Research Intern - Immigration Studies

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

Overview

Cato's Immigration Studies program conducts original quantitative and legal research on US immigration policy — including legal immigration pathways, visa backlogs, border enforcement, asylum, interior enforcement, and the labor market and economic impacts of immigration. 

David Bier's work is data-intensive and methodologically rigorous, including analyses of green card approval rates, deportation statistics, enforcement trends, and visa processing backlogs. It draws on government administrative datasets from USCIS, CBP, EOIR, the State Department, Census, and BLS, and has been cited by the US Supreme Court and federal appeals courts. 

Interns support original research projects by collecting, cleaning, and analyzing government data, conducting literature reviews, and helping with writing and fact-finding that directly contribute to published analyses, congressional testimony, and public commentary.

Responsibilities

• Support original research projects on immigration statistics — including data collection, cleaning, analysis, and documentation of government administrative datasets.
• Gather and compile data on immigrants, the US economy, immigration laws, visa processing, enforcement, and related social indicators from DHS, USCIS, CBP, EOIR, State Department, Census/ACS, and BLS.
• Conduct fact-finding missions to support scholars' op-eds, studies, and blog posts — including monitoring legislative and regulatory updates.
• Read, summarize, and synthesize academic literature, government reports, and policy analyses relevant to ongoing research projects.
• Assist with writing and editing background notes and research summaries for publication.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of and genuine interest in US immigration policy — including legal pathways, visa types, asylum, border enforcement, and immigration's effects on the labor market and economy — grounded in and aligned with Cato's principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
• Strong quantitative background with proven ability to work precisely and carefully with large datasets; this is a data-intensive role where statistical rigor is essential.
• Proficiency in Stata, R, or Python for statistical analysis, along with working proficiency in Microsoft Excel for data organization and documentation.
• Data literacy with government immigration and demographic sources — including DHS, USCIS, CBP, EOIR, State Department, Census/ACS, and BLS.
• Strong research and writing skills, with accurate citations to primary sources.
• Professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail — data projects require careful troubleshooting, and accuracy in both analysis and written output is essential.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous research experience involving government administrative datasets or immigration data — through a research assistantship, policy organization internship, published or submitted paper, or independent project with verifiable results.
• Familiarity with Stata is a valuable asset, especially given the team's work with large government administrative datasets.
• Familiarity with the team's active research areas, including legal immigration and visa backlogs, enforcement and deportation policies, asylum processing, and the economic impacts of immigration; applicants are encouraged to review the team's recently published work before applying.
• Coursework or independent study in immigration policy, labor economics, or applied statistics using government microdata

Finalists may be asked to complete a brief technical exercise to assess proficiency and the ability to work with government datasets.

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.