Immigrants in the U.S.

Facts about Population, the Labor Force, and Deportation

Related Links Notable U.S. Immigrants Immigration Stats The Green Card Immigration Milestones Immigration Legislation Timeline

• A total of 69,975 persons were admitted to the United States as refugees during 2014. The leading countries of nationality for refugees were Iraq, Burma, Somalia, and Bhutan.
  
• In 2014, a total of 653,416 persons were naturalized. The leading countries of birth of new citizens were Mexico (94,889), India (37,854), the Philippines (34,591), and the People's Republic of China (30,284). The largest number of persons naturalizing lived in California (140,234), Florida (79,637), and New York (77,717).
  
• In 2014, a total of 1,016,518 persons became Lawful Permanent Residents. The leading countries of birth of new LPRs were Mexico (13%), India (7.7%), and China (7.5%).
  
• The years which saw the highest number of illegal immigrants apprehended were 2000 (1,814,729), 1999 (1,714,035), and 1998 (1,679,439). In 2014, the number was 662,483.
  
• In 2011, the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. was an estimated 11.5 million.
  
• According to the Department of Homeland Security, the illegal immigrant population grew 27 percent between 2000 and 2009.
  
• The percentage of the illegal immigrant population was 63 percent (about 6.8 million people) before 2000.
  
• The percentage of illegal immigrants who lived in California was 24 percent in 2012. Texas came in second with 16 percent.
  
• The percentage of the illegal immigrant population from Mexico was 59 percent (or 6.8 million) as of January 2013. Other countries with large amounts are El Salvador (660,000), Guatemala (520,000), Honduras (380,000) and China (280,000).
  
• The number of illegal immigrants removed from the U.S. by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2011 was 396,906. Almost 55 percent of the individuals removed had been convicted or misdemeanors or felonies.
  
• There were eight million unauthorized immigrants in the United States' labor force in 2010.
  
• The percentage of illegal immigrants in the U.S. labor force in 2010 was 5.2 percent.
  
• 350,000 children were born to at least one parent who was an unauthorized immigrant in 2009.
  
• More than 810,000 illegal immigrants offered to return to their native countries rather than being removed by force in 2008.
  
• 409,849 undocumented immigrants were detained in 2012 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
  
• 114 bills were enacted by legislatures within the first six months of 2012 that deal with undocumented immigrants, refugees, legal immigrants and seasonal workers.
  
• The number of Mexicans who immigrated to the U.S. from 2005 to 2010 was 1.4 million. 1.4 million was also the number of Mexican immigrants who, along with their U.S.-born children, moved to Mexico from the United States from 2005 to 2010.
  

Source: Department of Homeland Security