Facts on Immigration Today

From the Center for American Progress:

In the last few weeks immigration has popped back on the public’s radar as an issue to follow. From the President’s June 15th announcement that his administration would grant deferred action to DREAM Act-eligible youth, to the recent Supreme Court ruling in Arizona v. United States, to candidates’ efforts to court the sought-after burgeoning Latino vote, the policy and politics of immigration aren’t far from the front pages.

Still, the immigration debate is characterized by volumes of misinformation and the issue will only pick up speed as we approach the November elections.

With you in mind, we’ve published “The Facts on Immigration Today, ” an indispensable guide to the current and essential facts on a complex topic. We hope you’ll keep this useful guide at your fingerprints in the coming months.
 
Here are some examples:

Immigrants largely arrive through legal channels
There were 39.9 million foreign-born people in the United States in 2010.
44 percent were naturalized citizens.
24 percent were legal permanent residents.
29 percent were unauthorized migrants.
3 percent were temporary legal residents (such as students or temporary workers).
50.9 percent of our nation’s foreign born are women and 54.2 percent of naturalized foreign-born persons are women.
The foreign-born share of the overall U.S. population is 12.9 percent today, lower than the highest percentage (14.8 percent) achieved in 1890.
Most immigrants have made a home in the United States
11.5 million undocumented immigrants were living in the United States in January 2011, an increase of one-third since 2000, when there were 8.5 million undocumented immigrants.
86 percent of undocumented immigrants have been living in the United States for seven years or longer.
5.2 percent of the U.S. labor force consisted of undocumented immigrants in 2010, even though they comprise only 3.7 percent of the nation’s population.
45 percent of unauthorized immigrant households are composed of couples with children. By comparison, the figure for U.S. native households and legal immigrant households is 21 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
16.6 million people are in families with at least one undocumented immigrant, and 9 million of these families are of “mixed status” with at least one unauthorized adult and one U.S.-born child.
4.5 million U.S.-born children had at least one unauthorized immigrant parent in 2010, an increase from 2.1 million in 2000.

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