A new estimate published Tuesday by the Pew Research Center said “that number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. fell to its lowest level in more than a decade,” noting that “10.7 million unauthorized immigrants [are] living in the U.S. in 2016, down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007.”
Mexico have seen a major decrease, although there has been a increase in unauthorized immigrants from Central America.
The Pew study also looked in how long unauthorized immigrants have been living in the U.S., determining that the average is about 15 years.
The study also noted that “about 5 million U.S.-born children live with unauthorized immigrant parents.”
There was also decreases in the U.S. workforce.
It also shared information about how the unauthorized immigration changes in 15 states since 2007.
The Pew study added this:
Deportations also can have an impact in limiting the size and growth of the unauthorized immigrant population. Deportations rose during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations—from 211,000 in 2003 to a record 433,000 in 2013, according to Department of Homeland Security statistics. They remained well above 300,000 a year through fiscal 2016, the last full year for which numbers are available. The vast majority of those deported were from Mexico and the three Northern Triangle nations in Central America.
Deportations appear to have declined since then, based on limited statistics. The number of immigrants deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement within DHS —“removed” in government wording— declined 17% between fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017, which ended Sept. 30, 2017. Nearly 230,000 unauthorized immigrants were removed, which included a decline in those detained at the U.S.-Mexico border as well as an increase in those arrested in the interior of the U.S., reflecting a shift in enforcement tactics.
Read the full report here.
