The immigrant population in the United States has burgeoned over the past few decades. From 1990 to 2006, the number of immigrants rose from 20 million to more than 37 million. Urban Institute immigration policy experts study how the foreign-born population is growing, integrating, and changing. We have analyzed immigrants’ contributions to the labor force and the economy, tracked fast-growing immigrant communities, studied the effect of No Child Left Behind on immigrant children and English Language Learners, and surveyed foreign-born households’ health, well-being, and economic mobility. Read more

Related Policy Centers

• Center on Labor, Human Resources, & Population
• Assessing the New Federalism

Related UI Researchers

Publications on Immigrants

As one of the fastest growing segments of the older population, Hispanics could become an important target for employers trying to attract and retain older workers. Older Hispanics participate in the labor force at relatively high rates and generally appear to be at least as healthy as non-Hispanic whites and healthier than blacks. Many, however, face substantial challenges in the workplace. They earn low wages and few benefits, and tend to work in physically demanding jobs that are often difficult to maintain into later life. Various policy reforms could boost older Hispanics' employment and earnings. Published by AARP (see link below.)

One fifth of school children have at least one foreign-born parent. Soon, more than 30 percent of all students will come from homes where English is not the primary language. Linguistic diversity is not unique to New York City, Los Angeles, or other very large school districts in traditional gateway cities. The public schools of Rochester, New York, for example, serve students from 35 language groups. Students in Rochester, Minnesota, collectively speak 65 foreign languages. Children, families, and communities with international roots bring important strengths to schools, but they may be isolated from resources and networks that other Americans take for granted. Whether these families settle disproportionately in neighborhoods with other poor families or in new immigrant communities, already overwhelmed, underresourced, or ill-prepared schools may be unable to respond.

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) provided a three-year demonstration grant to Arkansas and Iowa to develop New Americans Centers (NACs) in high immigrant population areas. The purposes of the grant are to promote stability and rapid employment with living wages, speed the transition of new immigrants into communities, assist employers, and enhance local economic development opportunities. This paper is the first report in an ongoing Urban Institute evaluation of the NACs. It focuses on the initial implementation phase of the NACs, highlighting start-up and early operation as well as the types of services participants receive.

In December 2006, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents simultaneously raided Swift & Company meatpacking plants in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, and Utah, detaining nearly 1,300 undocumented immigrants in the largest immigration enforcement action in recent history. The consequences of these raids also spread to many U.S.-born children, who faced the loss of a parent and great instability. The unique circumstances of these citizen children pose fundamental questions for our immigration law system about their rights and interests—questions that remain unresolved more than two years after the arrests.

HealthConnect in Our Community is one component of a three-part initiative to address the health and related needs of children in Miami-Dade County. This report provides findings from five focus groups, two with community workers and three with parents. Both staff and parents are pleased with the program. They believe that the greatest strength of the program is its responsiveness to the cultural diversity represented in Miami-Dade County. The focus group participants also provided some areas for improvement, such as the need to raise the program's visibility in the community; improve targeting of services; and standardize data collection protocols.