Illegal immigration declines as U.S. economy falters

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jrknothead
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02 Oct 2008, 10:16 pm

Illegal immigration declines as U.S. economy falters

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By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer
Thu Oct 2, 10:57 AM ET



WASHINGTON - Illegal immigration, which has sparked political and social turmoil in communities across the nation, is on the wane, according to an independent report released Thursday.

The number of illegal immigrants entering the United States has slowed significantly the past few years, falling below the number of those entering the country legally, according to the report by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington think tank.

The report estimates there were 11.9 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. as of March. That would be a decline of 500,000 from the center's estimate a year ago. However, the change was not statistically significant because of the large margins of error.

The Pew study does not address why the decrease occurred, but other researchers cite the nation's struggling economy and stepped up enforcement of immigration laws.

"The decline in job prospects in construction, service and other low-skilled jobs are communicated through extended networks of would-be movers from Mexico and Latin America," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, another Washington think tank. "It also may propel more return migration."

Census data released last month showed that overall immigration slowed dramatically in 2007, though the Census Bureau does not distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants are notoriously difficult to count. Many researchers, including the federal government, estimate there are about 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

That's a big increase from the start of the decade, when the Pew Hispanic Center estimated there were about 8.5 million.

From 2000 to 2004, about 800,000 illegal immigrants a year entered the U.S., the Pew report estimates. Since then, the average has dropped to about 500,000 a year.

A decade ago, the number of newly arrived illegal immigrants began to outnumber those legally entering the country, said the report, written by the Pew Hispanic Center's senior demographer, Jeffrey Passel, and senior writer, D'Vera Cohn.

"The reverse now appears to be true," the report said.

Illegal immigrants make up about 30 percent of all immigrants, according to the report. About four in five come from Latin America, with most coming from Mexico.

Congress has passed several measures designed to increase border enforcement, and the Bush administration has stepped up raids on businesses. Some local communities have also passed ordinances to address the issue.

Congress, however, has failed to pass a comprehensive package addressing illegal immigration, despite several attempts.

Illegal immigration has not been a big issue in this year's presidential election in part because both of the major parties' nominees, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, support comprehensive immigration packages that include increased enforcement and an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants.



Who knew the solution to the illegal immigration problem was so simple? We should destroy our economy more often... :lol:



DW_a_mom
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02 Oct 2008, 10:27 pm

jrknothead wrote:

Who knew the solution to the illegal immigration problem was so simple? We should destroy our economy more often... :lol:


Lol :)

It makes perfect sense, though. It's always been about supply and demand. That's what the folks trying to build fences and other barriers seem to choose to ignore.


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Jkid
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02 Oct 2008, 11:20 pm

DW_a_mom wrote:
That's what the folks trying to build fences and other barriers seem to choose to ignore.


Basic economics, even Congressmen tend to ignore them. Even though I hate economics.



matsuiny2004
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03 Oct 2008, 12:21 am

jrknothead wrote:
Illegal immigration declines as U.S. economy falters

Quote:
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer
Thu Oct 2, 10:57 AM ET



WASHINGTON - Illegal immigration, which has sparked political and social turmoil in communities across the nation, is on the wane, according to an independent report released Thursday.

The number of illegal immigrants entering the United States has slowed significantly the past few years, falling below the number of those entering the country legally, according to the report by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington think tank.

The report estimates there were 11.9 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. as of March. That would be a decline of 500,000 from the center's estimate a year ago. However, the change was not statistically significant because of the large margins of error.

The Pew study does not address why the decrease occurred, but other researchers cite the nation's struggling economy and stepped up enforcement of immigration laws.

"The decline in job prospects in construction, service and other low-skilled jobs are communicated through extended networks of would-be movers from Mexico and Latin America," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, another Washington think tank. "It also may propel more return migration."

Census data released last month showed that overall immigration slowed dramatically in 2007, though the Census Bureau does not distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants are notoriously difficult to count. Many researchers, including the federal government, estimate there are about 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

That's a big increase from the start of the decade, when the Pew Hispanic Center estimated there were about 8.5 million.

From 2000 to 2004, about 800,000 illegal immigrants a year entered the U.S., the Pew report estimates. Since then, the average has dropped to about 500,000 a year.

A decade ago, the number of newly arrived illegal immigrants began to outnumber those legally entering the country, said the report, written by the Pew Hispanic Center's senior demographer, Jeffrey Passel, and senior writer, D'Vera Cohn.

"The reverse now appears to be true," the report said.

Illegal immigrants make up about 30 percent of all immigrants, according to the report. About four in five come from Latin America, with most coming from Mexico.

Congress has passed several measures designed to increase border enforcement, and the Bush administration has stepped up raids on businesses. Some local communities have also passed ordinances to address the issue.

Congress, however, has failed to pass a comprehensive package addressing illegal immigration, despite several attempts.

Illegal immigration has not been a big issue in this year's presidential election in part because both of the major parties' nominees, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, support comprehensive immigration packages that include increased enforcement and an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants.



Who knew the solution to the illegal immigration problem was so simple? We should destroy our economy more often... :lol:


the illegal mexican immigrants realized there homeland now has a better economy :lol:


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Last edited by matsuiny2004 on 03 Oct 2008, 12:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

Vanilla_Slice
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04 Oct 2008, 4:44 pm

The reason is easy, nobody wants to come to the USA anymore. If I arrived at the US border now I'd be fingerprinted and photographed like a common criminal, even though I have done nothing wrong. Not the best welcome to 'the land of the free'.

VS



DW_a_mom
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04 Oct 2008, 6:31 pm

Vanilla_Slice wrote:
The reason is easy, nobody wants to come to the USA anymore. If I arrived at the US border now I'd be fingerprinted and photographed like a common criminal, even though I have done nothing wrong. Not the best welcome to 'the land of the free'.

VS


You forgot about the eye scan.

But this thread isn't about those arriving legally. Those who arrive illegally are, by definition, arriving under the cloak of darkness so to speak and, thus, avoid all that.


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michillimackinac
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05 Oct 2008, 9:01 pm

My whole family just snuck into mexico. Hopefully they need some more salespeople and IT managers down there. ;)