Who are new Americans?

New Americans are foreign born individuals living in the United States, including naturalized citizens, lawfully present non-citizens, and undocumented immigrants.

As of 2013, there were 41.3 million new Americans in the U.S. That’s 13 percent of the total U.S. population. New Americans and their U.S. born children now number approximately 80 million persons, or one-quarter of the overall U.S. population. We also use the term new Americans to refer to refugees living in the U.S., about 70,000 of whom have been admitted each year under the Obama administration. Though we use the term broadly, new Americans represent several distinct groups with different experiences and needs. When appropriate, we distinguish between those groups. Overall, though, our aim is to shape policy that builds power and furthers the robust integration of all new Americans, recognizing that many individuals of varying legal distinctions live in the same families, go to the same schools, and contribute to shared communities.