Global InformationIllegal immigration to the United States information
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Foreign nationals (aliens) can violate US immigration laws by entering the United States unlawfully[2][3] or lawfully entering but then remaining after the expiration of their visas, parole, or temporary protected status. Illegal immigration has been a matter of intense debate in the United States since the 1980s.[citation needed]
The illegal immigrant population of the United States peaked by 2007, when it was at 12.2 million and 4% of the total U.S. population.[4][5] Estimates in 2016 put the number of illegal immigrants at 10.7 million, representing 3.3% of the total U.S. population.[4] Since the Great Recession, more illegal immigrants have left the United States than entered it, and illegal border crossings were at the lowest in decades until 2021, when a record of 1.7 million people were caught trying to cross the southern border illegally.[6][7][8][9][10] Since 2007, visa overstays have accounted for a larger share of the growth in the illegal immigrant population than illegal border crossings,[11] which have declined considerably from 2000 to 2018.[12] In 2012, 52% of illegal immigrants were from Mexico, 15% from Central America, 12% from Asia, 6% from South America, 5% from the Caribbean, and another 5% from Europe and Canada.[13] As of 2016, approximately two-thirds of illegal adult immigrants had lived in the U.S. for at least a decade.[4]
Opponents of illegal immigration argue that people who enter the United States illegally are criminals, as well as social and economic burdens on law-abiding natives. Opponents also argue that illegal immigrants who enter the United States illegally should be deported instead of being awarded with U.S. citizenship and social services.[14][page needed] Some argue that illegal immigrants should instead enter the United States lawfully through legal immigration.[15][16][page needed]
Research shows that illegal immigrants increase the size of the U.S. economy, contribute to economic growth, enhance the welfare of natives, contribute more in tax revenue than they collect, reduce American firms' incentives to offshore jobs and import foreign-produced goods, and benefit consumers by reducing the prices of goods and services.[17][18][19][20] Economists estimate that legalization of the illegal immigrant population would increase the immigrants' earnings and consumption considerably, and increase U.S. gross domestic product.[21][22][23][24] There is scholarly consensus that illegal immigrants commit less crime than natives.[25][26] Sanctuary cities—which adopt policies designed to avoid prosecuting people solely for being in the country illegally—have no statistically meaningful impact on crime.[27][28] Research suggests that immigration enforcement has no impact on crime rates.[27][29][30]
- ^ "2022 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics" (PDF). U.S. Department of Homeland Security. November 2023. pp. 103–104 (Table 39). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 10, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
1325(a)was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
1181(c)was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "5 facts about illegal immigration in the U.S." Pew Research Center. November 28, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ Blau, Francine D.; Mackie, Christopher, eds. (September 21, 2016). "9. State and Local Effects of Immigration" (PDF). The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration. National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.17226/23550. hdl:10919/83151. ISBN 9780309444453. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ "How Much Credit Can President Trump Take for the Secure Border?". Cato Institute. August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ "Barack Obama, in Austin, says illegal immigration at 40-year low". @politifact. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ "Trump says illegal immigration lowest in 17 years". @politifact. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ "Are more undocumented immigrants leaving than coming?". @politifact. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ Sullivan, Eileen; Jordan, Miriam (October 22, 2021). "Illegal Border Crossings, Driven by Pandemic and Natural Disasters, Soar to Record High". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Seitz, Amanda; Weissert, Will (January 4, 2019). "AP FACT CHECK: Visa overstays outpace border crossings". AP NEWS. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ Qiu, Linda (June 20, 2018). "Border Crossings Have Been Declining for Years, Despite Claims of a 'Crisis of Illegal Immigration'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Estimates from PHCwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Illegal Immigration - Top Arguments For and Against". ProCon.org. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Why Don't Unauthorized Migrants Come Here Legally?". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ Nowrasteh, Alex. "The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They're Wrong" (PDF). Immigration Research Library. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
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:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Collingwood, Loren; Gonzalez-O'Brien, Benjamin; El-Khatib, Stephen (October 3, 2016). "Sanctuary cities do not experience an increase in crime". Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
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