Flow of Illegal Immigrants Slows, Pew Center Finds
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Arthur Brice, CNN, October 2, 2008
The flow of undocumented immigrants into the United States has slowed in the past three years, a major think tank reported Thursday.
The Pew Hispanic Center report cites no statistical reasons for the decreased rate. It notes the U.S. economy has suffered a downturn and greater immigration enforcement measures have been enacted, which a Pew survey “indicates has generated worry among many Hispanics.”
According to the center’s estimates, 11.9 million undocumented immigrants were living in the United States as of March. There were 11.1 million in 2005 and 8.4 million in 2000, the group said.
“Although the undocumented population has been rising, its net growth has slowed substantially since 2005, compared with earlier in the decade,” the report states.
According to the report, from 2000 to early 2005, the unauthorized immigrant population grew by an annual net average of about 525,000. The growth pattern started changing substantially in 2005. From 2005 to 2008, annual growth has averaged 275,000 undocumented immigrants. See how the numbers stack up »
“With the drop in the numbers of illegals coming, we now have more legal immigrants coming than illegals coming,” Jeffrey S. Passel, the study’s lead researcher and author, said in an interview.
Unauthorized immigrants continue to make up 30 percent of the nation’s foreign-born population of more than 39 million people, the study says.
Mexicans account for 58 percent of all illegal immigrants in the United States, the study says, adding that no other country has a double-digit share.
Pew estimates there were 7 million illegal Mexican immigrants living in the United States in March, up considerably from 4.8 million during the 2000 Census. Growth has leveled off since 2007.
The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States from Latin American countries other than Mexico grew from 1.8 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2008, a nearly 45 percent increase.
{snip}
“The other big difference over the past couple of years is that we’ve seen greater enforcement in the interior, at the work sites,” [Passel] said.
“Numerically, there may not have been a big impact in terms of the numbers of people arrested and deported, but it’s been very high profile. There’s strong communication between the United States and the home country, so word gets back.”
Among the study’s other findings:
o More than 40 percent of the nation’s undocumented immigrants—5.3 million people—have arrived since the decade began.
{snip}
(Posted on October 2, 2008)
Comments
In other words, this is like Federal budget logic — if the amount of money spent on a program goes up for one FY over the previous, but it doesn’t go up as much as was scheduled, it’s called a “spending cut” even though you’re spending more money.
Posted by Question Diversity at 5:32 PM on October 2
Here’s a great idea for the people at pew hispanic center:
Why dont the illegals go back to their respective countries and start new businesses, and perhaps even hire some of their own kind, so that way they wont have to break into our country and steal our jobs?
Posted by at 8:26 PM on October 2
But not slowing nearly enough… Look at this excerpt from an MSNBC news article today. Anyone care to guess HOW MUCH of that $7 billion needed was WASTED on providing for illegals living in California? Like for FREE healthcare, FREE educational benefits, not to mention food stamps and welfare checks…
MSNBC News Services
updated 8 minutes ago
California may need an emergency loan of up to $7 billion from the federal government within weeks, the Los Angeles Times on Friday quoted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as saying in a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
In the letter dated October 2, Schwarzenegger called for the passage of the $700 billion financial industry bailout plan which the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Friday, the Times said.
Posted by Fed Up at 12:10 PM on October 3
If the anchor baby is a citizen law is not dealt with, and it isn’t being dealt with even now, then all arguments, laws, and other concerns about illegal immigration are a moot point. Latinization of the U.S. will be accomplished swiftly and smoothly. People need to stop kidding themselves about this.
Posted by Bobby at 2:19 PM on October 3
Then we need to close that anchor baby loophole.
Posted by Angry Guy at 6:38 PM on October 3
Bobby: I respectfully disagree. American tolerance for the lawlessness of these invading Hispanic illegals grows at a rate proportionate to their ever increasing numbers.
History proves that in the end problems like this can only be settled through the use of violence. An old Chinese proverb states, “to conquer one must vanquish, to defend one need only survive”.
Long before the Hispanics vanquish us we will have sent as many of them to join their deceased ancestors as it takes to encourage the survivors to return to their own countries and remain there forever.
America will not fall to a cowardly inferior race recently descended from retarded human sacrificing cannibals. There are few feelings more gratifying than obliterating alien enemy invaders on one’s own soil. These invaders have brought this upon themselves…
Posted by at 5:03 PM on October 14