Virginia and Maryland are among the top dozen states with the largest populations of illegal immigrants, though that population is declining in Virginia while it remains steady in Maryland, a new report shows. The number of illegal immigrants living in Maryland and Virginia has grown exponentially over the past 20 years. Maryland, which had 35,000 illegal immigrants in 1990, is now home to 275,000, enough to rank 10th among the states. Virginia, which had 50,000 illegal immigrants in 1990, now has 210,000, ranking it 12th nationally, according to the report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
The number of illegal immigrants living in the District doubled between 1990 and 2007, from 15,000 to 30,000, but declined to 25,000 by 2010, the report showed.
Unlike Maryland, Virginia is just one of four states to see its population of illegal immigrants decline significantly between 2007 and 2010, the report showed. It declined by 100,000 in that time, while Maryland’s illegal population was unchanged.
| Estimated illegal immigrant population (in thousands) | |||||
| Jurisdiction | 2010 | 2007 | 2000 | 1990 | |
| D.C. | 25 | 30 | 25 | 15 | |
| Maryland | 275 | 275 120 | 35 | ||
| Virginia | 210 | 325 150 | 50 | ||
| Source: Pew Hispanic Center | |||||
Historically, the illegal immigrant population has grown and shrunk with the economy, said Jeffrey Passel, senior demographer at the center and a co-author of the report. Recent law enforcement crackdowns on illegal immigrants at the federal, state and local levels could also be contributing to a national decline since 2007, he said.
The economy and increased law enforcement were both factors in paring down the number of illegal immigrants living in Virginia.
The Pew report mirrors the findings of a study by the Migration Policy Institute, released Monday, that concluded that illegal immigrants have fled areas with tougher immigration law enforcement, like Prince William County in Virginia, for areas where enforcement is less strict, including Montgomery County.
Virginia’s declining population of illegal immigrants mirrors a national trend. There are 11.2 million immigrants now living illegally in the United States, down from 12 million in 2007.
Reports that its illegal immigrant population is already on the decline come as Virginia lawmakers weigh several new measures intended to crack down on illegal immigrants.
“Immigration has persistently been a hot topic in the General Assembly,” said Del. David Englin, D-Arlington. “A lot of these bills are brochure bills from Republicans worried about being challenged from their right by Tea Party activists.”
