5 Interesting Facts About Illegal Immigration In The USA

Illegal immigrant arrivals have dropped in the USA
Fewer Mexicans amongst recent arrivals
57% of the unauthorized immigrant population stays in 6 states

Let us find out some facts about illegal immigration in the USA

While illegal immigration in the USA is still not something that can be ignored, the number of illegal immigrants in the country has dropped sharply. After spiking in 2007, it is in fact, back to the level it was in 2004.

The demographic distribution of this section of the population has also changed with Mexicans no longer being the majority. Here are 5 facts based on the latest Pew Research Center estimates the current state of illegal immigrants in the USA

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Facts About Illegal Immigration In The USA

1. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Is On The Downslope

In 2017, the total illegal immigrant population in the USA was estimated to be about 10.5 million. This accounted for 3.2% of the total US population.

Though the number is still high, it is comparatively lower than the 12.2 million number that the unauthorized immigrant population had reached in 2007. After reaching its peak in 2007, the unauthorized migrant population in the USA has been steadily decreasing.

Year	Unauthorized Immigrants
2007	12.2 million
2010	11.4 million
2015	11 million
2016	10.7 million
2017	0.5 million

2. Fewer Mexican Illegal Immigrants

In 2007, Mexicans accounted for 57% of the total unauthorized immigrant population in the USA. Over the decade, this percentage has slipped to below the 50% mark.

In 2017, there were about 4.9 million unauthorized Mexican immigrants living in the USA. Thus, they accounted for only 47% of the total unauthorized immigrant population in the USA.

The number of illegal immigrants from Europe and South America has also fallen. On the other hand, the unauthorized immigrant population from Asia and Central America has risen from 1.3 million and 1.5 million in 2007 to 1.5 million and 1.9 million in 2017 respectively.

There was a negligible change noted in the authorized immigrant numbers from Middle East-North Africa, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa and other large regions of the world

Region	2007	2017
Mexico	6.9 million	4.9 million
Asia	1.3 million	1.5 million
Central America	1.5 million	1.9 million
From all other nations excluding Mexico	5.3 million	5.5 million

3. Fall in Percentage of Illegal Immigrants In the US Workforce

After rising to 8.2 million in 2007, the number of illegal immigrants in the US workforce fell to 7.6 million in 2017. With this, the group accounted for only 4.6% of the total population in the USA that was working or looking for work.

Year	Percentage Of Unauthorized Immigrants In The Workforce
2007	5.4
2010	5.2
2015	4.9
2016	4.8
2017	4.6

4. Majority of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Stays In 6 States

The states of Texas, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Illinois account for 57% of the total unauthorized immigrant population.

While unauthorized immigrant population fell in California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Michigan, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York and Oregon, it increased in 5 other states. This included Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Dakota and South Dakota.

5. Fewer Unauthorized Arrivals in the USA

A shift has been noted in the percentage of short-term and long-term illegal immigrants in the USA. 665 of the total unauthorized immigrant population in 2017 had lived in the country for more than a decade. This marked an increase of 15% since 2007.

On the other hand, only 20% of the total adult unauthorized immigrant population in 2017 had lived in the country or less than 5 years. In 2007, this section of the population was about 30%.

Year	Short-Term Residents	Long-Term Residents
2007	30%	41%
2010	23%	50%
2015	17%	64%
2016	18%	66%
20107	20%	66%