Illegal Immigration Increases Under Tighter Security

Illegal immigration has increased according to the United States Census Bureau and an independent organization, which studies Hispanic population growth. Not only that, illegal aliens now outnumber those who moved into the country legally.

On 27 September the Pew Hispanic Center reported that illegal immigration has picked up following two years of declines, and immigration is reviving the economy of the United States.

In a published report by Pew, it shows steady growth in immigration during the 1990s followed by a peak in year 2000 and then a decline in 2001 and 2002. But in 2004, the most recent reporting cycle, immigration increased again to about 1.2 million, or about 3,290 per day. At its peak, immigration was at 1.5 million in year 2000, according to the United States Census Bureau.

The report's authors, Jeffrey Passel and Robert Suro, write that "both the run-up to the peak [2000] and the drop-off in immigration coincide with a variety of conditions known to influence such flows, most notably the performance of the U.S. economy."

Immigration grew sharply during the economic expansion of the 1990s, and then it declined after 2001 as the economy fell into a recession.

Mexico accounts for the largest single source of immigrants, mostly illegal, and trends closely relate to the pattern of changes on immigration as a whole.

By 2004 "more unauthorized migrants than authorized immigrants were entering the United States," authors write.

Immigrants continue to target heavily populated states of California and New York, but an increase in illegal immigration is seen throughout North Carolina and Iowa.

Arizona and New Mexico weren't at the top destination for immigrants, however as an entry point from Mexico, both states had declared state of emergency along their borders with Mexico as the federal government has all but dropped controlling illegal immigration both governors said.

Michael Chertoff, director of Homeland Security, said he would order a review of border security in the southwestern United States, but said funding additional controls would be at a state's expense.

The United States Senate subcommittee on immigration and border security was quick to respond to the Pew report saying that the immigration system is broken, and said it would consider reviewing reform measures. The Senate's Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship Subcommittee has proposed creating quick-and-easy temporary work visas and mandatory reporting by employers for cross-checking the status of temporary employees.

Legal immigration has declined due to governmental backlogs following changes in approval methods after 9-11, the report concludes.

Mexico and Central America account for about 55 percent of all immigrants, southeast Asia accounts for about 24 percent.

The Pew Hispanic Center calls itself a nonpartisan research organization supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Its policy is not to advocate or take a political position on immigration issues.