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

  • Fact Sheet

Papers Please: Eliminating Birthright Citizenship Would Affect Everyone

Publication Date: 
January 4, 2011
Attacks on birthright citizenship at the federal and state level are bound to take many forms—from outright repeal of the Fourteenth Amendment to refusal by states to issue birth certificates to...
  • Special Report

The New American Electorate (October 2010)

Publication Date: 
October 14, 2010
At a time when federal, state, and local elections are often decided by small voting margins—with...
  • Special Report

The Unwanted: Immigration and Nativism in America

Publication Date: 
September 13, 2010
It’s hardly news that the complaints of our latter-day nativists and immigration restrictionists—from Sam Huntington to Rush Limbaugh, from FAIR to V-DARE—resonate with the nativist arguments of some...
  • Research and Analysis

Explaining the Recent Decline in Unauthorized Migration

Publication Date: 
September 9, 2010
Immigration Enforcement in a Time of Recession Recent estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center indicate that the number of unauthorized...
  • Special Report

Back to the Border: A Historical Comparison of U.S. Border Politics

Publication Date: 
September 2, 2010
By Katherine Benton-Cohen and...
  • Fact Sheet

Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Force

Publication Date: 
August 4, 2010
New CBO Report Underscores Diverse Contributions of Foreign-Born Workers A recent report from the...
  • Research and Analysis

Reforming America's Immigration Laws: A Woman's Struggle

Publication Date: 
June 28, 2010
While immigrant communities across the nation endure the long wait for immigration reform, there are roughly 19 million immigrant women and girls currently in the U.S. Immigrant women, particularly...
  • Fact Sheet

Arizona’s Punishment Doesn’t Fit the Crime: Studies Show Decrease in Arizona Crime Rates

Publication Date: 
June 22, 2010
Updated 06/22/10 Supporters of Arizona’s harsh new immigration law claim that it is, in part, a crime-fighting measure. For instance, the bill’s author, Republican State Senator Russell...
  • Fact Sheet

New FBI Data Confirms Falling Crime Rates in Arizona

Publication Date: 
June 17, 2010
Violent Crimes Are Down in the State’s Three Largest Cities Many supporters of Arizona’s harsh new anti-immigrant law,...
  • Special Report

The Anti-Immigrant Movement and the Politics of Exceptionalism

Publication Date: 
June 4, 2010
The capacity of these groups to stymie attempts to reform our broken immigration system should not be underestimated.
  • Blog

The Economic Impact When International Students Return Back to Campus

August 31, 2022

As hundreds of thousands of students prepare to go back to school this fall, it’s important to consider the outsized role international students play in both campus life and the United States...

  • Blog

How Schools Welcome Newly Arrived Immigrant and Refugee Students

August 25, 2022

School is back in session. For many states and localities across the country, that means welcoming newly arrived immigrant and refugee youth into the classroom. There will be increased need for...

  • Blog

Who Enforces Immigration Policy Anyway?

August 10, 2022

The lack of a major overhaul in the United States’ immigration system for roughly thirty years has created an ecosystem where states have attempted to insert their authority over immigration,...

  • Blog

Debunking Major Myths About Immigrants’ Socioeconomic Status in the US

August 4, 2022

Opponents of immigration often claim that European immigrants who came to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are radically different than the Latin Americans and Asians...

  • Blog

Immigration Agencies Get Hit with Record-High Lawsuits as Delays Worsen

July 20, 2022

Lawsuits asking courts to order government employees to decide long-pending immigration filings have increased sharply in the past year. According to a recent report by the Transactional Records...

  • Blog

This Independence Day, Local Communities Lead on Celebrating Immigrants

July 5, 2022

As communities across the United States came together this past weekend to commemorate and reflect upon our country’s independence, the holiday holds special significance for one group in...

  • Blog

New Report Reveals Why USCIS Is Plagued by Enormous Backlogs and Wait Times

June 29, 2022

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) operates under a flawed funding model. This virtually guarantees that the agency will always be under-funded and under-staffed. As a result, USCIS...

  • Blog

The Supreme Court Overturning Roe v. Wade Could Have Harmful Ripple Effects for Immigrants

May 13, 2022

Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, could have damaging effects to immigrant rights secured through the courts. The...

  • Blog

USCIS Lengthens Work Permit Automatic Extension Period to Address Adjudication Delays

May 11, 2022

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a temporary rule last week that automatically extends employment authorization for certain noncitizens waiting for USCIS to process their...

  • Blog

U.S. Census: A Closer Look at the Fastest Growing Minority Group in the United States

May 2, 2022

Data from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau show that there are approximately 20.7 million Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States—comprising 6.2 % of the U.S. population—that make up the...

  • Blog

USCIS Updates Key CSPA Interpretation to Protect Some Immigrant Youth, But Backlogs Continue to Cause Hardships

September 5, 2023

On August 24, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new update to its policy manual clarifying a previous policy change aimed at expanding green card eligibility...

  • Press Release

New Report Reveals Immigrant Roots of Fortune 500 Companies

August 29, 2023
In an annual review of the most successful companies in the United States, the American Immigration Council unveiled today (August 29, 2023) a report that sheds light on the contributions of immigrant entrepreneurs and their children to the U.S. economy.
  • Blog

The Ghost of Public Charge Keeps Scaring Immigrant Families Away From Public Benefits

August 25, 2023

When the Trump administration proposed an overhaul of federal policy regarding when immigrants could be denied green cards or visas based on use of public benefits – the public charge rule – it...

  • Practice Advisories

Practice Alert: Overview of the Supreme Court's Decision in Pugin v. Garland

Publication Date: 
August 22, 2023
This practice advisory looks into the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court issued in Pugin v. Garland, 143 S. Ct. 1833 (2023). This immigration decision addressed the generic definition of the obstruction of justice aggravated felony ground at 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(S).
  • Fact Sheet

Undocumented College Students

Publication Date: 
August 2, 2023
This fact sheet looks at the population of undocumented students in higher education institutions across the country.
  • Blog

States Continue to Lead on Inclusive Immigration Policies: A 2023 Midyear Review of State Legislative Sessions

July 31, 2023

With most state legislatures having adjourned for the year, states—once again—continue to lead the way for welcoming immigrants and refugees. The American Immigration Council tracked over 1,000...

  • Blog

America Is Falling Behind in the Global Talent Competition

July 26, 2023

In June, the Canadian immigration minister announced a new initiative to attract high-tech talent to Canada — from the United States. The Tech Talent Strategy targets foreign-born workers who have...

  • Blog

2023 ‘Celebrate America’ Creative Writing Contest Winner: 3

July 18, 2023

Written by 5th grade student Lillie Villezcas of Nevada  3 I am number 3, but how does number 3 apply to me? I am third generation of an immigrant family, third generation of fading traditions and...

  • Blog

Supreme Court Refuses to Narrow Criminal Grounds of Removability

July 5, 2023

In a split decision issued on June 22, the Supreme Court ruled against two noncitizens seeking to overturn agency findings that their state criminal convictions qualified as “aggravated felonies...

Cover of Refugee Report
  • Special Report

Starting Anew

Publication Date: 
June 20, 2023
A record 100 million people around the globe were forced to flee their homes in 2022, up from 65 million in 2015. Of those displaced last year, 32.5 million were refugees who had to leave their...

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