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The United States, with its large and changing immigrant population, has an enormous stake in international migration. Equally important is the impact that US immigration policies have on the rest of the world. With the interests of so many people hanging in the balance, it is crucial that the US immigration policy debate be guided by reliable data and analysis. The US in Focus page aims to provide easy access to this information.
Taiwanese Immigrants in the United States
January 31 — Comprising only a small share of all immigrants in the United States, the foreign born from Taiwan seem to embody the very spirit of the Asian Tiger. As of 2010, Taiwanese immigrants exhibited extremely high levels of educational attainment; a notable tendency toward homeownership; and elevated rates of employment in management, business, information technology, and certain other professional, science, and engineering fields compared to the foreign-born population overall.

2011 Top Migration Issues
Immigration in the United States and Parts of Europe Gives Way to Increased Emigration
December 1 — At just under 517,000, immigrant apprehensions in 2010 were the lowest they have been in nearly 40 years. Sheida Elmi and Kristen McCabe analyze the most recent immigration enforcement data on apprehensions, detentions, removals, and returns of noncitizens in the United States.

Heading into the 2012 Elections, Republican Presidential Candidates Walk the Immigration Policy Tightrope
December 1 — The debate season is well underway for the Republican presidential primary races in the United States, and immigration has once again emerged as a highly contentious policy issue.

Immigrant Detention under Scrutiny in Australia, United Kingdom, and United States
December 1 — Public backlash against the detention systems of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States mounted in 2011with allegations of unacceptable living conditions, abuse, prolonged detention, and government waste.

A Decade after 9/11, Enforcement Focus Prevails in the United States; Broader Immigration Reforms Remain Stalled
December 1 — As the United States paused in September to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the enforcement paradigm that took hold immediately after the terrorist attacks showed no signs of waning.

Data Resources for the United States
Maps of the Foreign Born Maps of the Foreign Born in the US
View maps of the distribution of the five largest foreign-born groups in the United States by county.

Whos Where Who's Where in the United States?
Find out where different foreign-born groups live in the United States.

State Map State Data on the Foreign Born
Generate fact sheets with information on the states and regions of the United States.

US Historical Trends
Important building blocks to help you better understand US immigration trends and patterns.

Global Data Center Country and Comparative Data
Generate tables and graphs to analyze international migration data for the United States and other countries.

Previous Articles
Pigments of Our Imagination: The Racialization of the Hispanic-Latino Category

Re-envisioning Security and the Movement of People

The Basics of E-Verify, the US Employer Verification System

Immigrants in the United States and the Current Economic Crisis

Material Support to Terrorism — Consequences for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the United States

Selecting Economic Stream Immigrants through Points Systems

After-School Institutions in Chinese and Korean Immigrant Communities: A Model for Others?

Refugee Resettlement in Metropolitan America

Studying Second-Generation Immigrants: Methodological Challenges and Innovative Solutions

US State and Local Governments Respond to Federal Inaction on Immigration

US Immigration Reform: Better Luck Next Year

Today's Immigration Policy Debates: Do We Need a Little History?

Becoming American/Becoming New Yorkers: The Second Generation in a Majority Minority City

The Second Generation in Early Adulthood: New Findings from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study

Why Immigrants Lack Adequate Access to Health Care and Health Insurance

America's Emigrants: US Retirement Migration to Mexico and Panama

The People Perceived as a Threat to Security: Arab Americans Since September 11

Family Obligation Among Children in Immigrant Families

Rethinking the Last 200 Years of US Immigration Policy

Debunking the Myth of Immigrant Criminality: Imprisonment Among First- and Second-Generation Young Men

Immigration Reform and the Catholic Church

American Immigration Reform from a Scandinavian Perspective

Central Americans and Asylum Policy in the Reagan Era

National Policies and the Rise of Transnational Gangs

Second-Generation Mexicans: Getting Ahead or Falling Behind?

Countering Terrorist Mobility

From Horseback to High-Tech: US Border Enforcement

The Changing Face of the Gulf Coast: Immigration to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama

Characteristics of the European Born in the United States

Immigrant Children, Urban Schools, and the No Child Left Behind Act

The Global Struggle with Illegal Migration: No End in Sight

Solving the Unauthorized Migrant Problem: Proposed Legislation in the US

The Declining Enforcement of Employer Sanctions

Unauthorized Migrants Living in the United States: A Mid-Decade Portrait

"One Face at the Border" - Is It Working?

The US Refugee Program in Transition

US Detention of Asylum Seekers and Human Rights

Placing American Emigration to Canada in Context


Policy Beat
Supreme Court to Decide Fate of Arizona's SB 1070
December 15 — Muzaffar Chishti, Claire Bergeron, and Faye Hipsman report on the US Supreme Court's decision to decide the constitutionality of Arizona's SB 1070, passage in the House of the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act of 2011, DOJ lawsuits in Utah and South Carolina, and more.

Policy Beat in Brief
In a Strong Bipartisan Vote, House Approves Bill to Ease Visa Backlogs...
DOJ files lawsuits against Utah and South Carolina...
H-1B Cap Reached for FY 2012...
FY 2011 U Visa Cap Also Met...
Big Dip in Diversity Visa Applicants...
TPS extended for Honduras and Nicaragua...
New Data Continues to Show Drop in Unauthorized Residents in the United States...

State and Local Policy Beat in Brief
NYC Ordinance Limits City Cooperation with ICE...
Alabama Attorney General Recommends Amending/Repealing HB 56 Provisions...

Spotlight
Chinese Immigrants in the United States
January 18 — From rather humble beginnings, the Chinese immigrant population in the United States has grown steadily since the 1960s to reach about 1.8 million in 2010. Compared to the foreign born overall, Chinese immigrants report higher levels of educational attainment, are less likely to live in households with an annual income below the poverty line, and are substantially more likely to have naturalized as US citizens.

Country Profile
Immigration and the United States: Recession Affects Flows, Prospects for Reform
Immigration to the United States continued steadily from the 1970s until the recent recession, which also diminished a sense of urgency to enact immigration reform legislation. MPI's Kristen McCabe and Doris Meissner provide a comprehensive look at major legislation and events affecting US immigration, the size and attributes of the immigrant population, and policy changes under the Obama administration. U.S. Resource Page


Previous Spotlights

Taiwanese Immigrants in the United States

Chinese Immigrants in the United States

Green Card Holders and Legal Immigration to the United States

Immigration Enforcement in the United States

Foreign-Born Wage and Salary Workers in the US Labor Force and Unions

Refugees and Asylees in the United States

African Immigrants in the United States

Naturalization Trends in the United States

Asian Immigrants in the United States

Caribbean Immigrants in the United States

Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States

Immigrants in New-Destination States

Central American Immigrants in the United States

Inmigrantes Centroamericanos en los Estados Unidos

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Immigration Enforcement in the United States

H-1B Temporary Skilled Worker Program

Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

Korean Immigrants in the United States

Taiwanese Immigrants in the United States

Indian Immigrants in the United States

Chinese Immigrants in the United States

Filipino Immigrants in the United States

Mexican Immigrants in the United States

Haitian Immigrants in the United States

Salvadoran Immigrants in the United States

Immigrant Women in the United States

Immigration Enforcement in the United States

Temporary Admissions of Nonimmigrants to the United States

Spotlight on Naturalization Trends

Refugees and Asylees in the United States

Older Immigrants in the United States

Middle-Class Immigrant Households in the United States

Iraqi Immigrants in the United States

African Immigrants in the United States

Korean Immigrants in the United States

Characteristics of the Foreign Born in the US
College-Educated Immigrants in the United States

Immigrants in the US Armed Forces

Foreign-Born Wage and Salary Workers in the US Labor Force and Unions

The Recently Arrived Foreign Born in the United States

Foreign-Born Health-Care Workers in the United States

The Foreign Born in the Armed Services

Spotlight on Foreign Born in Areas Affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Foreign-Born Self-Employed in the United States

College-Educated Foreign Born in the US Labor Force

Educational Attainment of the Foreign Born in the United States

Sex Ratios of the Foreign Born in the United States

English Abilities of the US Foreign-Born Population

Characteristics of the Foreign Born in the United States: Results from Census 2000

Settlement Patterns of the Foreign Born in the United States: Results from Census 2000

Immigrant Women

Foreign-Born Populations by Country/Region of Origin
Filipino Immigrants in the United States

Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

Indian Immigrants in the United States

Chinese Immigrants in the United States

Mexican Immigrants in the United States

Spotlight on the Foreign Born of Pakistani Origin in the United States

Detailed Characteristics of the Caribbean Born in the United States

Spotlight on the Iranian Foreign Born

Detailed Characteristics of the South American Born in the United States

The Central American Foreign Born in the United States

Characteristics of the Asian Born in the United States

Characteristics of the African Born in the United States

Characteristics of the European Born in the United States

The Foreign-Born Hmong in the United States

The Foreign Born from Korea in the United States

The Foreign Born from the Dominican Republic in the United States

The African Foreign Born in the United States

The Foreign Born from Canada in the United States

Mexican Immigrants in the US Labor Force

The Foreign Born from Vietnam in the United States

The Foreign Born from China in the United States

The Foreign Born from India in the United States

The Foreign Born from the Philippines in the United States

The Foreign Born from Mexico in the United States

African-born Residents of the United States

Foreign-Born Hispanics in the United States

Hispanos nacidos en el extranjero que viven en los Estados Unidos

Immigrants and Immigration and Social Policies in the US
Spotlight on Temporary Admissions of Nonimmigrants to the United States

Spotlight on Naturalization Trends in Advance of the 2008 Elections

Spotlight on Foreign Students and Exchange Visitors

The Second Generation in the United States

Spotlight on Temporary Admissions of Nonimmigrants to the United States

Spotlight on Naturalization Trends

Spotlight on Limited English Proficient Students in the United States

Who Does What in US Immigration

The US Refugee Resettlement Program

Naturalization in the United States

Family Reunification

Iraqi Immigrants in the United States

'Special Registration' Program

Immigrants and Welfare Use

Remittances and Development
Remittances from the United States in Context

Statistics on US Immigration
Immigration Enforcement in the United States

Spotlight on Refugees and Asylees in the United States

Spotlight on Legal Immigration to the United States

Spotlight on Immigration Enforcement in the United States

Spotlight on Legal Immigration to the United States

Spotlight on Refugees and Asylees in the United States

US Immigration Statistics in 2003

Temporary High-Skilled Migration

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