Data Tool Visualizes State of Undocumented and Temporary Status Communities in the US [Video]

Undocumented and temporary status communities have changed. As of 2024, roughly 40% had some sort of temporary protection from deportation, with many having access to work permits. The population includes long-term residents and recent arrivals. And the number of childhood arrivals, many without any protections, has grown.

In part due to a reaction against images of families being torn apart across the country, the American public’s support for protecting undocumented immigrants has never been higher. Businesses are looking for legal pathways to retain undocumented or temporarily protected workers. In nearly every local community, individuals born in the U.S. are advocating for their undocumented neighbors.

We created this tool as a guide. This population tool maps the undocumented and temporary status communities, showing how different groups — employees in particular sectors, family members, individuals with a legal protection, childhood arrivals — are connected to American life. The tool also displays these populations by state of residence, country or region of origin, and time lived in the U.S. We hope this tool to visualize data about undocumented and temporary status communities in the U.S. can support advocates and policymakers as they seek immigration relief for undocumented and temporarily protected immigrants living in their communities and across the nation.