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Research Intern - Immigration Studies

Cato Institute
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To be considered for this role, you must apply directly through our online application. 

About the Role

This paid, in-person internship in Washington, DC (25–40 hours per week over 12 weeks) joins Cato’s Immigration Studies team, working directly with David Bier (Director).

You’ll support research and analysis on US immigration law and policy—covering legal immigration, visas, labor markets, asylum, enforcement, and economic impacts—and turn government datasets and scholarship into clear, well-supported analysis for reports, op-eds, and blog posts.

Day to day, you’ll work with data from DHS/USCIS/CBP/EOIR, the State Department, Census/ACS, and BLS, and create clear background notes that support ongoing projects focused on individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.

Responsibilities

  • Support original research projects on immigration statistics.
  • Gather data on immigrants, the US economy, immigration laws, and other related social science indicators.
  • Conduct regular fact-finding missions to support scholars’ op-eds, studies, and blog posts.
  • Read and summarize books or articles.

Qualifications

  • Demonstrated interest in—and working familiarity with—US immigration policy (law, visas, asylum, enforcement, labor markets, and economic impacts); aligned with Cato’s principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
  • Strong background in statistics and careful interpretation of results.
  • Excellent research and writing abilities.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (filters/sort, XLOOKUP or INDEX-MATCH, PivotTables); knowledge of Stata is a major plus.
  • Data literacy with government sources (DHS/USCIS/CBP/EOIR, State, Census/ACS, BLS) and ability to create clean, source-labeled tables and charts.
  • Professionalism and reliability—manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, communicate proactively, and incorporate feedback.

The Cato Internship Program

Cato’s paid internships are available for undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students, law students, and early-career professionals who are strongly committed to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace—principles that together form libertarianism, also known as “classical liberalism,” “market liberalism,” or, to many of our international friends, simply “liberalism.” 

All Cato interns participate in the same intensive seminar series, which covers a wide range of history, philosophy, policy, and professional development topics. Interns also assist with events and occasionally support Cato staff with other daily tasks. 

Interns receive competitive pay. Part-time roles are adjusted accordingly and require a minimum of 25 hours per week. Program participants must be able to attend in person in Washington, DC.

For more information about the internship program and experience, we encourage you to explore our website. If you have any questions, email studentprograms@cato.org.