The number of undocumented immigrants has declined during the past decade, and Barack Obama has deported more people than any other President in U.S. history. You wouldn’t guess either fact from the 2016 campaign trail, where Donald Trump elevated concerns of an immigration crisis and Hillary Clinton courts Hispanic voters in battleground states. Trump has pledged to build a wall across a portion of the 2,000-mile border with Mexico, and Clinton has promised to push immigration reform in her first 100 days, with a path to citizenship for those in the country without authorization. Neither plan is likely to pass Congress next year.
[The following text appears within 9 charts. Please see a hardcopy for actual charts.]
1. COMING
There are 11.1 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007. The drop is due in part to fewer job opportunities during the recession and tighter border control.
TOTAL FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION: 43.6 MILLION
Undocumented immigrants 25.5%
Temporary lawful residents 4%
Lawful permanent residents 26.9%
Naturalized citizens 43.6%
HOW UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS GOT TO THE U.S.:
40%–50% On temporary visas or fraudulent documents
50% Illegal border crossings
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UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WHO ENTERED THE U.S. EACH YEAR:
300,000–400,000 UNDER BARACK OBAMA
500,000–600,000 UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH
COUNTRIES OF BIRTH:
48% of Mexican immigrants, about 5.85 million, are unauthorized
MEXICO 5,850,000
GUATEMALA 525,000
EL SALVADOR 700,000
HONDURAS 350,000
COLOMBIA 130,000
ECUADOR 130,000
INDIA 500,000
CHINA 325,000
SOUTH KOREA 160,000
PHILIPPINES 180,000
2. GOING
Each year, about 500,000 undocumented immigrants return home on their own, get permanent residence, are deported or die.
27 YEARS
Time it would take at the current rate to deport all undocumented immigrants in the U.S. today
2M
1.5M
1M
0.5M
0
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
Border apprehensions dropped after 9/11 and after the 2007 recession, as fewer people tried to cross into the U.S.
DEPORTATIONS
TURNED AWAY
Canadians and Mexicans who were sent back to their home country at the border
REMOVED
Immigrants deported from the U.S., as well as non-Canadians and non-Mexicans apprehended at the border
UNDOCUMENTED CRIMINALS
Since Obama took office in 2009, the U.S. has focused enforcement resources on deporting convicted criminals.
255,000 non-criminals
2008
105,000 criminals
247,000 non-criminals
2014
168,000 criminals
[The following text appears within a map. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual map.]
3. STAYING
Half of undocumented immigrants have been in the U.S. for at least 13 years. That’s up from eight years in 2003. As a result of longer stays, there is a greater chance they have children born in the U.S.
UNAUTHORIZED-IMMIGRANT SHARE OF POPULATION:
5.0% OR MORE
3.5% TO 4.9%
2.5% TO 3.4%
1.6% TO 2.4%
1.5% OR LESS
4.5 MILLION
Number of U.S.-born children in 2012 younger than 18 living with at least one undocumented-immigrant parent; this population has doubled since 2000
WHERE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WORK:
13% Professional, management, business and finance
4% Farming, fishing and forestry
8% Transportation and material moving
14% Production, installation and repair
62% hold service, construction and production jobs, twice the share of U.S.-born workers
13% Sales, office and administrative support
33% Service
15% Construction and extraction
4. HISTORY
1924 Congress establishes U.S. Border Patrol and applies the first limits on the number of immigrants who can enter the country
Border-enforcement personnel have doubled since 2004, to 21,000
The annual Border Patrol budget has increased by 12% on average each year since 1990
$263M
$452M
$1.1B
$1.5B
$3.0B
$3.8B
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Immigration and customs enforcement cost $6 billion a year, about 10% of the Homeland Security budget
In 2006, the Bush Administration signed the Secure Fence Act. Since then, the U.S. has invested billions of dollars at the southern border. Investments have included:
300 miles of vehicle fencing
353 miles of pedestrian fencing
Video surveillance systems
Seismic, magnetic and thermal detection sensors
Manned and unmanned aircraft
Trump supporters and Clinton supporters have contrasting views on which policies best address illegal immigration
SUPPORTERS WHO
… say immigration is a very big problem
66% Trump
17% CLINTON
… are in favor of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border
FAVOR
OPPOSE
79%
TRUMP
18%
10%
CLINTON
88%
… want to prioritize stronger law enforcement and border security
78% TRUMP
19% CLINTON
… want to prioritize for undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship
80% CLINTON
19% TRUMP
SOURCES: DHS; PEW RESEARCH CENTER; CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES; CRS; GAO
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