Since 2004, fewer undocumented immigrants have been in the country, and Mexicans no longer make up the bulk of this group. The fall is primarily attributable to a sharp decline in the amount of new undocumented immigrants entering the country, particularly Mexicans. Based on the most recent Pew Research Center estimates, the origin nations of undocumented immigrants also changed throughout that time. They were coming from Mexico and more from Central America and Asia. Here are five statistics concerning illegal immigration in the US.
- In 2017, 10.5 million undocumented immigrants were living in the country, or 3.2% of the country’s overall population. The number of undocumented immigrants in 2017 is down 14% from the peak of 12.2 million in 2007, and they made up 4% of the country’s population then.
How many undocumented immigrants are in the US?
- Since 2007, the number of undocumented immigrants from Mexico has decreased, whereas the amount from other countries has increased. According to the Center estimates, Mexicans represented 47% of all illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2017, down from 57% in 2007. In 2017, there were 4.9 million undocumented Mexican immigrants in the United States, falling from 6.9 million in 2007. Their numbers (and proportion of the total) have been dropping in recent years.
In contrast, immigrants from other countries increased from 5.3 million in 2007 to 5.5 million in 2017. Since 2007, Central American and Asian countries have seen an increase in undocumented immigrants. In 2007, there were 1.5 million undocumented immigrants from Central America; by 2017, there were 1.9 million. Immigration from the Northern Triangle countries of EI Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras significantly contributed to this growth. In 2007, there were 1.3 million people from Asia; in 2017, there were 1.5 million. Likewise, between 2007 and 2017, there were fewer undocumented immigrants from South America and Europe. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Middle East-North Africa, and the remainder of the globe didn’t experience much shift during that time.
Illegal immigration law
- 6 million Undocumented immigrants work as civilians in the United States, a decrease from 2007. Unauthorized immigrant employees decreased in quantity and percentage of U.S. employment between 2007 and 2017 by 625,000. A total of 4.6% of Americans who have been employed or searching for work in 2017 belonged to this group.
- 57% of undocumented immigrants live in 6 states: Texas, California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois. Individual nations witnessed varying patterns between 2007. Arizona, Colorado, California, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Oregon saw a decline in the number of undocumented immigrants. Over the same period, undocumented immigrants increased in 5 states: Maryland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North, and South Dakota.
How many illegal immigrants are in America?
- More and more undocumented immigrants stay in the country for over ten years. In 2017, 66% of undocumented immigrant adults had lived in the country for more than ten years, up from 41% in 2007. 20% of adults were illegal immigration in the US for five years or less, down from 30% in 2007. Adult illegal immigrants’ median length of stay in the United States in 2017 was 15.1. It means most of them had been residents for at least that long.
Penalties for crossing borders illegally:
Suppose you have entered the U.S. illegally and hope to apply for a green card or another immigration benefit. In that case, you should see an immigration attorney analyze your situation personally, and you might benefit from exceptions not described here.
