America is a nation of immigrants. Virtually all of us can trace our ancestry to people who immigrated to the United States. Even so, immigration is a controversial issue, particularly in the case of unauthorized immigration, where individuals enter or reside in the United States in violation of the law. How many individuals in the United States are unauthorized? Does unauthorized immigration have negative consequences, such as an increase in crime? This brief focuses on unauthorized immigration; there are links in the Further Reading section to other immigration-related topics such as Authorized Immigration, Refugees and Asylum, and Border Security.

Education is often described as a fundamental right, one that gives everyone an equal opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills needed to prosper in modern society. Yet, the system we use for funding K-12 education creates disparities in how much communities spend on education, leading to differences in educational achievement. What policy choices create these disparities, and what can be done about them?

The federal government routinely classifies documents and other information whose disclosure would harm national security. Even so, classification can also be used to hide internal deliberations and policy failures. Classified documents typically get in the news when they are found in the possession of active or retired politicians and high-profile individuals. What are the procedures for classifying information, and how do people run afoul of these rules?