Latinos’ Views on the Migrant Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border
U.S. Hispanics are less likely than other Americans to say increasing deportations or a larger wall along the border will help the situation.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
U.S. Hispanics are less likely than other Americans to say increasing deportations or a larger wall along the border will help the situation.
There were 10.7 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2016, down from 12.2 million in 2007. The total is the lowest since 2004 and is tied to a decline in the number of Mexican unauthorized immigrants.
The increase from these countries exceeded modest growth of the overall foreign-born population and came amid a decline in immigrants from Mexico.
While 67% of lawful immigrants eligible for naturalization had applied for and obtained U.S. citizenship by 2015, this share was only 42% among Mexicans.
There were 8 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. working or looking for work in 2014, making up 5% of the civilian labor force.
The estimated total – 11.1 million in 2014 – has steadied since the end of the recession as the number declined from Mexico but grew from other countries.
The nation’s foreign-born population has swelled from 10 million in 1965 to a record 45 million in 2015. By 2065, the U.S. will have a projected 78 million immigrants.
A record 3.8 million black immigrants live in the U.S. today, accounting for 8.7% of the nation’s black population, nearly triple their share in 1980. While half are from the Caribbean, African immigration has soared since 2000.
From 2009 to 2012, the population of unauthorized immigrants rose in seven states and fell in 14. Losses in 13 states were due to drops in the number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico.
Puerto Ricans have left the financially troubled island for the U.S. mainland this decade in their largest numbers since the Great Migration after World War II, citing job-related reasons above all others.
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