Immigration 101

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.

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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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All Immigration 101 Content

  • Blog

What Graham’s Candidacy Brings to the GOP Presidential Field

June 5, 2015

Earlier this week, Lindsey Graham became the ninth candidate to announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Attempting to distinguish himself from the other candidates,...

  • Blog

Where Pataki Stands on Immigration Policy

June 3, 2015

Former Republican New York Governor George Pataki recently entered the 2016 presidential race, highlighting what his national security and government reform agenda would be, but failing to mention...

  • Blog

Presidential Candidate O’Malley’s Immigration Record

June 1, 2015

On Saturday, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley became the third Democratic candidate to enter the 2016 presidential race. In his announcement, O’Malley said that “for the sake of our...

  • Blog

Santorum’s Immigration Policies Would Harm Immigrants and American Workers

May 28, 2015

Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), who finished second in the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary behind Mitt Romney, will again seek to secure the party’s nomination in 2016. Santorum said at...

  • Blog

2016 Presidential Candidates Weigh-In on President Obama’s Immigration Action

May 12, 2015

Immigration policy has become a hot topic as the 2016 Presidential primary picks up steam. It is no surprise that the issue of Presidential authority over immigration has taken center stage in...

  • Blog

What GOP Presidential Hopefuls Fiorina, Carson, and Huckabee Have Said on Immigration

May 7, 2015

This week, three GOP candidates entered the 2016 race. Here’s what we know about their stance on current U.S. immigration policy: Carly Fiorina Fiorina announced on Monday that she is running in...

  • Blog

Bernie Sanders’ Immigration Policy Track Record

May 1, 2015

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced this week that he will run for President, becoming the first to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. The Associated Press reports Sanders...

  • Blog

Ending Birthright Citizenship: (Still) Unconstitutional, Unwise, Unworkable, and Un-American

April 28, 2015

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing entitled “Birthright Citizenship: Is It The Right Policy For America?” The hearing will question whether those born in America will automatically...

  • Blog

Marco Rubio’s Complex History with Immigration Policy

April 17, 2015

This week, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) became the latest candidate to announce his 2016 presidential bid, which he did from the Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida. Known as the Ellis Island of...

  • Blog

Four Myths That Sen. Sessions Believes About Immigration to the United States

April 14, 2015

Nativist ideology is filled with falsehoods, half-truths, and distortions. From the impact of immigrants on the economy to the pace of their integration into U.S. society, the nativist creed more...

  • Blog

Tracking Hillary Clinton’s Promises on Immigration Reform

July 15, 2016

By 2050, minorities will become the majority in the United States. This is the first point Hillary Clinton made while speaking before the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in...

  • Blog

What You Should Know About Mike Pence’s Harsh Policy Record on Immigrants and Refugees

July 14, 2016

In Mike Pence, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump has found a kindred spirit in his crusade against immigrants. Trump’s get tough approach to immigration has been no secret and reports...

  • Blog

One Pennsylvania Town Illustrates the Difficult Immigration Debate Ahead

July 13, 2016

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania is a manufacturing town that has seen hard economic times. After the coal mining industry disappeared, factories involved in shoemaking, dressmaking, ironwork and...

  • Blog

Donald Trump Poised for Record Loss of Latino Voters

July 12, 2016

There are roughly 27.3 million eligible Latino voters in the United States (up from 19.5 million in 2008). So it should come as no surprise that, for any modern presidential candidate, winning...

  • Blog

Most Americans Reject Trump’s Nativist Agenda

June 27, 2016

Republican presidential contender Donald Trump may claim to speak in the name of the “American people,” but the fact is that most Americans continue to reject his nativist rhetoric of fear and...

  • Blog

This Year’s Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest Winning Entry

June 24, 2016

The American Immigration Council’s 19th Annual Celebrate America Fifth Grade Creative Writing Contest winner is Eliana Jaffee from the Pardes Jewish School in Scottsdale, Arizona. The contest...

  • Blog

These Anti-Immigrant Organizations Are Behind the Effort to Derail Executive Action on Immigration

June 13, 2016

The tentacles of the modern anti-immigrant movement in the United States extend far and wide, but they emanate from a single source: John Tanton—a white nationalist trying his hardest to ensure...

  • Blog

The Ever-Changing Demographics of America

June 9, 2016

If there’s one constant throughout human history, it’s that everything changes. New scientific discoveries are made and new technologies are invented. New nations are born from the ashes of...

  • Blog

States Will Need Immigrants to Counter Aging of the Labor Force

June 1, 2016

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...

  • Blog

Restrictive Voting Laws Threaten to Block Millions of Latino Voters, Including Many Newly-Naturalized

May 12, 2016

Naturalization and voter registration rates have surged in recent months, but strict new voter laws in many states are threatening to reduce the number of Latinos voters (including many newly...

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