Nearly 11 Million People are in the United States Illegally
June 6, 2010
by Richard L. Connors
Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP
Copyright © 2010
"It is unknown, at any point in time, how many unauthorized aliens are in the United States," but "according to recent estimates by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), approximately 10.8 million aliens were living in the United States" last year, according to an April 27, 2010 report by the Congressional Research Service – the research arm of the U.S. Congress.
How Unauthorized Aliens Enter U.S. – "Unauthorized aliens enter the United States in three main ways: (1) some are admitted to the United States on valid nonimmigrant (temporary) visas (e.g., as visitors or students) or on border crossing cards and either remain in the country beyond their authorized period of stay or otherwise violate the terms of their admission; (2) some are admitted based on fraudulent documents (e.g., fake passports) that go undetected by U.S. officials; and (3) some enter the country illegally without inspection (e.g., by crossing over the Southwest or northern U.S. border)."
Region of Birth – "Mexico has historically been the greatest source country for unauthorized migration to the United States. According to DHS, there were an estimated 6.7 million unauthorized aliens from Mexico residing in the United States in early 2009, representing 62% of the total unauthorized resident population at the time."
States of Residence – According to the report, California is home to more unauthorized aliens (2,700,000) than any other state, followed by Texas (1,450,000), Florida (1,050,000), New York (925,000), New Jersey (550,000), Arizona (500,000), Georgia (475,000), Illinois (450,000), North Carolina (350,000) and Virginia (300,000). There was an estimated 70,000 unauthorized aliens in Kansas in 2008, and an estimated 45,000 unauthorized aliens in Missouri.
Labor Force Participation – "The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that there were 8.3 million unauthorized aliens in the labor force in 2008, representing four of every five unauthorized adults in the United States that year. These unauthorized workers accounted for 5% of the civilian labor force." According to the report, "94% of unauthorized men between the ages of 18 and 64 were in the labor force in 2008, compared to 58% of unauthorized women in the same age group."
Impact of Economic Downturn – According to the DHS report, "the number of unauthorized residents declined by 1.0 million between 2007 and 2009, coincident with the U.S. economic downturn."
Richard L. Connors is an attorney with Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, one of the country's largest law firms with more than 300 attorneys in more than 45-industry-focused areas. Mr. Connors represents management exclusively in employment and labor law.
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