Mapping the Undocumented & Temporary Status Populations

Undocumented immigrants and individuals with temporary protections play a vital role in the U.S. workforce. Many work in sectors facing chronic labor shortages, including agriculture, hospitality, construction, and caregiving. Because temporary statuses often grant work authorization while undocumented status does not, individuals’ ability to access stable employment varies widely, creating a patchwork of vulnerability and opportunity.

As an example, the U.S. care economy is especially dependent on immigrant labor, including a large share of undocumented workers and those with TPS or parole who possess work authorization. Care jobs, such as home health aides, personal care assistants, and childcare providers, often lack clear workforce pipelines and suffer from low wages and high burnout, making them difficult to fill domestically. For many immigrants with temporary protections, caregiving offers one of the most accessible employment opportunities, yet undocumented caregivers often face exploitation due to the absence of formal labor protections. Some 380,000 care workers, along with an additional 115,000 undocumented or temporarily protected spouses and children, currently contribute to the U.S. economy. 

Several legislative proposals have sought to regularize the status of immigrant workers in essential industries. The Dignity Act (2023) proposes earned legal status and renewable work authorization for long-term undocumented workers, many of whom staff the care economy. The American Dream and Promise Act includes pathways to residency for TPS holders, enabling stability for care workers who rely on temporary protections. Previous proposals—such as efforts to create or expand visa programs for healthcare and direct-care workers—reflect ongoing recognition of workforce needs, though none have created a permanent immigration channel for caregivers. 

Congress could also create new visa pathways, like a Caregiver Visa, to ensure that immigrants are able to work in industries where there are not enough native-born workers to fill labor needs. For example, as the U.S. population ages, there will be a significant need to increase the caregiver labor workforce for eldercare, especially in residential care facilities. Similarly, as states seek to encourage families to grow, greater access to childcare will become necessary. The new visa can be temporary, with an eventual option for workers to seek citizenship if they meet certain requirements.

Childhood arrivals include undocumented young people brought to the U.S. as minors, many of whom have lived in the country nearly their entire lives. While the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created in 2012, offered temporary protections and work authorization for some, its strict entry-date and age requirements leave out the majority of undocumented youth. DACA provides no pathway to permanent residency and has been limited by court rulings. In all, nearly 4.8 million undocumented and temporarily protected youth and young adults continue to live in legal limbo. 

Many childhood arrivals are entirely ineligible for DACA due to missing the 2007 entry cutoff, lacking documentation, or aging out of eligibility. This population is nearly 3.8 million. Some hold temporary protections such as U visas, T visas, or humanitarian parole, but still lack a permanent pathway. These DACA-ineligible youth cannot legally work (unless granted work authorization under a temporary protection) and face significant barriers to obtaining higher education, driver’s licenses, and professional licensing. Despite long-term residence, they remain among the most vulnerable immigrant young people in the United States.

Over two decades of legislative efforts have attempted to protect childhood arrivals, especially those excluded from DACA. The Dream Act, introduced repeatedly since 2001, would provide conditional residency and a pathway to citizenship for long-term undocumented youth. The American Dream and Promise Act includes protections for DACA-eligible and DACA-ineligible youth, including those with TPS or similar temporary statuses. The Dignity Act also proposes a multistep legalization process applicable to undocumented youth lacking other options. Congress has not yet passed a permanent solution, leaving many young people dependent on unstable or temporary protections.

Mixed-status families—those with members who are a mix of U.S. citizens, undocumented individuals, and/or temporary-status holders—are widespread in the United States. These families often face uncertainty due to barriers to adjusting immigration status, the risk of detention or deportation, and the limits of temporary protections such as U visas, T visas, TPS, or humanitarian parole. Many households endure financial and emotional strain as complex immigration rules shape their everyday decisions. In all, nearly 9.7 million U.S. citizen family members live with one or more undocumented or temporarily protected immigrants.

For example, U.S.-citizen spouses, who number over 1.2 million, frequently encounter barriers when sponsoring partners who are undocumented or who hold temporary statuses without a direct pathway to permanent residency. Undocumented spouses who entered without authorization cannot get status through their marriage without leaving the U.S., but a departure will trigger 3- and 10-year reentry bars, forcing long-term separations. 

Multiple legislative proposals have aimed to reduce family separation and create stability for mixed-status families; tragically, the last administration’s Keeping Families Together parole policy was blocked in the courts and then abandoned by the current administration. The American Families United Act seeks to expand waiver eligibility for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. The Dignity Act proposes legalization pathways that would directly benefit undocumented spouses. For temporary protection holders, the American Dream and Promise Act would provide a pathway to permanent residency for TPS recipients and for noncitizens with certain humanitarian statuses. Additional proposals—including reforms to U and T visa processing—have attempted to reduce backlogs and allow family unity, though none have fully resolved barriers to adjustment. Congress could also move to eliminate the 3- and 10-year reentry bars to allow more people to adjust their status. 

Undocumented immigrants and individuals with temporary protections play a vital role in the U.S. workforce. Many work in sectors facing chronic labor shortages, including agriculture, hospitality, construction, and caregiving. In all, nearly 11 million undocumented or temporarily protected individuals are in the U.S. workforce or are married or a child of an employed undocumented or temporarily protected individual. Because temporary statuses often grant work authorization while undocumented status does not, individuals’ ability to access stable employment varies widely, creating a patchwork of vulnerability and opportunity.