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.

Recent Features

Fact Sheet
Temporary Protected Status (TPS): 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

  • Fact Sheet

Power of the Purse: Contributions of Hispanic Americans in the Rio Grande Valley

Publication Date: 
June 3, 2022
This fact sheet underscores the crucial role Hispanic Texans play in the Rio Grande Valley’s labor force, population growth, and economy.
  • Fact Sheet

Power of the Purse: Contributions of Hispanic Americans in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metro Area

Publication Date: 
June 3, 2022
This fact sheet underscores the crucial role Hispanic Texans play in the metro area’s labor force, population growth, and economy.
  • Fact Sheet

Ukrainians in the United States Who May Qualify for Temporary Protected Status: An Overview

Publication Date: 
March 3, 2022
This fact sheet provides a demographic overview of the population of Ukrainians in the United States who may qualify for TPS, and what benefits TPS would confer upon those individuals.
  • Fact Sheet

An Overview of the Government Funding Process: Appropriations

Publication Date: 
December 15, 2021
This fact sheet aims to explain the basics of the federal government funding process, also known as appropriations, and show how it affects the world of immigration and immigration enforcement.
  • Fact Sheet

Legalization Through “Registry”

Publication Date: 
September 28, 2021
This fact sheet provides information on a provision called “registry” that allows certain non-citizens who are long-term residents of the United States, but who are either undocumented or present in...
  • Fact Sheet

Prosecuting People for Coming to the United States

Publication Date: 
August 23, 2021
Over the last two decades, the federal government increasingly has utilized the criminal courts to punish people for immigration violations. This overview provides basic information about entry-...
  • Fact Sheet

Legalization Through 245(i)

Publication Date: 
August 2, 2021
This fact sheet from the Council provides an overview of how current immigration law allows certain undocumented immigrants to become Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) without first having to leave...
  • Fact Sheet

Employment-Based Visa Categories in the United States

Publication Date: 
July 8, 2021
Current U.S. immigration law provides several paths for foreign workers to enter the United States for employment purposes on a temporary or permanent basis. This fact sheet provides basic...
  • Fact Sheet

Aggravated Felonies: An Overview

Publication Date: 
March 16, 2021
This fact sheet provides an overview of “aggravated felonies” under federal immigration law and the immigration consequences of being convicted of an “aggravated felony.”
  • Special Report

What Immigration Issues Do Americans Hold Sacred?

Publication Date: 
February 18, 2021
Understanding how deeply we hold our immigration stances may matter as much as what our stances are.
  • Blog

Biden Should Use His Authority to Protect Vulnerable Immigrants Before He Leaves Office

November 13, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump vowed to deport millions of immigrants in his successful bid for a second term at the White House. This week, we gained a clearer picture about how he aims to fulfill...

  • Blog

Temporary Protected Status: What’s Up With That?

October 29, 2024

On October 17, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Secretary Mayorkas was designating the country of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Through this designation,...

  • Blog

The Origins of Birthright Citizenship in the United States, Explained

October 18, 2024
For over a century, the United States has applied the principle birthplace-based citizenship to grant American citizenship to anyone born on U.S. territory regardless of their parent’s immigration status.
  • Blog

Immigrants Do Not Commit More Crimes in the US, Despite Fearmongering

October 17, 2024

Written by Yared Avalos Iniguez, Communications Intern and Hannah Boyke, Research Intern Across the globe, immigrants are increasingly being blamed for committing crimes, with right-wing groups...

  • Blog

What is Tim Walz’s Record on Immigration?

October 2, 2024

While immigration remains a top issue for the nation as a whole, for years Minnesota has taken an active role in integrating and supporting immigrants throughout the state. Governor Tim Walz’s...

  • Blog

Council and BAJI Highlight Their Efforts on Government Transparency to Audience in South Africa

September 13, 2024

This past week, the Council, alongside the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), had the privilege to present the report the organizations co-authored on U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s...

  • Blog

Immigrant Entrepreneurs and the Fortune 500: Powering the US Economy in 2024

September 13, 2024

Immigrant entrepreneurs continue to shape our economy and play a critical role in the success and innovation of major corporations. In 2024, this trend is clearer than ever, with 46% of Fortune...

  • Blog

Oversight Agency Says 32,000 Unaccompanied Children Are Missing. But Are They?

September 5, 2024

Written by Raul Pinto, Deputy Legal Director, Transparency at the American Immigration Council and Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, Supervisory Policy & Practice Counsel, Government Relations at the...

  • Blog

What Project 2025 Says About Immigration

August 23, 2024
Our blog post examines how Trump’s second term could enforce stricter immigration policies, including mass deportations and cuts to legal immigration, with reduced oversight.
  • Blog

Unpacking Myths About Noncitizen Voting — How Heritage Foundation’s Own Data Proves It’s Not a Problem

August 1, 2024
Many politicians have called for overhauling the United States’ election systems by mandating strict voter ID for both registering to vote and actual voting. However, noncitizen voting is extremely rare.
  • Press Release

Understanding ICE’s Release of Immigrants with Criminal Convictions

May 15, 2014

Washington D.C. - Understanding the complexities of immigration law and its intersection with criminal law is not easy.

  • Press Release

New Report from Center for Immigration Studies on Deportation Data Misleads and Misinforms

March 31, 2014

Washington D.C. – Today the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) released a new report that makes a range of false claims about deportation data.

  • Press Release

The Real Meaning of “Self-Deportation”

January 26, 2012

Washington D.C. - The term “self-deportation” has found its way into the GOP presidential primary race, with candidate Mitt Romney outlining a vague immigration pl

  • Press Release

New Study on Immigrant Integration Compares and Ranks the United States, Canada, and Europe

February 28, 2011

Washington D.C. - In cooperation with the Immigration Policy Center, the British Council and the Migration Policy Group release a new study today which reviews and

  • Press Release

Pew Report Sheds Little Light on Birthright Citizenship

August 11, 2010

Washington D.C. - Over the last several weeks, a handful of elected officials have re-ignited a call for the repeal of birthright citizenship.

  • Press Release

FAIR's Distorted Fiscal Snapshot of Unauthorized Immigrants

July 6, 2010
Today, Fox News is reporting on data provided to them by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) which amounts to a highly misleading fiscal snapshot of the costs allegedly imposed on U.S. taxpayers by unauthorized immigrants.
  • Press Release

Reality at the U.S. Mexico Border

June 8, 2010

Washington D.C. - On Monday, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) hosted a teleconference with border and national-security experts who diss

  • Press Release

U.S. Border Enforcement Prioritizes Non-Violent Migrants Over Dangerous Criminals

May 20, 2010

Washington D.C. - The Mexican President's visit to the United States allowed both he and President Obama to address the important issues of immigration, border con

  • Press Release

The Folly of Repealing Birthright Citizenship

March 30, 2010

Washington D.C. - This Sunday, the editorial pages of the Washington Post included a

  • Fact Sheet

The “Migrant Protection Protocols”: an Explanation of the Remain in Mexico Program

Publication Date: 
February 12, 2025
Under the “Migrant Protection Protocols”, individuals who arrive at the southern border and ask for asylum (either at a port of entry or after crossing the border between ports of entry) are given...
  • Blog

Breaking Down the Attempt to End Birthright Citizenship

February 7, 2025

By Laila Khan and Raul Pinto On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for babies of undocumented immigrants and for...

  • Fact Sheet

Understanding INA Section 212(f): The President’s Authority to Suspend the Entry of Noncitizens

Publication Date: 
February 6, 2025
Under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the president of the United States has the authority to “suspend the entry” of certain noncitizens into the United States under...
  • Blog

A Young U.S. Citizen’s Long Legal Road Back Home

January 31, 2025

Across the country, deportation is often discussed as an absolute end. Many politicians run on a platform of stoking fear on immigration, with deportation being the punishment and means to remove...

  • Blog

Trump’s Day 1 Orders Use Fearmongering to Expand His Immigration Authority

January 23, 2025

On January 20, 2025, the day President Trump took office for his second term, he issued a series of immigration-related executive orders and proclamations that will quickly re-shape the U.S....

  • Press Release

Misguided Laken Riley Act Does Nothing to Fix the Problems That Plague Our Immigration System

January 22, 2025

WASHINGTON, JAN. 22, 2025 — Today, the House voted in the final step for passing S.

  • Fact Sheet

Temporary Protected Status (TPS): An Overview

Publication Date: 
January 22, 2025
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.
  • Blog

Centering Humanity in the Immigration Debate

January 16, 2025

“La tierra se secó.” That was my dad’s short explanation for why he left Mexico as a teenager in the 1970s. His family relied on their small farm in rural northern Mexico for subsistence. But when...

  • Advocacy

Testifying on the Catastrophic Economic and Humane Costs of Mass Deportations

Publication Date: 
December 10, 2024
The American Immigration Council appeared before Congress to address the catastrophic economic and humane costs of mass deportations.
  • Blog

Immigration Was on the Ballot in Multiple States on Election Day – Here’s What Happened

November 22, 2024

On Election Day, voters gathered in various cities and states across the country to cast ballots on immigrant-related issues, like immigration protections, integration, and noncitizen voting. Here...

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