Although public debate often treats unauthorized immigration as strictly a border issue, millions of people without legal status live and work far from U.S. points of entry. In this brief, we examine who is living in the U.S. without authorization and where they live.

Border security has been a defining issue in American politics for decades. The 2025 Budget Reconciliation legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), implements significant changes in U.S. border policy. In this brief, we describe these new initiatives and update our data on border encounters.

Many countries in the world have several active political parties that citizens can choose from when voting. Why does the United States only have two major political parties?