Posted on 03/24/2006 10:47:01 AM PST by Nachum
The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to as many as 12 million, and they now account for about one in every 20 workers, a new estimate says.
Efforts to curb illegal immigration have not slowed the pace, said a report Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Instead, the report's author said, those efforts are having an unintended consequence: People who illegally enter the United States from Mexico are staying longer because it is harder to move back and forth across the border.
"The security has done more to keep people from going back to Mexico than it has to keep them from coming in," said Jeffrey Passel, a senior research associate at the center.
It is difficult to accurately measure the number of illegal immigrants in the United States, but most public agencies and private groups had settled on a figure of about 11 million.
The Pew Hispanic Center used Census Bureau data to estimate that the United States had 11.1 million illegal immigrants in March 2005. The center used monthly population estimates to project a current total of 11.5 million to 12 million.
The report estimates that 850,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in United States each year since 2000.
President Bush has called for a program that would grant temporary worker status to illegal immigrants already here. The House rejected the program and instead passed a border security bill last year that leaned toward lawmakers who were calling for a crackdown.
The Senate is trying to address both border security and the temporary worker program, but consensus has been elusive. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., has said he hopes his panel will produce a bill by the end of March.
There are about 7.2 million undocumented workers in the U.S., or about 5 percent of the country's work force, the Pew report said.
It estimated that illegal immigrants fill a quarter of all agricultural jobs, 17 percent of office and house cleaning positions, 14 percent of construction jobs and 12 percent in food preparation.
"Especially if we look at the Mexicans, these are people with fairly low levels of formal education," Passel said. "They're not able to get licensing or credentials in the United States because of their status, so the kinds of jobs available to them in the United States are somewhat limited."
Business leaders and advocates for immigrants' rights argue that America's economy would collapse if all the illegal workers were deported.
"Undocumented immigrants do pay taxes, and they do contribute to the economic, social and cultural developments of their communities," said Peta Ikambana of the American Friends Service Committee. The group was organizing a rally near the Capitol on Tuesday to protest the House bill.
"Just building walls will not stop immigration," Ikambana said. "Those that are here will just go underground."
Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates tougher border enforcement, said he isn't surprised that the number of illegal immigrants continues to climb. He called the government's crackdown halfhearted at best.
Camarota pointed to a recent government report showing that very few businesses are fined for hiring illegal immigrants. The government filed only three notices that it intended to fine companies in 2004, down from 417 notices in 1999, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.
Camarota said there would be plenty of Americans willing to accept jobs done by illegal immigrants if they paid adequate wages and benefits.
Tuesday's report by the Pew Hispanic Center said Mexicans make up 56 percent of illegal immigrants. An additional 22 percent come from other Latin American countries, mainly in Central America. About 13 percent are from Asia, and Europe and Canada combine for 6 percent.
Mexico and Latin America account for 88% of illegals.
Thanks, George!
I'd bet the house that the figure is probably closer to TWENTY MILLION and maybe more...
The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to as many as 12 million
Groups like American Friends can be sued in Civil suits by private persons under the expanded RICO statutes for violating the "Harboring" clause of the Immigration and Nationailty Act.
Next thing we do is turn around and import an entire new wave of de-facto slaves.
I DON'T GET IT.
If they come here voluntarily, how are they slaves?
It only took them two sentences to blame US for the problem instead of blaming people for illegally crossing the border in the first place.
I think your number is closer. Maybe even a little low.
Perhaps you should review the latest RICO opinion from the Supreme Court then - let me guess - you were fine with RICO not being applied to groups you DO support?
Perhaps we could solve illegal immigration by annexing and bringing freedom and prosperity to Mexico
And they and their kids are now openly demonstrating fearlessly and giving all Americans the finger. Including their lovely little high school socialist darlings who walked out of high school to demonstrate today in LA walking with their mexican flag.
just another reason to home school...
Absolutely!!
Join Veterans for Secure Borders, The Minuteman Project, Latino Americans for Immigration Reform, Mothers Against Illegal Aliens, and other groups protesting amnesty for these criminals, and demanding the government protect our borders.
http://www.areckoning.com/
It's more than 20 million. They haven't told the truth about any of this from day one because Americans would yell bloody murder and kick the scoundrels out of office. It's illegal beyond belief, foisting a profound change upon the US. The basic idea is simple: if we export capitalism throughout the hemisphere, if everybody's got a job, there won't be any more wars. (The rising tide lifts all boats theory.) Good intentions. Well, we know what road is paved with good intentions. Unfortunately, they (the CFR, globalist gang), didn't figure on a few potholes, such as: Mexicans and other Hispanics sneak in, decide Hey, life is good! And stay for good. Why go back home to a hellhole?
In fact, whole villages in Mexico are now depopulated. The bottom quarter of that benighted country has already arrived in the US, and half of everybody left is packing for the trip north -- that's the middle class. You'd think CFR and pals would have figured this would happen since it makes perfect sense, but evidently not. Didn't they think we'd notice twenty million foreigners speaking Spanish, playing soccer, doing roofing jobs, landscaping, cleaning, working at MacDonald's, et al, driving drunk, getting arrested, clogging emergency rooms, using welfare, demanding citizen benefits, in state resident tuition, etc.? Clearly, the only thing that will get their attention is a Muslim terrorist attack that starts with the gang crossing the border, then wreaking havoc and killing many thousands of innocent Americans.
Where in all this is there the least incentive for Mexico and the rest to get their house in order? Mexico's getting more money from remittances than even drugs or oil. Why in the world would they want their citizens back? As long as the money continues to flow south and Mexico bleeds the US white, they'll send their people north with a map to the nearest welfare center.
It's 20M+ if they say it's 12M. Probably 25M.
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The security has done more to keep people from going back to Mexico . . .
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Yeah, yeah, yeah -- arresting criminals MAKES them criminals; we've heard it all before.
Around here, the native thugs have figured out that illegals are the perfect target for crime as they won't or can't contact the po-po. It's open season on any and all Latinos now. Roll 'em and pop a cap in 'em. That's a reality based unintended consequence.
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