- Research & Initiatives
- Publications
Featured Publication
Fact SheetsOctober 2025By Julia Gelatt, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and James D. BachmeierStay - Events
- About Us
- MPI Europe
Ecuador's reform of its law on human mobility imposes stricter immigration controls and speeds deportations, linking migration of Venezuelans to spiraling crime rates. Yet this linkage is not supported by the facts, and Ecuador should now move to a phase two in its policymaking: one focused on immigrant integration and development, this short read argues.
The U.S. immigration court system faces an unprecedented crisis, with nearly 3.8 million pending cases as of mid-2025. This years-long backlog has undermined both timely immigration enforcement and grants of asylum to those in need of protection. This policy brief offers concrete actions that could make proceedings more efficient and more fair.
The transformation in U.S. immigration enforcement taking place at the U.S.-Mexico border and in communities across the United States during the second Trump term is tangibly captured in government data for fiscal year (FY) 2025. This short read sifts through the available data to look at encounters, arrests, detentions, and deportations during the fiscal year.
Many migrant-origin countries are developing policies and institutional structures to support their returning nationals, driven by safety concerns, emergencies, and in some cases pressure from destination countries. This policy brief examines these developments and identifies opportunities to better align local services, national policies, and donor support to strengthen international cooperation on migrant returns and reintegration.
Maine’s immigrant population, though relatively small, is a notably diverse mix of long-settled residents and newcomers from many parts of the world. At a time when the U.S.-born workforce in Maine is shrinking and aging, immigrants contribute essential labor and skills to the state economy. This report sketches a profile of immigrants in Maine, including their origins, educational attainment, workforce characteristics, and the challenges some face.
The 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States as of mid-2023 reflect increasingly diverse origins, socioeconomic and labor market characteristics, family composition, and places of settlement. This fact sheet explores those trends, drawing on MPI's detailed data profiles of the unauthorized immigrant population at U.S., state, and top county levels.
Migration Policy Institute
La reforma de la ley de movilidad humana de Ecuador impone controles de inmigración más estrictos, vinculando la migración de venezolanos con el aumento vertiginoso de los índices de criminalidad. Sin embargo, esta vinculación no está respaldada por los hechos, y Ecuador debería pasar ahora a una segunda fase en la elaboración de sus políticas: una fase centrada en la integración y el desarrollo de los inmigrantes.
E-Verify has been heralded as a key way to control unauthorized immigration to the United States, but federal efforts to expand the system stalled. There has been movement at the state level over the past decade, though, and there are signs it may rise in prominence again. This article details the history and challenges of E-Verify, and its limited uptake.
The United States is by far the top destination for international migrants from the Caribbean. Roughly one in ten U.S. immigrants was born in the Caribbean, coming chiefly from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or Haiti. Compared to other foreign-born groups, these individuals are more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens and to have arrived since 2010, as this article details.
Some countries with large diasporas have sought to maximize incoming remittances and channel them into particular sectors. Diaspora engagement policies are not always successful, but research shows that they are generally accompanied by increased remittance sending. This article explains the connection and explores some of the factors affecting remittance levels.
Recent Publicationssee all >
Policy Briefs November 2025 By Kathleen Bush-Joseph, Doris Meissner and Muzaffar Chishti | Policy Briefs October 2025 By Bertrand Steiner, Adèle Appriou, Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz |
Reports October 2025 By Valerie Lacarte and Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh | Fact Sheets October 2025 By Julia Gelatt, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and James D. Bachmeier |
In the Spotlight
MPI Analysis Related to Trump Administration Actions on Immigration
This collection of MPI resources offers context related to policy changes achieved and proposed by the Trump administration, during its first and second terms, as well as the populations they affect.
Top Statistics on Global Migration and Migrants
Seeking some of the most often-sought information on global migration? This statistics-rich article draws on current data sources to offer a primer on international migration, highlighting its types, the size of the migrant population and growth over time, and major sending and receiving countries and regions. Beyond looking at labor and humanitarian migrants and international students, the article examines remittances and more.
Migration Information SourceSpecial Issue: Climate Change
Explore a special series of articles and a related podcast,Changing Climate, Changing Migration, about migration and climate change, featuring analysis and country case studies from top experts.
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
Immigration to the United States is the subject of significant debate, with questions ranging from the size of inflows, the role of immigrants in the labor market, and the nature of enforcement, to humanitarian admission policies and the sociodemographic characteristics of new arrivals. As such, it is important for the public to have access to accurate current and historical information. This article offers the top statistics on immigrants and immigration to the United States.
Interested in quickly finding out what resources MPI and its online journal, theMigration Information Source, have by country? The country resources page allows users to select individual countries and see all theSourcearticles, MPI research, multimedia, and more that relates to an individual country. This is a great way to dive into everything MPI and theSource have to offer by country.
Immigration Data Matters
This easy-to-use online guide compiles some of the most credible governmental and authoritative nongovernmental data sources pertaining to immigrants and immigration in the United States and internationally. The guide directly links users to more than 220 data sources, organized by topic and region, and offers tips on how to access more complicated datasets.
State Immigration Data Profiles
Want the latest facts and data on immigrants in the United States? Search U.S. Census data on U.S. immigrants and the native born nationally and by state based on demographic, language and education, workforce, and income indicators.
