E.g., 06/07/2024
E.g., 06/07/2024
Randy Capps
MPI Authors

Randy Capps

Randy Capps was Director of Research for U.S. Programs at the Migration Policy Institute. His areas of expertise include immigration trends, the unauthorized population, immigrants in the U.S. labor force, the children of immigrants and their well-being, and immigrant health-care and public benefits access and use.

Prior to joining MPI, Dr. Capps was a researcher in the Immigration Studies Program at the Urban Institute (1993-96, and 2000-08).

He received his PhD in sociology from the University of Texas in 1999 and his master of public affairs degree, also from the University of Texas, in 1992.

Bio Page Tabs

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Reports
April 2012
Diverse Streams: African Migration to the United States
By  Randy Capps, Kristen McCabe and Michael Fix
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Reports
June 2011
New Streams: Black African Migration to the United States
By  Randy Capps, Kristen McCabe and Michael Fix
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Policy Briefs
January 2011
Earned Legalization: Effects of Proposed Requirements on Unauthorized Men, Women, and Children
By  Marc R. Rosenblum, Randy Capps and Serena Yi-Ying Lin
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Reports
January 2011
Delegation and Divergence: 287(g) State and Local Immigration Enforcement
By  Randy Capps, Marc R. Rosenblum, Muzaffar Chishti and Cristina Rodríguez
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Reports
September 2010
Still an Hourglass? Immigrant Workers in Middle-Skilled Jobs
By  Randy Capps and Michael Fix
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Reports
March 2010
A Program in Flux: New Priorities and Implementation Challenges for 287(g)
By  Cristina Rodríguez , Muzaffar Chishti, Randy Capps and Laura St. John
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Reports
October 2009
Immigrants and Health Care Reform: What's Really at Stake?
By  Randy Capps, Marc R. Rosenblum and Michael Fix
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Reports
June 2009
Taking Limited English Proficient Adults into Account in the Federal Adult Education Funding Formula
By  Randy Capps, Michael Fix, Margie McHugh and Serena Yi-Ying Lin

Pages

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers consult in New York City.
Policy Beat
October 28, 2021
Biden Immigration Enforcement Priorities Emphasize a Multi-Dimensional View of Migrants

U.S. immigration arrests have declined to the lowest level in years. Going forward, new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines could further shape how authorities arrest and deport unauthorized immigrants and noncitizens who have committed crimes. This article describes how the Biden administration prosecutorial discretion guidance marks a sharp turn from the approach taken by the Trump administration.

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Policy Beat
May 26, 2021
Slowing U.S. Population Growth Could Prompt New Pressure for Immigration Reform

Results from the 2020 census show that the U.S. population has been growing at its slowest rate since the Great Depression. Reduced immigration has been one component of this sluggish population growth, which could pose a problem for the United States as people age and strain public retirement systems. This U.S. Policy Beat article examines how immigration fits into the country's demographic puzzle.

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Policy Beat
February 28, 2019
Executive Power Showdown: Congress and White House Quarrel over Immigration Spending

Though a faceoff between the U.S. executive and legislative branches is now in the courts, with President Trump's decision to declare a national emergency so he can allocate more money for construction of a border wall, a less-noted dispute has been taking place over the Department of Homeland Security's decision to add thousands more immigration detention beds than Congress provides annually, as this article explains.

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Top Ten
December 15, 2017
Trump Administration Makes Down Payment on Campaign Pledges to Address Illegal Immigration

In its first year, the Trump administration moved to deliver on some of Donald Trump’s campaign promises on immigration, including ramping up enforcement in the U.S. interior and ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The administration also announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of some countries. This article explores some of the top policy changes.

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Top Ten
December 19, 2016
As Trump Takes Office, Immigration Enforcement and Policy Poised to Undergo Major Changes

With the incoming Trump administration pledging a crackdown on illegal immigration, construction of border walls, reductions in refugee and immigrant admissions, and greater screening of newcomers, U.S. immigration policy is likely to significant change. With Republicans holding the White House and both chambers of Congress at least through 2018, conditions may be favorable for a major transformation of the U.S. immigration system, as this Top 10 article explores.

Feature
November 1, 2005
Immigrant Children, Urban Schools, and the No Child Left Behind Act

Michael Fix and Randy Capps of the Urban Institute explore the changing student population and the trends shaping U.S. urban schools' response to educational reforms such as the No Child Left Behind Act.

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Commentaries
January 2021
Nearly 3 Million U.S. Citizens and Legal Immigrants Initially Excluded under the CARES Act Are Covered under the December 2020 COVID-19 Stimulus
By  Julia Gelatt, Randy Capps and Michael Fix
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Commentaries
December 2020
How the Fear of Immigration Enforcement Affects the Mental Health of Latino Youth
By  Randy Capps and Michael Fix
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Commentaries
December 2020
Anticipated “Chilling Effects” of the Public-Charge Rule Are Real: Census Data Reflect Steep Decline in Benefits Use by Immigrant Families
By  Randy Capps, Michael Fix and Jeanne Batalova
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Commentaries
July 2020
Millions of U.S. Citizens Could Be Excluded under Trump Plan to Remove Unauthorized Immigrants from Census Data
By  Randy Capps, Jennifer Van Hook and Julia Gelatt
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Commentaries
March 2020
The Public-Charge Rule: Broad Impacts, But Few Will Be Denied Green Cards Based on Actual Benefits Use
By  Randy Capps, Julia Gelatt and Mark Greenberg
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Commentaries
November 2017
Legalization for DREAMers: A Realistic Appraisal of Potential Chain Migration
By  Julia Gelatt and Randy Capps
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Commentaries
September 2017
Why Hide the Facts About Refugee Costs and Benefits?
By  Kathleen Newland and Randy Capps
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Commentaries
February 2017
Leaked Draft of Possible Trump Executive Order on Public Benefits Would Spell Chilling Effects for Legal Immigrants
By  Michael Fix and Randy Capps

Recent Activity

Articles
December 19, 2016

As Trump Takes Office, Immigration Enforcement and Policy Poised to Undergo Major Changes

With the incoming Trump administration pledging a crackdown on illegal immigration, construction of border walls, reductions in refugee and immigrant admissions, and greater screening of newcomers, U.S. immigration policy is likely to significant change. With Republicans holding the White House and both chambers of Congress at least through 2018, conditions may be favorable for a major transformation of the U.S. immigration system, as this Top 10 article explores.

Fact Sheets
October 2016

Immigration to the Heartland: A Profile of Immigrants in the Kansas City Region

The immigrant population in the Kansas City region has grown rapidly over the past 25 years, contributing to overall population growth in the area. This fact sheet describes immigrants in the metro area, examining their origins, industries of employment, income and poverty levels, English proficiency, educational attainment, and more.

Video, Audio, Webinars
August 11, 2016

DACA at Four: Estimating the Potentially Eligible Population and Assessing Application and Renewal Trends

Marking the fourth anniversary of the implementation of the DACA program, this webinar presents findings on the most current estimates of potential DACA beneficiaries, trends in requests and application rates, and discussion of recent policy and political developments.

Policy Briefs
August 2016

DACA at Four: Participation in the Deferred Action Program and Impacts on Recipients

At the fourth anniversary of the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, this issue brief describes the populations eligible for DACA as of 2016; discusses recent policy developments; presents trends in DACA requests and application rates nationwide, by state, and for top countries of origin; and examines the impacts that DACA has had on qualifying young unauthorized immigrants.

Video, Audio, Webinars
April 14, 2016

DAPA in the Balance: Supreme Court Arguments and Potential Impacts on U.S. Families and Communities

Experts provide legal analysis ahead of the April 18th U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on the fate of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program, explore who makes up the affected population, and examine the potential immediate and long-term implications of this case on immigrant families in the United States.

Video, Audio, Webinars
March 23, 2016

How Well Are Young Children of Refugees Integrating into the United States?

MPI analysts discuss the findings of a report comparing young children of refugees to other U.S. children on several key indicators of well-being. 

Reports
March 2016

Young Children of Refugees in the United States: Integration Successes and Challenges

In an attempt to fill the knowledge gap on integration outcomes for children of refugees, this report presents a demographic and socioeconomic data profile of the 941,000 children ages 10 and younger with refugee parents living in the United States in 2009-2013.

Reports
February 2016

Deferred Action for Unauthorized Immigrant Parents: Analysis of DAPA's Potential Effects on Families and Children

This MPI-Urban Institute report examines the population of 3.6 million unauthorized immigrants potentially eligible for the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program, finding that work authorization and relief from deportation could boost their incomes, decrease poverty, and mitigate harms of parental unauthorized status for the 4.3 million minor children living in these families.

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