Private Study Finds a Surge In Undocumented Immigrants

Associated Press
March 21, 2005 1:26 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The nation's undocumented immigrant population surged to 10.3
million last year, spurred largely since 2000 by the arrivals of
unauthorized Mexicans in the U.S., a report being released Monday says.

The population of undocumented residents in the U.S. increased by about 23%
from 8.4 million in the four-year period ending last March, according to the
analysis of government data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a private research
group. That equates to a net increase of roughly 485,000 per year between
2000 and 2004. The estimate was derived by subtracting the number of
unauthorized immigrants who leave the U.S., die or acquire legal status from
the number of new undocumented immigrants that arrive each year.

The prospect of better job opportunities in the U.S. than in their native
countries remains a powerful lure for many immigrants, said Pew center
director Roberto Suro, pointing to a reason often cited by other
researchers. "The border has been the focus of federal efforts [to cut
illegal entry] and has not produced a reduction in flow. Certainly that's an
indication of ongoing demand," he said.

The population is growing at a similar pace as in the late 1990s although
the U.S. economy today isn't as robust, Mr. Suro said. Assuming the flow of
undocumented immigrants into the country hasn't abated since March 2004, the
population is likely near 11 million now.

The report considered "undocumented" immigrants primarily as those here
illegally; those in the U.S. on expired visas; or those who violated the
terms of their admission in other ways. Also included are a small percentage
of immigrants who may have legal authorization to be in the U.S., including
those with temporary protected status and those applying to seek asylum.

Mexicans by far remain the largest group of undocumented migrants at 5.9
million, or about 57% of the March 2004 estimate. Some 2.5 million others,
or 24%, are from other Latin American countries.

Overall, the U.S. foreign-born population, regardless of legal status, was
35.7 million last year. Those of Mexican descent again comprised the largest
subgroup -- more than 11 million, or 32%.

Controlling the flow of immigrants over the porous U.S.-Mexico border will
be a central topic of discussion when Mexican President Vicente Fox meets
with President Bush in Texas Wednesday. The number of U.S. residents with
Mexican backgrounds has increased by nearly 600,000 annually since 2000,
with more than 80% of the new arrivals here with proper documentation, the
Pew center estimated.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other government officials have
raised concerns about border security amid recent intelligence that al Qaeda
terrorists have considered using the Southwest border to infiltrate the U.S.

Mr. Bush, meanwhile, has also promoted a guest-worker program that would
allow migrants to work in the U.S. for a limited time as long as they have a
job lined up. Critics of the plan argue that such workers drive down wages
because they often work for lower pay and fewer benefits that native-born
residents.

"The best way to approach this is attrition by enforcement -- better
enforcement of the borders and of worksites," said Steve Camorata of the
private Center for Immigration Studies.

The Pew report found undocumented immigrants increasingly fanning out beyond
longtime destination for foreign-born residents. In 1990, 88% of the
undocumented population lived in six states -- California, New York, Texas,
Illinois, Florida and New Jersey. By 2004, those states accounted for 61% of
the nation's undocumented population. The top state is California, where
nearly one-quarter of the undocumented reside, followed by Texas (14%) and
Florida (9%). Next on the list were New York (7%), Arizona (5%), Illinois
(4%), New Jersey (4%), and North Carolina (3%).

Arizona and North Carolina are two of the fastest-growing states in the
nation overall and have metropolitan areas booming with new construction,
restaurants and service-oriented businesses -- job sectors that often hire
undocumented workers.

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