“Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, the Wretched Refuse of Your Teeming Shore….” Well, Not so Fast: A Study of Immigrants, Immigration, and Immigration Reform

Abstract

Is there an “immigration problem” in the United States? Or at least is there an “undocumented immigrant” problem in the United States? The answers to these questions may depend on how immigrants are counted, who conducts the count, and when a reliable count is made. Of the total population of nearly 335 million in the United States, 51.3 million immigrants were living in the United States in 2023. This number includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, and temporary residents. Estimates of undocumented immigrants vary widely depending on the methodology employed. Pew Research estimates 11.0 million in 2022; the Center for Immigration Studies estimates 11.7 million in 2017; the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates 18.6 million in 2025; and the Migration Policy Institute, upon which much of this study is based, estimates 13.7 million or 4.3% of the U.S. population in 2023. This study investigates the issue of immigration in the United States—both lawful and undocumented—with a special focus on the immigration policies of President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. It raises both “pro” and “con” arguments for immigration, citing important economic and taxation data, and focuses on allied issues such as deportation, ”the DACA program, and “Dreamers.” The study concludes by offering a “Modest Proposal” for potentially dealing with the immigration problem—which some have termed as a “crisis”—in the United States.