Significant Drop in Illegal Immigration Population in the U.S. reported
Amongst the heated debate on immigration, the population of undocumented immigrants in the United States decreased significantly in 2009, in part due to a deep recession and tougher immigration enforcement, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
Up until 2005, 850,000 people on average entered the United States without a legal authorization. As the economy sunk in the past years, that number plunged to 300,000 in 2009, according to the report.
In 2007, 12 million undocumented immigrants resided in the United States, but in 2009 that amount decreased to 11 million.
From what countries do undocumented immigrants in the United States come from?
- From the 11 million, 60 percent came from Mexico,
- 20 percent came from other parts of Latin America,
- 11 percent from Asia, and
- 9 percent from Africa, Europe, Canada and other countries.
Virginia, Florida and Nevada experienced the most significant declines in the illegal immigrant population. In Florida and Nevada, the decrease is, for the most part, due to a housing crisis, and the loss of thousands of construction jobs, which are usually taken by immigrants, as reported by The Washington Post. In Virginia, the decline on undocumented immigrants is greatly caused by its tough immigration policies, including the checking of the immigration status of drivers, and people involved in any crime offense, according to The Washington Post.
What are some of the factors that diminished the population of illegal immigrants?
- A deep economic recession, along with a harmed housing market, significantly decreased the job offers that immigrants had to support their families.
- A rise in the guest-worker visas allowed more immigrants to enter the country legally. In 2000, around 104,000 guest-worker visas were granted, while in 2009 the number increased to 302,000, as reported by The Washington Post.
- Tougher immigration policies-including an all-time high hike in deportations and stricter legislation against immigrants.
- A growing number of undocumented immigrants returning to their home countries, and travel less often, as back-and-forth travel became more dangerous and expensive for immigrants.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/09/02/ST2010090200966.html