Thursday, November 29, 2007

Drudge and others are right now pushing this new study about the present immigration population put out by the Center for Immigration Studies. There's a fair amount of information in this study. Some key data points:
Immigrants account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13.

Overall, nearly one in three immigrants is an illegal alien. Half of Mexican and Central American immigrants and one-third of South American immigrants are illegal.

Since 2000, 10.3 million immigrants have arrived — the highest seven-year period of immigration in U.S. history. More than half of post-2000 arrivals (5.6 million) are estimated to be illegal aliens.

The proportion of immigrant-headed households using at least one major welfare program is 33 percent, compared to 19 percent for native households.


34 percent of immigrants lack health insurance, compared to 13 percent of natives. Immigrants and their U.S.-born children account for 71 percent of the increase in the uninsured since 1989.

Recent immigration has had no significant impact on the nation’s age structure. Without the 10.3 million post-2000 immigrants, the average age in America would be virtually unchanged at 36.5 years.

One thing that this study demonstrates is the acceleration of "illegal immigration." Of the total number of immigrants in the US, 1/3 are estimated to be "undocumented" but 50% of the post-2000 immigrants are "undocumented"--a significant increase.
According to this study the immigrant population in the US has grown 24% since 2000, and some states have seen massive gains in the percentage of immigration population since 2000. Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama have some of the fastest growing immigration populations, growing 152%, 160%, and 143%, respectively, over the past seven years.