1Center or American Progress | The Facts on Immigration Today
The Facts on Immigration Today
Everything You Need to Know About OurForeign-Born Population, Current ImmigrationPolicy, and the Voting Power of New Americans
Center for American Progress Immigration Team July 6, 2012
Below are he laes and mos essenial acs abou immigraion in our naion oday. Teacs are broken down ino our secions:
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oday’s immigrans
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Curren ederal and sae immigraion policy
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Immigraion public opinion polling
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Demographic and poliical desiny o Lainos
Today’s immigrants
Below are he acs abou immigrans oday: who hey are, where hey live, and heirimpac on he U.S. economy.
Immigrants largely arrive through legal channels
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There were 39.9 million foreign-born people in the United States in 2010.
1
–44 percen were nauralized ciizens. –24 percen were legal permanen residens. –29 percen were unauhorized migrans. –3 percen were emporary legal residens (such as sudens or emporary workers).
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50.9 percent of our nation’s foreign born are women and 54.2 percent of naturalizedforeign-born persons are women.
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he foreign-born share of the overall U.S. population is 12.9 percent today,
4
lowerhan he highes percenage (14.8 percen)
5
achieved in 1890.
2Center or American Progress | The Facts on Immigration Today
Most immigrants have made a home in the United States
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11.5 million undocumented immigrants were living in the United States in January2011,
an increase o one-hird since 2000, when here were 8.5 million undocu-mened immigrans.
6
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86 percent of undocumented immigrants have been living in the United States forseven years or longer.
7
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5.2 percent of the U.S. labor force consisted of undocumented immigrants in 2010,
even hough hey comprise only 3.7 percen o he naion’s populaion.
8
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45 percent of unauthorized immigrant households are composed of couples withchildren.
By comparison, he gure or U.S. naive households and legal immigranhouseholds is 21 percen and 34 percen, respecively.
9
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16.6 million people are in families with at least one undocumented immigrant,
and 9million o hese amilies are o “mixed saus” wih a leas one unauhorized adul andone U.S.-born child.
10
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4.5 million U.S.-born children had at least one unauthorized immigrant parent in2010,
an increase rom 2.1 million in 2000.
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Immigrants have dispersed throughout the United States and even unfriendlylaws aren’t making them “self-deport”
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Undocumented immigrants are increasingly settling throughout the 50 states.
radiional “gaeway” saes such as Caliornia,
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Illinois,
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exas,
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New York,
15
andFlorida
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coninue o be home o large percenages o our naion’s oreign-born. Buimmigrans are increasingly dispersing
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o meropolian areas ouside hese saes.Fieen saes—Alabama,
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Arkansas, Colorado,
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Delaware, Georgia,
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Idaho, Kenucky,Minnesoa, Nebraska, Nevada,
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New Mexico,
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Norh Carolina,
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ennessee, SouhCarolina, and Uah
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—experienced a leas a 200 percen
25
increase in heir immigranpopulaions beween 1990 and 2009. (see char on nex page)
26
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The number of undocumented Mexican nationals arriving to the United Statesdeclined by 80 percent between 2004 and 2010.
27
In 2010 ewer han 100,000Mexican naionals setled in he Unied Saes, compared o an annual ow o abou525,000 undocumened persons rom Mexico rom 2000 o 2004.
28
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Increased enforcement isn’t encouraging immigrants to return home.
Immigraionrom Mexico is a ne zero, wih slighly more Mexicans leaving he counry han ener-
3Center or American Progress | The Facts on Immigration Today
ing i. Tis decline in immi-graion can be atribued oighened border conrols, weak job and housing consrucionmarkes in he Unied Saes,increases in deporaions, anddeclining Mexican birhraes.
29
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Policies of “self-deportation”do not lead to large-scaleresettlement.
Immigrans makehe decision o say becausemos have been in he counry or more han a decade, live inamilies wih children, and know ha i economic condiions are bad in his counry, hey are worse in heir home counries.
30
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Immigrants, like other eco-nomic actors, are averseto losing their long-terminvestments.
Tese includeinvesmens in homes or heirchildren’s educaion, or example. Research drawing on cogniive psychology and behav-ioral economics has shown ha his is anoher reason undocumened immigrans do noleave even in he ace o harsh laws.
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Instead of leaving the United States, undocumented immigrants living in anti-immi-grant states move to friendlier neighboring states.
An abundance o anecdoal
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evi-dence
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semming rom a number o ani-immigran measures has led researchers
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o believe ha when migrans eel argeed, hey resetle elsewhere in he Unied Saes.
Immigrants are a net plus for our economy
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$1.5 trillion—
Te amoun o money ha would be added o U.S. cumulaive grossdomesic produc over 10 years wih a comprehensive immigraion reorm planha includes legalizaion or all undocumened immigrans currenly living in heUnied Saes.
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$11.2 billion—
Te amoun o money households headed by unauhorized immigranspaid in sae and local axes in 2010.
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Figure 1
Immigration spreads to new states, 1990-2009
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States with the largest and most rapidly growing immigrant population 1990-2009
States with 1.7 million or moreimmigrantsStates with 200 percentor higher growth in immigrants
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The Facts on Immigration Today
CAP's Immigration Team presents the latest and most essential facts about immigration in our nation.
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