Immigration 101
Immigration in the United States is complex and ever-evolving. Start here to understand the fundamental aspects of immigration policy, its history, and its impact on both individuals and the country at large. Learn commonly used terms about immigration law and how the U.S. immigration system is designed. Explore layered topics like how and whether immigrants can become citizens, as well as what individual protections look like under the law.
How the United States Immigration System Works
- How the Immigration System Works
- June 24, 2024
U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much confusion as to how it works. This fact sheet provides basic information…
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Birthright Citizenship in the United States
- Birthright Citizenship
- July 9, 2026
This fact sheet explains birthright citizenship, the Fourteenth Amendment, and its interpretations. Who is…
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Asylum in the United States
- Asylum
- August 27, 2014
Asylum seekers must navigate a difficult and complex process that can involve multiple government…
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DACA-Eligible Population Earns Nearly $19.9 Billion
NEW YORK, NY – As Congress and the White House spend the next two weeks attempting to reach a fair compromise that addresses the status of nearly 800,000 affected DREAMers, New American Economy will spend the next two weeks highlighting the economic contributions of DACA recipients and the DACA-eligible. The DACA-eligible… Read More
Deep in Conservative South Carolina, Republican Lawmaker Touts DACA’s Economic Necessity
South Carolina is one of America’s reddest states, and Pickens is its reddest county; 75 percent of voters in the county cast their ballot for President Donald Trump in 2016. But when Neal Collins, a Republican representing Pickens, introduced a bill to help South Carolina Dreamers get an education, his… Read More
An Unresolved DACA Would ‘Tear Our World Apart’
Carolina Hernandez-Arango is a business-administration major in her final year at Wichita State University. She is also a mother of two, a community organizer — and a Dreamer, brought to the United States from Mexico by her parents when she was 3 years old to receive urgent medical treatment. Now,… Read More
Brief Profile: Eager To Serve His Country, Dreamer Worries He May Be Thrown Out Instead
Luis Montesdeoca was still in high school when he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army. “I was drawn to the brotherhood and pride,” he says. “But then I found out that I didn’t qualify, because of my immigration status.” Montesdeoca was undocumented. When he was 15 years old, his… Read More
STEM Worker Worries He May No Longer Be Able To Contribute
Brad Figueroa’s parents brought him to the United States from Mexico when he was 2 years old. Six years later, his father died, leaving Figueroa’s mother to raise him alone, working service jobs to make ends meet. When Figueroa, now in his mid 30s, came of age, he immediately began… Read More
In the U.S. Since Age 13, Young Mother Calls DACA Her ‘Last Chance’
For Hyun Jung Kim, an undocumented immigrant from South Korea, last Thanksgiving in Anchorage, Alaska, was typical. “We had a big turkey and Jell-O salad,” she says. “As a family, we gathered, and had a meal together, and celebrated, and were thankful that we are all together.” Kim spent her… Read More
Statement on White House Immigration Proposal
In response to White House’s immigration proposal, New American Economy issued the following statement: “The cost of doing the right thing for Dreamers shouldn’t be a drastic and arbitrary cutback on legal immigration, or the undermining of healthy, bipartisan efforts in Congress,“ said John Feinblatt, President of New American Economy. “We hope… Read More
Dreamer Could Help Ease South Carolina’s Shortage of Healthcare Providers
Jacqueline Mayorga was born in Hidalgo, Mexico, to poor but hardworking parents. Her mother was a maid in Mexico City, and her father was a migrant farmworker in the United States who sent money home to the family. When Mayorga was 3 years old, her parents decided to reunite the… Read More
DACA Allows Utah Grad To Provide After-School Care for Kids
Karina Palestina, 30, spends her days coordinating after-school care with the Park City, Utah, school district, but she dreams of a studying for a master’s degree in higher education. Holding her back is the uncertainty around Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a 2012 policy that allows qualifying undocumented immigrants… Read More
DACA Soldier With Skills U.S. Needs Is Put on Indefinite Hold
When William Medeiros learned he could join the United States military, he was elated. As an undocumented immigrant — his parents brought him to the United States when he was 6 years old — Medeiros had few options. “I couldn’t work, and to go to school I would have had… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
