Immigration strategies

Special collection

Every day, organizations worldwide are engaged in a collective two steps forward, one step back march toward improved immigration services and policies. What hard-earned lessons are these nonprofits, and the foundations that support them, learning from their persistent efforts? This collection of evaluations, case studies, and lessons learned exposes and explores the nuances of effective collaboration, the value of coordinated messaging, the bedrock of ongoing advocacy efforts, and the vital importance of long-term and flexible funding.

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"Immigration"" by Paul_the_Seeker is licensed under CC 2.0

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Are Immigrants a Threat? Most Americans Don’t Think So, but Those Receptive to the “Threat” Narrative Are Predictably More Anti-immigrant

January 17, 2023

As politicians struggle with how to address immigration issues, Americans' views on immigration have become increasingly polarized, with Republicans becoming significantly more anti-immigrant in their attitudes over the past few years. Republicans have continually attacked the Biden administration's handling of immigration, claiming that his policies will increase the flow of immigrants over the southern border and calling for U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to resign. These criticisms are expected to increase now that Republicans have regained control of the House of Representatives.Though the Trump-era narrative still resonates among certain portions of the American public, this report reveals that majorities of Americans do not view immigrants as a threat. But people who are more likely to think of immigrants as a threat — including those who most trust conservative media sources and Fox News — they are considerably more anti-immigrant and less supportive of open immigration policies.

Expanding Inclusion in the Social Safety Net: Impacts of New York’s Excluded Workers Fund

January 10, 2023

Response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recession spurred a wave of policy innovation around the country. Although federal efforts typically carved out undocumented immigrants, many states and localities around the country tried to bring immigrants and others who were excluded back in. New York's Excluded Worker Fund (EWF) was the largest of these efforts. The $2.1 billion program allowed 130,000 immigrants without work authorization, and some others who fell between the gaps of federal aid, to get unemployment compensation if they lost work during the pandemic recession.To better understand the successes and shortcomings of the program, the Urban Institute and Immigration Research Initiative surveyed individuals in the population targeted for aid by this fund.Findings from this survey are intended to help inform advocacy efforts and future legislation, as New York advocates urge inclusion in the 2023 budget and states and localities across the nation consider the implementation of permanent unemployment benefit programs for excluded workers.

What It Means To Be Asian in America: The lived experiences and perspectives of Asian Americans in their own words

August 2, 2022

No single experience defines what it means to be Asian in the United States today. Instead, Asian Americans' lived experiences are in part shaped by where they were born, how connected they are to their family's ethnic origins, and how others – both Asians and non-Asians – see and engage with them in their daily lives. Yet despite diverse experiences, backgrounds and origins, shared experiences and common themes emerged when we asked: "What does it mean to be Asian in America?"In the fall of 2021, Pew Research Center undertook the largest focus group study it had ever conducted – 66 focus groups with 264 total participants – to hear Asian Americans talk about their lived experiences in America. The focus groups were organized into 18 distinct Asian ethnic origin groups, fielded in 18 languages and moderated by members of their own ethnic groups. Because of the pandemic, the focus groups were conducted virtually, allowing us to recruit participants from all parts of the United States. This approach allowed us to hear a diverse set of voices – especially from less populous Asian ethnic groups whose views, attitudes and opinions are seldom presented in traditional polling. The approach also allowed us to explore the reasons behind people's opinions and choices about what it means to belong in America, beyond the preset response options of a traditional survey.

Welcoming Immigration Policies Remain Popular, But Immigration Is Not a Critical Issue for Most Americans

February 3, 2022

This report examines survey data related to Americans' opinions of immigration policies and the Biden administration's changes to immigration policy compared to the previous administration's approach.

E Pluribus Unum: Findings from the Cato Institute 2021 Immigration and Identity National Survey

April 27, 2021

This report outlines findings of the Cato Institute 2021 Immigration and Identity National Survey. The survey of 2,600 U.S. adults seeks to explore and examine why Americans support or oppose a more open immigration regime.

What Immigration Issues Do Americans Hold Sacred?: A Psychological Journey Into American Attitudes Toward Immigrants

February 18, 2021

When it comes to immigration research in the United States, mainstream media coverage and policy analysis have traditionally focused on more top-line public opinion and what is revealed through polling. Average public polling is useful as a means of identifying which Americans are pro- or anti-immigration. It can explain what people feel or want, but it is unable to explain why they feel that way or how deeply they hold that position. It has also therefore been unable to suggest meaningful strategies for intervention or change.This report and the interdisciplinary survey on which it is based sought to overcome these limitations by digging deeper into how respondents think about immigration issues. Our goal was to assess U.S. citizens' mental models of immigration, i.e., their beliefs and attitudes towards it, but also their perceptions of the risks and benefits it poses. Broadly, we asked: In what ways do their beliefs and values interact with their perceptions of immigration? How and why do U.S. citizens hold the immigration attitudes that they do?

Immigration After Trump: What Would Immigration Policy that Followed American Public Opinion Look Like?

January 20, 2021

The last four years of U.S. immigration policy have been driven by the Trump administration's aggressive stance against all types of immigration, legal and illegal. President Joe Biden has promised to reverse many restrictive immigration policies from the Trump era by reforming the asylum system, raising the cap on refugee admissions, revoking the travel ban on immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries, halting the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, suspending all deportations for the first 100 days of his presidency, making the DACA program permanent, and sending a comprehensive immigration reform bill to Congress. The Republican and Democratic parties offer starkly different perspectives on immigration-related issues. But what would an immigration policy that followed American public opinion look like? This report outlines responses to a survey of public opinion on topics such as DACA, the border wall, refugees, and more.

Food Over Fear: Overcoming Barriers to Connect Latinx Immigrant Families to Federal Nutrition and Food Programs

December 1, 2020

This report sheds light on why many immigrant families are forgoing vital assistance from federal nutrition and food programs and lifts up recommendations aimed at ensuring that all families and individuals, regardless of immigration status, are nourished and healthy.While the findings of this report are informed by a series of focus groups conducted from November 2019 to January 2020 (prior to the onset of COVID-19), the need to connect immigrant families to nutrition programs is arguably of even greater importance given how COVID-19 is fueling unprecedented food insecurity and ravaging communities of color and immigrant communities at disproportionately high rates due to unique barriers faced by families that include noncitizens.

Educating English Language Learners: Grantmaking Strategies For Closing America's Other Achievement Gap

April 5, 2013

This study draws upon two sources of data: an online survey and telephone interviews. In spring 2012, GFE selected 138 grantmaking organizations to participate in an online survey. The sample was composed primarily of GFE members who had indicated in GFE's 2010 and 2011 benchmarking surveys that they made grants to English learners or immigrants, but it was supplemented with funders identified as significant investors in English learners by Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. Fifty-seven grantmakers completed responses to the survey, representing diverse grantmaking entities including family foundations, private foundations, community foundations and corporate funders. Researchers supplemented the survey by conducting in-depth phone interviews with 24 survey respondents selected to represent a range of foundation sizes, organization types, geographic regions and ELL funding priorities. The study also convened an Advisory Committee comprising GFE members who are experienced funders of English learners. The advisory committee offered advice on research design, interpretation of research findings, and supplemental resources (listed in report appendix).

Children; Field Building

No Place to Call Home: Safety and Security Issues of Women Seeking Asylum in Ireland

October 1, 2012

In 2011 AkiDwA undertook a limited baseline survey to explore the issue of sexual harassment of women seeking asylum and protection living in direct provision settings in Ireland. After the publication of the AkiDwA report 'Am Only Saying It Now: Experiences of Women Seeking Asylum in Ireland', the organisation was invited to meet with COSC, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence and an executive office of the Department of Justice and Equality. At this meeting AkiDwA raised concerns as to the safety and security of women living in some accommodation centres in Ireland. COSC encouraged AkiDwA to document the issue. Accommodation to individuals seeking asylum is provided through the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), a unit of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) and a division of the Department of Justice and Equality.

Evaluation of the Immigrant Citizens Survey (ICS)

May 1, 2012

This evaluation undertakes a critical appraisal of the "Immigrant Citizens Survey (ICS)". The survey was funded under the European Integration Fund and jointly coordinated by the King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) and the Migration Policy Group (MPG). The survey was implemented in cooperation with research, polling and launch partners in the 7 countries covered by the survey. The survey was implemented in 2011 and 2012 and launched in May 2012.

Advocacy; Research & Evaluation

Messaging and Public Opinion on Immigration Reform

May 31, 2009

We started off the survey by asking respondents to rank the seriousness of the issue of illegal immigration. Respondents were first asked to rate the seriousness of the issue with respect to the United States, and then in relation to their city or community.

Research & Evaluation