WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in two decades — decreasing by 8 percent as the sour economy dried up jobs and increased enforcement made it harder to sneak across the border with Mexico, a new study finds.
Much of the decline comes from a sharp drop-off in illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, Central America and South America attempting to cross the southern border of the U.S., according to the Pew Hispanic Center, which based its report on an analysis of 2009 census data.
The findings come amid bitter debate over Arizona’s strict new immigration law, which was passed earlier this year but is on hold for now as it is challenged in federal court. The Obama administration contends the state law usurps federal authority and promotes racial profiling, while Arizona leaders say states are justified to step in if federal enforcement falls substantially short.
The study released Wednesday estimates that 11.1 million illegal immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2009. That represents a decrease of roughly 1 million, or 8 percent, from a peak of 12 million in 2007.
The study puts the number of illegal immigrants down to about where it was in 2005. They still make up roughly 4 percent of the U.S. population.
The Homeland Security Department’s own estimate of illegal immigrants is slightly lower, at 10.8 million. The government uses a different census survey that makes some year-to-year comparisons difficult.
An increase in unauthorized immigrants leaving the U.S., by deportation or for economic reasons, may have played a factor in the falling number.
In recent years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported an increasing number of illegal immigrants, reaching a high last year of more than 389,000 people, according to government figures.
States in the Southeast and Southwest saw some of the biggest declines in the number of illegal immigrants from 2008 to 2009, including Florida, Nevada and Virginia. Arizona saw a decrease, but it was too small to be statistically significant.
It’s hard to figure out how much of the decline to attribute to the bad economy and how much to federal immigration enforcement, said Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer at Pew who co-wrote the analysis.
“They’re certainly acting together,” he said. Passel said illegal immigrants now find it more expensive and dangerous to cross into the U.S. and also have less incentive to do so given the languishing job market in construction and other low-wage industries.
“While people are arguing the government is not stopping illegal immigration, our data suggests the flow of undocumented immigrants sneaking into the country has dropped dramatically,” Passel said.
The estimates by Pew will add to the political back-and-forth on immigration reform.
President Barack Obama, who is challenging the Arizona law, has pledged to push an overhaul of federal immigration law but has declined to set a timeline.
After the passage of Arizona’s immigration law, more than a dozen states were considering similar legislation or have issued legal opinions aimed at strengthening immigration enforcement. They include Florida, Virginia, South Carolina and Utah.
Boosted by immigration and high numbers of births among Latinos, minorities now make up roughly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which they are projected to become the majority of Americans by mid-century. Roughly one in four counties currently have more minority children than white children or are nearing that point.
Still, the Census Bureau has made clear that projected minority growth — particularly among Hispanics — could change substantially depending on immigration policies and the economy.
Other Pew findings:
—The states with the highest percentage of illegal immigrants were California (6.9 percent), Nevada (6.8 percent), Texas (6.5 percent) and Arizona (5.8 percent). The numbers are expected to play an important factor in whether those states lose or gain fewer U.S. House seats than expected after the 2010 census.
—Illegal immigrants make up about 28 percent of the foreign-born population in the U.S., down from 31 percent in 2007.
—The unemployment rate for illegal immigrants in March 2009 was 10.4 percent — higher than that of U.S.-born workers or legal immigrants, who had unemployment of 9.2 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate of welcoming more immigrants to the U.S., said he was not surprised by the study’s findings.
“It exemplifies what I’ve been saying all along,” Bloomberg told reporters. “Not totally, but generally, people come here from around the world — whether they come here legally or illegally — to work, to build a better life for themselves and for their families. And when our economy is down, it’s just tougher to get a job.”
The Pew analysis is based on census data through March 2009. Because the Census Bureau does not ask people about their immigration status, the estimate on illegal immigrants is derived largely by subtracting the estimated legal immigrant population from the total foreign-born population. It is a method that has been used by the government and Pew for many years and is generally accepted.
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Associated Press writer Sara Kugler Frazier in New York contributed to this report.
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Online:
Pew Hispanic Center: http://pewhispanic.org/
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TwoMinuteMan
Posted on September 9, 2010 at 7:03pmI think the true force behind Illegals not coming in is the amount of states that have adopted an Arizona like Immigration law. Illegals were self-deporting themselves from AZ before the law went into affect.
Putting troops on the boarder didnt hurt either.
Report Post »Midwest Belle
Posted on September 12, 2010 at 10:44am“self deporting themselves from AZ” – yes to other states that don’t want the illegals either! Great move isn’t it?! NOT!
Report Post »halldavid
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 3:28pmIf you believe that there are only 12 million illegal immigrants in this country, I have some prime land land in southern Florida for you. Try closer to 25 million! They are literally everywhere and not just Mexicans or others south of the border. Notice there are plenty of Eastern Europeans around?
Everybody knows we have a job shortage issue. With however many illegals you want to say are here, they are tying down millions of jobs that legal Americans could do. Jobs that Americans will not do? Not at the wages that they offer. Americans would probably create more businesses to hire other out of work Americans if we could get rid of illegals.
They say that the numbers crossing the southern border are down so our efforts are successful. When you unfairly prosecute border patrol agents, do not fund them, let the illegals go back into the population, and do everything else in your power to NOT stop the flow and not stop them, then have the audacity to claim the numbers are down due to enforcement efforts, THAT IS THE HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY!
We need the party of NO…and MORE !.
No more Clower and Pivens!
No more BS spending!
No more Pelosi!
No more Reed!
No more Pork spending!
No Socialist as White House advisors!
No more cutting Policemen, Firemen, and teachers until every other cutting option has been made!
No more printing of any documents by Government agencies in any language but English!
More National Guard on the borders fully armed and trained and working with the Border Agents.
More EVerify!
More states with similar Arizona immigration laws!
More prosecution and higher fines for businesses that hire illegals!
I think you get the idea where I stand!
Report Post »jpeg964
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:36amThis says it all:
“While people are arguing the government is not stopping illegal immigration, our data suggests the flow of undocumented immigrants sneaking into the country has dropped dramatically,” Passel said.
This is THE PLAN. Make this country so jobless that everyone will want to VAMOOSE, including all of US (hard working, tax paying, legal AMERICANS).
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:51amWhen illegals don’t have work and are still here, the crime rate goes up. My small town is seeing an increase in almost every single area of crime due to illegals. Once you break a law, it makes it easier to break another one. So what if you spend a few days in jail? It beats going back to Mexico…
Report Post »bjriverspeters
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:18amI thought you might be interested in reading the following.
“…had the Constitution of 1787 erected a single, self-sufficient government, a simple soverignty, the census need not have been provided for in that instrument. … But the mixed form of government established by that constitution, the only form of government which was then possible, by which the pre-existing States maintained their right to exist and to act for themselves in all strictly internal affairs, while for all national purposes political power was to be exercised by a double rule, partly through the States acting as equal bodies, and partly according to population irrespective of State lines, positively required, not as a means of administrative efficiency, but as an essential condition of its own existence, that the inhabitants of the United States should be periodically enumerated.” Source: The Encyclopaedia Britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, and … – Page 339, Thomas Spencer Baynes, Pub 1833
Now my question is – Just how does one go about tracking the density of a population who for the most part are in hiding from the eyes of the state and local government?
Report Post »skyman002@live.com
Posted on September 9, 2010 at 8:34pmAll these commits in this immigration issue is all great But the real point is: Obama wants the illegal aliens have amnesty(He needs the votes to keep him inpower and to fulfill is agenda(a Marxist society.He can do it himself by excutive order OR thru the lame-duck session after the fall elections:
Report Post »1rst excutive order thru home-land security Can he do this.?
2nd lame-duck session of congress with Nancy Pelois pushing and stirring this
What is anybodys thought on this I just hope I am wrong on this but this Obama does not care at all the majority or representives of the people by the people. He (Obama) is a Marxist!!
please respond to this with ur thoughts to Larry(skyman002@live.com)
skyman002@live.com
Hondaman
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:02amI don’t understand why this present regime is so afraid of “profiling”. If a person is here legally, there is no need to be upset. The way I see it, there is no other way of knowing other than checking. DUH
Report Post »Jynnipher
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 2:08am“The states with the highest percentage of illegal immigrants were California (6.9 percent), Nevada (6.8 percent), Texas (6.5 percent) and Arizona (5.8 percent). The numbers are expected to play an important factor in whether those states lose or gain fewer U.S. House seats than expected after the 2010 census.”
Report Post »How can you GAIN seats in the House if you are representing people who aren’t supposed to be here in the first place? Or do they do something logical and not represent those people? They should LOSE seats based upon the % of illegals…for example, CA should lose 7% of it’s seats in the House because they are not addressing the illegal immigration problem.
S.Hill
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 2:05amat least they‘re still using the word ’illegal’ … I guess ‘displaced foreign traveler’ didnt catch on? I find it rolls off the tongue quite well…
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