The number of unauthorized immigrants illegally residing in the United States decreased in 2017 to the lowest level in roughly 15 years, largely due to the departure of millions of Mexican citizens over the past decade, according to a newly released Pew Research Center study.
Mexican citizens have historically made up the majority of the undocumented population. But Pew found Mexicans now no longer comprise the majority of illegal immigrants, with more citizens from countries other than Mexico — 5.6 million — now illegally in the states. In 2007, approximately 6.9 million Mexican citizens were known to be living in the U.S. The number dropped in 2017 to 4.9 million.
The think tank report found 10.5 million people were living in the country illegally in 2017. The figure had peaked at 12.2 million in 2007 but slowly decreased over the next decade. Pew first documented 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants nationwide in 1990.
The numbers have surely changed, though. Since 2017, the number of people who have illegally crossed into the U.S. from Mexico has skyrocketed to 13-year highs. During President Trump’s first few months in office, fewer than 20,000 people were arrested at the border monthly. Last month, more than 136,000 were apprehended.
The Trump administration has blamed “loopholes” in immigration policies, including how long federal agencies can hold asylum seekers and existing credible fear standards, for the uptick in illegal immigration.
“The number of Mexican unauthorized immigrants declined because more left the U.S. than arrived,” the Pew report states.
That corresponds with Customs and Border Protection data, which show apprehensions of Mexicans at the southern border have dropped from the majority of arrests to well below half of them, as Central American families now make up the majority.
The report said the change indicates recent arrivals are gaining entry in ways other than crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“A growing share of U.S. unauthorized immigrants do not cross the border illegally, but probably arrive with legal visas and overstay their required departure date. These ‘likely overstays’ have made up a large majority of unauthorized immigrant arrivals since 2010,” the report states.
Unauthorized immigrants make up just under one-quarter of the total U.S. foreign-born population. Lawful immigrants totaled 35.2 million in the country as of 2017, roughly 77%. Of that legal population, 45% are naturalized citizens, 27% are lawful permanent residents, and 5% are temporary lawful residents.
Pew included populations who have temporary permission to remain in the U.S., including Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, in its finding of 10.5 million illegal residents.
