# David J. Bier

> David J. Bier is the Director of Immigration Studies at the Cato Institute, where he holds the Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy. A relentless data-driven analyst of legal immigration, border security, and interior enforcement, he is best known for showing that fewer than 1 percent of people who want to move to the United States can legally do so, and for the Powerball analogy that reframed the legal-immigration debate. His research has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal appeals courts, and he testifies regularly before House and Senate committees.

- **Role:** Director of Immigration Studies, Cato Institute
- **Organizations:** Cato Institute, Niskanen Center, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Office of Rep. Raul Labrador
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Political Science, Grove City College
- **Known for:** Research cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal appeals courts, Holds the Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy at the Cato Institute, Testified repeatedly before House and Senate committees on immigration enforcement, border security, and legal immigration

## Career timeline

- **2013-2015** — Senior policy adviser to Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), drafting immigration legislation for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security
- **prior** — Immigration policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute
- **prior** — Director of immigration policy at the Niskanen Center
- **2016-present** — Joins the Cato Institute; rises to Associate Director then Director of Immigration Studies
- **2023** — Publishes 'Why Legal Immigration Is Nearly Impossible' (Policy Analysis No. 950)
- **current** — Director of Immigration Studies and Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy, Cato Institute

## Achievements

- Research cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal appeals courts
- Holds the Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy at the Cato Institute
- Testified repeatedly before House and Senate committees on immigration enforcement, border security, and legal immigration
- Author of the widely cited policy analysis 'Why Legal Immigration Is Nearly Impossible' (2023)
- Work cited in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Politico

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Testified before a House committee on restoring immigration enforcement
- **2025** — Published analysis arguing Trump-era actions cut legal immigration more than illegal immigration

## Links

- Website: https://www.cato.org/people/david-bier
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bier-immigration/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/David_J_Bier

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-bier
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02