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Jeanfromfillmore
02-11-2010, 10:19 AM
Illegal immigrant numbers plunge
California's number drops by 250,000, the nation's nearly 1 million. The sharpest drop in three decades renews the debate over what to do about those still here.
A new report that the nation's illegal immigrant population has declined by nearly 1 million has sharpened the debate over whether to legalize those remaining or allow their numbers to shrink through attrition.

The number of illegal immigrants living in the United States dropped to 10.8 million in 2009 from 11.6 million in 2008, marking the second consecutive year of decline and the sharpest decrease in at least three decades, according to a report this week by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

California's illegal immigrant population, still the largest in the nation, declined by 250,000 to 2.6 million. The state now accounts for just one-quarter of the nation's total illegal migrant population, compared with 30% in 2000.

"This represents a sharp break from the past, when pretty much the illegal population has continually grown," said Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., research group that favors immigration restrictions. "It shows illegal immigration is not inexorable."

Homeland Security department spokesman Matthew Chandler attributed the decline both to the weak economy and what he called the deployment of "unprecedented resources" in stopping illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the country.

Immigration control advocates pounced on the report as evidence that illegal immigration can be reduced by restricting job opportunities and that legalization is not necessary to solve the problem. Giving a pathway to citizenship to qualified illegal immigrants has long been the most controversial element in congressional proposals for comprehensive immigration reform.

"Whether jobs dry up because the government is doing enforcement or because of the recession, illegal aliens react in a rational manner: They either will not come or they'll go home," said Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "It certainly shows that illegal immigration is a controllable phenomenon."

Immigrant advocates, however, argue that millions of illegal migrants have been here for years, with settled lives they will not easily disrupt to return home.

"Millions of people here are good citizens and workers who pay taxes and own homes," said Father Richard Estrada of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Los Angeles, a self-declared sanctuary for illegal immigrants. "The reality is that they are not going back."

The report estimated the size of the illegal immigrant population by comparing the total foreign-born population in the United States to the legal resident population and subtracting the difference. The report cautioned that changes made to the census survey could have affected the results.

Researchers believe the drop was caused by a combination of fewer illegal immigrants entering the country and more leaving. Mexican government census data, for instance, showed that 226,000 fewer people left that country in the year ending August 2008 than the previous year.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government has stepped up removal of illegal immigrants, to 387,790 in fiscal 2009 from 291,060 in 2007.

But Estrada said that undocumented immigrants still arrive daily at his church, seeking help.

Last week, he said, a couple came with candles, a baby Jesus doll -- and visibly swollen feet after walking days through the desert as they furtively crossed the southern border of the U.S. The woman asked for a priestly blessing after she tearfully described leaving her children behind in Mexico to find work here, Estrada said.

"She knew about the recession here, but there are no jobs over there, so they thought they would try here," Estrada said. "There are a lot of false hopes out there."

The Chinese illegal immigrant population showed the steepest decline, plummeting by nearly half to 120,000 in 2009 from 220,000 the previous year, the report showed. Mexicans, who account for 62% of the undocumented population, declined by 380,000 to 6.65 million. Illegal immigrants from South Korea, the Philippines and El Salvador declined while those from Guatemala, Honduras and India increased.

Among states, illegal immigrants increased in Georgia but declined in other major areas. Several states experienced a double-digit decline, led by Arizona's 17.8%, followed by Florida, New York and New Jersey.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twoller
02-11-2010, 12:40 PM
Always remember that it is derelict enforcement of the simple presence of illegals that is the problem. There is no other solution to confronting illegal immigrants besides policing and enforcement against the simple presence of illegals in the US. They need to be beaten back and nobody on the other side of the US border should ever imagine that they stand a chance at occupying US territory without permission from the authorities which should be rare and difficult. For example, nobody who does not speak English should expect any kind of residence in the US and nobody who is not a US citizen should imagine they can stay here indefinitely.

wetibbe
02-12-2010, 06:15 AM
I always have to laugh whenever I read these types of statistics.

How does the government know how many there are and who has gone home ? They can't even count the border jumpers coming in. Border Patrol estimates vary and some say they catch less than 1/3.

I see more illegals here standing along Route 59 than in the past.

Some of my friends say there may be 30 million illegals.

While it is true that some Mexicans did pack up and head back home, it is also true that many day laborers are stuck here flat broke with no means of getting out. It cost them $1,500 to cross the border and another $1,500 to be transported from the border to New York. Some went into hock and came on credit which the coyotes want paid back.

I would say that the statistics are essentially a SWAG scientific wild axx guess ! They could be off by 300% or more. What is being presented is surely from a great deal of guess work , poor data and incomplete records.

I tend to disbelieve an increasing number of Government statements taking into account the "spin" that is always going on.

REWHBLCAIN
02-12-2010, 01:02 PM
Number of Illegal Immigrants Plunges by 1M
Department of Homeland Security Reports Sharp Drop in Undocumented Population, Renewing Divisive Debate
The Associated Press, February 11, 2010
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/11/national/main6197466.shtml

The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has dropped by nearly 1 million, renewing the debate over what to do with those still in the country, according to a Los Angeles Times report Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security reported that illegal immigrant population dropped to 10.8 million in 2009 compared to 11.6 million in 2008. It was the second consecutive annual decline and the largest in at least three decades.

'This represents a sharp break from the past, when pretty much the illegal population has continually grown,' Steven Camarota, of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., think-tank that favors immigration restrictions, told the paper. 'It shows illegal immigration is not inexorable.'

According to the report, the downturn in illegal immigration is due in part to the bad economy, in which job opportunities have dried up. Homeland Security department spokesman Matthew Chandler told the paper that the U.S. had also deployed 'unprecedented resources' to crack down on illegal immigration.

The report renews a polarizing argument on how to address illegal immigrants' presence in the country.

Those in favor of tougher immigration control say the report offers proof that illegal immigration is linked to job opportunities. Take away the jobs and illegal immigrants will leave the U.S.

'Whether jobs dry up because the government is doing enforcement or because of the recession, illegal aliens react in a rational manner: They either will not come or they'll go home,' Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told the paper. 'It certainly shows that illegal immigration is a controllable phenomenon.'

But there are still those in favor of legalizing those undocumented immigrants already here.

'Millions of people here are good citizens and workers who pay taxes and own homes,' Rev. Richard Estrada of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Los Angeles, told the paper. 'The reality is that they are not going back.'

According to the DHS report, 63 percent of the illegal immigrants in the country arrived before 2000.

Among illegal immigrant groups, the Chinese population dropped by the largest percentage - nearly 50 percent. Mexicans, the largest illegal immigrant population, dropped 380,000 to 6.65 million.

Declines occurred in most parts of the country, though it increased in Georgia. Arizona, Florida, New Jersey and New York all saw double-digit drops.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The DHS report is available online at: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois_ill_pe_2009.pdf

CIS analysis of current population trends is available online at: http://cis.org/CurrentNumbers

REWHBLCAIN
02-12-2010, 01:03 PM
Illegal immigration down - because of economy or border control?
New data show the illegal immigrant population in the US plunged between 2008 and 2009. The report has sparked a debate about the reasons behind the decline and what it means for reform.
By Daniel B. Wood
The Christian Science Monitor, February 11, 2010
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0211/Illegal-immigration-down-because-of-economy-or-border-control




Report: Fewer illegal immigrants in Florida
By Victor Manuel Ramos
The Orlando Sentinel, February 11, 2010
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/02/report-fewer-illegal-immigrants-in-florida.html