Out of a large number of people that want to immigrate into the United States, the procedures are clear and each individual citizen applies themselves accordingly. Others however “overlook” the need of their ESTA VISA and cross over in manners officially labeled illegal. While the issue of illegal immigration is well known throughout the country, not everyone is aware of the true amplitude of the situation. Therefore, this article is meant to put the issue in question into perspective and show just what kind of numbers the government is dealing with in terms of unauthorized immigration.
Total number of illegal immigrates in the United States
The total number of illegal immigrates in the United States has reached 11 million. This number roughly represents 3.45 % of the country’s total number of residents. Sure, 3.4% of the total population might not sound especially impactful but when you take into account the fact that it amounts for 11 million people, it’s quite a lot. Even though the number still raises serious questions about immigration policies and the reinforcement of regulations, it’s worth noting that a previous study put the total number of illegal residents among the population to 11.3 million in 2009. Even though it’s small, it’s a decline.
Who are the illegal immigrants?
Until now, the pool of illegal immigrants had been made up of predominantly Mexicans. With more than half the illegal immigrants coming from Mexico, the country south of the border was the main source of unauthorized immigration. That isn’t quite so anymore as other countries have begun to “pick up the slack”. Not only that, but the overall decline in illegal immigration has caused the number of such cases coming from Mexico to decrease as well. Therefore Mexicans only amount for about half the total number now, not more than half.
Are they working?
The next natural question is whether or not these illegal immigrants have jobs within the American society or are they unemployed. A study showed that out of the 11 million, 8 million represent America’s workforce. This means that they either have a job already, or are in the process of finding one a.k.a searching for a job. The numbers in this category have decreased as well, from a marginally higher 8.2 million back in 2007.
These are just a couple of facts about the current situation of illegal immigration in the United States. While the current numbers show improvement when compared to older studies, the differences are relatively small so it’s hard to determine when or at what rate the numbers will go considerably lower.
