New Economic Policy Institute Immigration FAQ

Thinking yet about teaching immigration law next year?  Probably not.  But, when you are thinking about 20245/26, consider  whether this new Economic Policy Institute FAQ might be a useful source to share with immigration students.  It provides facts and answers to questions on immigration and the economy while addressing misconceptions and misinformation about immigration. The first three sections cover immigrants and their role in the economy, unauthorized immigrants, and immigration enforcement in the workplace. Four more sections soon will be published in the coming weeks, covering green cards and temporary work visas, the U.S. refugee program and asylum system, and temporary immigration protections. The FAQ includes interactive and downloadable charts in an accessible format.

An example of interesting facts in this FAQ:

“What is the makeup of the U.S. immigrant population in terms of race and ethnicity?

The U.S. foreign-born population is not a monolith in terms of race and ethnicity. Most immigrants (78.1%) self-identified as being of a single race, while 21.9% of immigrants identified as being multiracial with two or more races in 2023.7

Figure A shows the breakdown among immigrants who identify as a single race: 26.8% Asian, 20.1% white (15.9% were white alone, not Hispanic or Latino), 9.2% Black, 1.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, and less than 1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander. About 1 in 5 (20.4%) foreign-born individuals identified as being of some other race in 2023.”

KJ