Politics & Government

Illegal Immigration Drops By Nearly 1M People Since Mid 2000s

New census data show a clear drop in the numbers.

New data out Thursday show a drop in illegal immigration in the United States by nearly 1 million people since 2007.

The figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. dropped to an estimated 11.1 million last year compared to the all time high of 12 million people in 2007.

The Associated Press reports that 80 percent of illegal immigrants who come to the United States do so from Mexico and Latin America.

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Demographers indicate illegal Hispanic immigration is down because of a weakened U.S. economy and stronger enforcement, along with a graying Mexican population, The Associated Press reports.

“The immigration shift may have an impact on the future racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S., pushing back official government estimates as to when whites will no longer be a majority in the country. The Census Bureau originally reported in 2008 that white children would become a minority in 2023 and the overall white population would follow in 2042. But the agency has since suggested the tipping points may arrive later, due to a slowdown in mostly Hispanic immigration. New census projections will be released next week,” The Associated Press reports.

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The census data out today show that the estimated 11.1 illegal immigrants in the United States represent 28 percent of the foreign-born population in this country.

“An additional 12.2 million foreign-born people, 31 percent, are legal permanent residents with green cards. And 15.1 million, or 37 percent, are naturalized U.S. citizens,” The Associated Press reports.


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