Migration and immigration

Uprooted’s migration and immigration theme explores how the movement of people within and into the United States continues to add value to American society. It also examines the policy shifts needed to ensure opportunity, inclusion and economic vitality, supporting the integration of immigrants and enabling the nation to fully leverage their contributions.

Research from the migration and immigration theme explores how the movement of people within and into the United States continues to add value to American society. Read more below.

New U.S. citizens listen to a speech before taking the Oath of Allegiance and receiving their naturalization certificates during a formal ceremony at Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on June 25, 2025.

Immigrants & Immigration Eroding the American Dream through federal policy shifts

Gabriel R. Sanchez, David A. Lopez Amaya

March 30, 2026

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO - FEBRUARY 3: Bamilia Delcine Olistin restocks product at Bon Samaritain Grocery, a Haitian-owned grocery, on February 3, 2026 in Springfield, Ohio. A federal judge issued a temporary stay blocking the Trump administration's attempt to strip Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants, but Haitian TPS beneficiaries and residents of Springfield continue to face uncertainty over their protected status.

Immigrants & Immigration The impact of immigrants on the US economy

Tara Watson

March 30, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - FEBRUARY 05: Observers film ICE agents as they hold a perimeter after one of their vehicles got a flat tire on Penn Avenue on February 5, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests continue calling for an end to immigration raids in the Twin cities which have already resulted in the fatal shooting deaths of Alex Pretti, a VA nurse, and Renee Good, a mother of three, by federal agents.

Immigrants & Immigration ICE is disrupting societal norms and democratic ideals

Gabriel R. Sanchez, Rashawn Ray

March 30, 2026

UNSPECIFIED, UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 19 — A 9-year-old girl shows off classwork at her family's apartment on November 19, 2025 at an unspecified location in the United States. Like many of her fellow immigrant students, she stayed home from school earlier in the week due to a Border Patrol operation in the area. Her mother brought her to the U.S. from Honduras in 2018, crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico to McAllen, Texas. They were later released to pursue their asylum process in U.S. immigration court.

Immigrants & Immigration Federal and state policies targeting immigrant children at school erode decades of progress in education access

Cori Alonso-Yoder

March 30, 2026

Research from this theme explores the impact of immigration enforcement and deportations on communities, immigrants’ role in advancing civic engagement and social movements, and the economic impact and broader contributions of immigration to American society.

This theme is led by senior fellow Gabriel R. Sanchez at Brookings, whose research focuses on migration and immigration and their impacts on American democracy, economic opportunity, and social inclusion. As part of the Uprooted: Rediscovering American history series, the migration and immigration theme brings together Brookings scholars and guest authors to examine the effects of demographic change at multiple levels.