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
- September 8, 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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Editorial: Same Old Fearmongering from Trump
The charlatan masquerading as the GOP nominee for president continued his smoke-and-mirrors act Wednesday. After a quick and mild-mannered meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Donald Trump switched gears and offered his usual fire and brimstone take on immigration in a speech in Phoenix. The speech had… Read More
Immigrants are the ‘Motor That Keeps This Community Going,’ Says Dodge City Finance Official
Ernestor is an undocumented immigrant — but also the Interim Human Resource Director and Assistant to the City Manager of Dodge City, where he helps oversee a $51.7 million budget, support local businesses, and coordinate with state and federal officials to advocate for city residents. “It’s very sad that someone… Read More
Conservative Texan Opens His Ranch to Kids Who Crossed the Border Alone
Walker family on the ranch. Ed Walker is a longtime political conservative and the owner-operator of Sabine Creek Ranch, a youth retreat center in Royse City, Texas. The ranch has hosted hundreds of children for church and school camps since 2003. But in 2015, it welcomed a new group: It… Read More
Immigrants Revitalize an Historically Dangerous Neighborhood in Pennsylvania’s Capital
For two decades, Maria Alejandra Hernandez and her family have attended St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, because it provides the only weekly mass in Spanish. The towering brick cathedral is situated in the historically dangerous Allison Hill, but as immigrants have steadily flocked to… Read More
Immigrants and Labor Unions are ‘Natural Allies,’ According to Cornell Union Leadership Institute Co-Director
Patricia Campos-Medina spoke barely a word of English when she arrived from El Salvador at the age of 14—but within four years, she had won a full scholarship to Cornell, where, after stints as the assistant national political director for the Service Employees International Union, director for the New Jersey State… Read More
Nashville Councilman Recounts His Immigrant Past and Shows Just How Much Determination Can Make a Difference
It was a fire in his house that finally convinced Fabian Bedne, now a Nashville councilman and part-owner of an architectural firm that generates up to a quarter of a million dollars in annual business, to become a U.S. citizen. Afterward, he says, “everyone in the community was so… Read More
People Underestimate How Much Immigrants Contribute, Says Advocate
For Sarai Portillo, executive director of the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ), immigration reform is not only pertinent to our nation’s economic prosperity, it’s also a matter of public safety. When the state’s undocumented population feels high anxiety and stress, and lives in a constant state of fear of… Read More
Send Mexicans Back? ‘That’s Going To Be Difficult on Them and Us,’ Says Texas Real Estate Developer
As the CEO/Principal of Villa Realty Group in The Woodlands, an upscale master-planned community in Houston, longtime Republican Roy Villarreal, Jr. makes his living developing commercial properties with partners — and most of those partners are Mexicans, to whom he has sold a number of million-dollar homes. “These guys enjoy… Read More
Lawful Status Allows Mexican Immigrant To Help His Neighbors Get the Healthcare They Need
Juan Carlos Diaz grew up in a crowded home in Goshen, Indiana, surrounded by friends and family, some with legal status, some without. It was a blue-collar upbringing. Virtually all the adults he knew worked in Indian’s robust RV manufacturing industry, where four of every five U.S.-made RVs are built… Read More
How USCIS Estimates Application and Petition Processing Times
This fact sheet provides an overview of how USCIS calculates processing times and the concerns over the accuracy of these estimates. Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
