother from a detention center in rural Pennsylvania on Monday, stating that it was one of the most...

  • Blog

Immigrants Are Now Five Times More Likely to Die Crossing the Border

August 7, 2017

The recent deaths of ten migrants who suffocated in the back of a tractor trailer as they were allegedly being smuggled into the United States has brought renewed attention to the grave risks...

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