Research Library

Read the PDF below for a report on the results of a workshop on U.S. immigration policy, hosted by the Center for the United States and Mexico and the Center for Houston's Future.

President Biden has an opportunity, the author argues, to resurrect the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and provide a pathway to legal status for millions of undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. This report explores the potential of the DAPA program to impact immigrant families and policy avenues toward its passage.

In this paper, the author examines past attempts at immigration reform in the United States, especially as they pertain to the nation’s undocumented population. Analyzing these early reform efforts could be deeply instructive for the prospects of President Biden’s U.S. Citizenship Act and reveals both durable patterns and new developments that could shape the chances for legislative breakthroughs.

What are Mexico's prospects for immigration, trade and more, after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's virtual meeting with President Biden? "Mexico will have to do some heavy lifting," predicts Tony Payan, director of the Center for the United States and Mexico.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has provided hundreds of thousands of young people in the U.S. with a reprieve from deportation, but program recipients have long lacked a pathway to permanent residency. This paper explores routes to immediate status and citizenship for those eligible for DACA, also known as "DREAMers."

Immigration is not only a domestic issue for the United States, but a regional one. This brief lays out a policy framework to address the root causes of migration from Mexico and Central America and promote legal, orderly mobility.

Immigration policy will look very different in a Trump or Joe Biden presidency. This brief summarizes changes that have occurred under the Trump administration so far and examines the repercussions of the November election on four aspects of immigration policy.

The authors explore the health barriers and vulnerabilities of undocumented immigrants during the coronavirus pandemic, reveal the gaps in the Covid-19 relief bills and consider the implications for immigrant children.

While Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling temporarily protects the DACA program, its fate now rests with the November presidential election.

The authors argue for an identification and tax program that would allow unauthorized residents to receive identification documents and reside and work legally in the United States. In return, they would pay taxes much like any other American.