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.

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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.

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All Immigration 101 Content

  • Blog

Republican Party Platform Shows Little Understanding of Immigration Policy

July 19, 2016

The immigration component of the 2016 Republican Party Platform is deeply flawed. The document reflects a fundamental lack of understanding not only of how the U.S. immigration system works, but...

  • 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

‘Sanctuary’ Policies Do Not Foster Crime, Research Shows

December 18, 2017

During its first ten months in office, the Trump administration has made aggressive immigration enforcement a priority. One of the areas in which this approach was crystalized was around so-called...

  • Blog

Where Doug Jones Stands on Immigration Policy

December 13, 2017

Doug Jones, a former Democratic prosecutor once considered a longshot in Republican-majority Alabama, narrowly won the state’s Senate race Tuesday evening in what may ultimately prove to be a...

  • Blog

“Listening” Over Turkey 2017

November 21, 2017

Each year at Thanksgiving, Immigration Impact publishes a post about how to “talk turkey” on immigration. We’ve done it for several years to provide our readers with tips on how to talk about...

  • Fact Sheet

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program: An Overview

Publication Date: 
November 13, 2017
This fact sheet provides an overview of the diversity visa program, the requirements and security checks currently in place, and demographic information about recipients.
  • Blog

The Military’s Strategic and Recruitment Goals Fail When Immigrants Can’t Serve

November 9, 2017

The United States Armed Forces has long valued the contributions of immigrants—from the War of 1812 to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, U.S.-born and immigrant soldiers have fought...

  • Blog

How Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Turns Immigrants Into Criminals

November 6, 2017

It has been well established for decades that the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, immigrants who have committed no violent offense are often...

  • Blog

How the Diversity Visa Lottery Honors American Values

November 1, 2017

Americans value diversity and family. That is why our immigration system generally reflects those values. The U.S. diversity visa lottery, which was enshrined into law in 1990, was created to...

  • 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...

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