U.S. Unauthorized Immigration Flows Are Down Sharply Since Mid-Decade

Pew Research: U.S. Unauthorized Immigration Flows Are Down Sharply Since Mid-Decade

The annual inflow of unauthorized immigrants to the United States was nearly two-thirds smaller in the March 2007 to March 2009 period than it had been from March 2000 to March 2005, according to new estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

This sharp decline has contributed to an overall reduction of 8% in the number of unauthorized immigrants currently living in the U.S. -- to 11.1 million in March 2009 from a peak of 12 million in March 2007, according to the estimates. The decrease represents the first significant reversal in the growth of this population over the past two decades.

The Pew Hispanic Center's analysis also finds that the most marked decline in the population of unauthorized immigrants has been among those who come from Latin American countries other than Mexico. From 2007 to 2009, the size of this group from the Caribbean, Central America and South America decreased 22%.

By contrast, the Mexican unauthorized population (which accounts for about 60% of all unauthorized immigrants) peaked in 2007 at 7 million and has since leveled off. The number of unauthorized immigrants from the rest of the world did not change.

Even though the size of the Mexican unauthorized population living in the United States has not changed significantly since 2007, the inflows from that country have fallen off sharply in recent years. ...

 

Comments

[Chuck North]

I wonder whether our crackdown on securing the border is deterring some of the Mexicans from leaving. While it is true that effectively securing the border could reduce the inflow of Mexican immigrants, it also seems that it would cause those already here to think twice about going back to Mexico for a while to wait out the recession. (I also wonder just how much we really can secure the border, but that is another matter.)

If I were an illegal Mexican immigrant and the difficulty of crossing the border has gone up, then I might stay in the U.S. even if I might like to return to Mexico - because once I leave I might not be able to get back.

[Michael W. Kruse]

It's an interesting question. I've wondered if it might be due in part to the American economy going sour. With fewer jobs in the US and more Americans looking for work, the opportunity costs have shifted.

I've heard the case that the trade-off of stricter enforcement could be fewer people coming in but once in, not going back ... actually increasing the number of undocumented workers. Don't know what merit it has.