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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Conservative Christian Says We Have a Mandate From God to Treat Immigrants Humanely
Dr. Carlos Campo, a longtime conservative Christian and the newly appointed president of Ashland University, in Ashland, Ohio, is a proud fighter for immigration reform. Every significant facet of his life — from his family, to his career, to his faith —has reinforced the need to treat this country’s newcomers… Read More
Despite Challenges, Undocumented Youth Earns Her Degree While Giving Back to the Community
Shawnee Taveras, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who recently earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, has come to recognize that immigration reform — and a new attitude toward undocumented individuals — is vital. “When we came here, we didn’t come to steal; we came to get a better education,”… Read More
This Year’s Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest Winning Entry
The American Immigration Council’s 19th Annual Celebrate America Fifth Grade Creative Writing Contest winner is Eliana Jaffee from the Pardes Jewish School in Scottsdale, Arizona. The contest gives fifth graders the opportunity to learn more about immigration to the U.S. and explain, in their own words, why they are proud… Read More
Executive Director Says Immigration Policy Must Respond to Undocumented Immigrants “Case By Case”
“When I came to Jardín we had $20,000 in the bank and we were losing $20,000 a month,” recalls Audrey Hartley, the executive director of the New Mexico nonprofit Jardín de los Niños, which provides parenting education and childcare for low income and homeless families. But Hartley, who arrived at… Read More
Learning from Our Past: The Refugee Experience in the United States
This report provides background on the refugee experience in the United States, including welcoming and exclusionary responses, the impacts of these disparate reactions, and lessons to consider in determining our response to the current refugee crisis Read More
A Consultant to Fortune 500 Companies Says Restrictive Immigration Policy Keeps Her From Referring Top Talent
As a consultant who helps businesses solve staffing problems, Letty Velez has worked with several Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart, Macy’s, and Hyatt Hotels. But she’s frustrated: When those companies need to hire personnel, she can’t recommend the most talented people she knows. “I’m meeting incredible people, but I can’t… Read More
Time to Give Back: Working to Send Latino Americans to College
Roger C. Rocha Jr., the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), was raised in a poor part of Laredo, Texas, where he saw his peers struggle to help their families survive. “We all knew that education and hard work were the keys to getting ahead,… Read More
Mexican Woman Recounts Making Her Own Success in ‘a Country That Doesn’t Want Me’
Ask Ingrid about her nationality, and you’ll be met with a long sigh and an even longer pause. “I guess I’m a Mexican living in America,” she says. “I can’t call myself an American because I’m not treated like one, but I’m not really a Mexican, either.” She has achieved… Read More
This Entrepreneur Wants the U.S. Immigration System to Better Reward Hard Work
Jennifer Lucio Vargas has entrepreneurship in her blood. The founder and CEO of Miami’s 305 Communications and Events was born to immigrant parents from Cuba, and her father worked tirelessly to put himself through Harvard undergraduate and law school. “He worked cleaning toilets while he was in school,” she says. Read More
Nadina Feakins Helps Give New Immigrants a Voice
When Nadina Feakins left Argentina as a teenager, she admits that she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. “I was just a kid and I had dreams of getting an education in America,” she says. “I thought education was the way, but I was uneducated about what… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
