Report on Unauthorized Aliens

The Congressional Research Service (“CRS”) has released two recent reports which seek to analyze the extent of undocumented aliens in the U.S. and on the permanent residency (“green card”) programs.  In a series of articles, we will comment on the CRS reports with this article focusing on the unauthorized aliens in the U.S..  Both reports are helpful in providing some current information on the state of the U.S. immigration system and on the conflicting priorities which are likely to be part of the new comprehensive immigration reform, if and when it happens.

CRS Report on Unauthorized Aliens

The CRS report on unauthorized aliens seeks to describe and analyze the population of foreign nationals who are not authorized to be in the U.S.  By definition, such statistics are difficult to obtain, yet, the report does a good job in trying to put a profile on the population of unauthorized aliens.

Numbers.  The number of unauthorized aliens is not clear – according to recent estimates by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), approximately 10.8 million unauthorized aliens were living in the United States in January 2009.   Using different sources, the Pew Hispanic Center has estimated the March 2008 unauthorized resident population at about 11.9 million.

Date of Arrival.  Most of the unauthorized aliens currently in the U.S. (29%) came between 1995 and 1999.  28% came between 2000 and 2004.  Only 8% came to the U.S. between 2005 and 2008.

Country of Origin. Mexico has historically been the greatest source country for unauthorized migration to the United States. According to DHS, there were an estimated 6.7 million unauthorized aliens from Mexico residing in the United States in early 2009, representing 62% of the total unauthorized resident population at the time. DHS further estimates that there were 8.5 million unauthorized aliens living in the United States in 2009 from North America, which includes Mexico as well as Canada, the Caribbean, and Central America (79% of the total). According to the DHS analysis, South America accounted for 0.7 million unauthorized aliens in 2009, yielding a combined North America and South America total of 9.2 million (85% of the total unauthorized resident population). Asia accounted for an additional 1.0 million unauthorized aliens.

U.S. State of Residence.  California is home to more unauthorized aliens than any other state (24% according to DHS). DHS and the Pew Hispanic Center estimate that about one quarter of the U.S. unauthorized alien population in January 2009 and March 2008, respectively, was living in California.  DHS and the Pew Hispanic Center also identify the same next three top states of residence for unauthorized aliens (in order from highest to lowest unauthorized population: Texas – 16%, Florida – 7%, and New York – 5%).