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

  • Fact Sheet

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.

All Immigration 101 Content

  • Blog

Why Restricting Immigration Won’t Improve Work Opportunities for Natives

September 6, 2016

Serious economists know that immigrant and native-born workers cannot simply be swapped for one another like batteries. On average, immigrants and the native-born differ in terms of formal...

  • Blog

The Fossilization of Donald Trump’s Views on Immigration Complete

September 1, 2016

Recent rumors that Donald Trump was considering “softening” his immigration policy positions were nothing but a ruse. In fact, what has happened in the past few days has been a hardening, and...

  • Blog

Why Going Home First to Get Legal Status (“Touchback”) Makes No Sense

August 30, 2016

No one is quite sure where Donald Trump stands on immigration anymore. More precisely, experts are trying to divine what Trump would do with the 11 million undocumented immigrants now living in...

  • Blog

Softening Rhetoric but No Immigration Policy Shift From Donald Trump

August 25, 2016

When it comes to immigration, Donald Trump is big on rhetoric and short on substance. This is why no one is quite sure what to make of Trump’s change in tone as to what should be done about the 11...

  • Blog

No Pivot Here: Donald Trump’s Rhetorical Tricks on Immigration

August 24, 2016

The media has swooned over a few vague statements made of late by presidential candidate Donald Trump. He has spent the past few days hinting that he may “soften” his immigration policy with...

  • Blog

Will a Questionnaire Catch a Terrorist? Donald Trump’s “Extreme Vetting” Plan

August 23, 2016

One of Donald Trump’s more recent, outrageous ideas having to do with immigration is to conduct what he calls “extreme vetting” of prospective immigrants to the United States. The basic idea is to...

  • Blog

Donald Trump’s Shortsighted Immigration Plans Won’t Secure the Homeland

August 16, 2016

As any serious national security expert will tell you, trying to find a potential terrorist by treating all immigrants or Muslims as security risks is far too vague to be effective. Accurate...

  • Blog

Lincoln v. Trump on Immigration

August 2, 2016

Although much has been written about how the party of Abraham Lincoln became the party of Donald Trump, one additional area where these two men parted ways is immigration. The world of today is...

  • Blog

Democratic National Convention Highlights the Need for Immigration Reform

July 29, 2016

Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted the nomination to serve as the Democratic Party’s pick for President Thursday night in Philadelphia, making her the first woman to ever top a mayor party ticket....

  • Blog

Texas Ends Attempt to Deny Birth Certificates to Children of Immigrants

July 26, 2016

More than a year ago, Texas county officials began to require that foreign passports presented by parents seeking to obtain their child’s birth certificate include a valid U.S. visa. The state...

  • Blog

How Many People Overstay Their Visas? Not Even the Government Knows

May 30, 2017

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials unveiled their newest “overstay” estimates—the number of people from other countries who remain in the United States after their visas expire—at a...

  • Blog

Say It With Me: Undocumented Immigrants Pay Taxes

April 17, 2017

Each year, undocumented immigrants file their tax returns, just like all Americans. They pay federal, state, and local taxes, in addition to income, property, and sales taxes. However, there are...

  • Blog

It’s Not up for Debate: Immigrants Invigorate the Economy

March 30, 2017

As any reputable economist will tell you, immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy in many ways. Yet the often subtle complexities of immigration economics are largely absent from a March 24...

  • Blog

Border Wall May Be an Expensive Solution to a Nonexistent Problem

March 27, 2017

If the Trump administration fulfills its promise to build a “big, beautiful wall” along the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border, it will be a very costly solution to a problem that no longer...

  • Fact Sheet

Immigration Detainers: An Overview

March 21, 2017
This fact sheet explains detainers, how they are used by federal and local enforcement, and the impact they have on immigrants.
  • Blog

Trump Scapegoats Immigrants with Creation of Office of Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement

March 14, 2017

President Trump stated that he has “ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American victims during his Joint Address to congress. The office is called VOICE –...

  • Blog

Here’s How Immigrant Women Are Essential to Our Labor Force

March 8, 2017

International Women’s Day is an appropriate time to take stock of the many ways in which immigrant women contribute to the labor force of the United States. Some of these contributions are often...

  • 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.
  • Blog

Undocumented Immigrants Are Making a Huge Impact as Taxpayers

March 3, 2017

President Trump made many promises on the campaign trail. One of which was to breathe new life into what some see as a stagnant U.S. economy. In fact, there are indications that it was this one...

  • Blog

“Sanctuary” Policies Protect Communities, Not Criminals

March 2, 2017

State by state “sanctuary” policies have received significant attention lately. Hundreds of communities across the nation have passed some version of a sanctuary policy and in doing so have made...

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