Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Illegal immigration in the United States - statistics & facts
The population of unauthorized immigrants in the United States has been estimated to be around 10.99 million people as of 2022, a number which has seemingly stabilized after a period of rapid growth. However, studies show that the amount of alien encounters by the United States Border Patrol has significantly increased in the last few years, with 2,063,692 registered alien apprehensions and expulsions recorded in 2023. In addition, there were 895 immigrant deaths recorded near the southwest border in the U.S., the greatest number reported by the United States Border Patrol since 1998, suggesting that illegal immigration may be on the rise again. Currently, Mexico is the leading country of origin for most unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., with California being home to the highest number of illegal immigrants in the country. The most illegal immigrants returned in the U.S. are from the Philippines, followed by India, Canada, China, and Russia.
Under the Biden administration, the President has worked to reverse some of the stringent immigration policies that former president Donald Trump passed. These policies included stopping the Mexican border wall construction, protecting DACA recipients, and ending the travel ban on several Muslim majority countries. One of his proposed legislations includes the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which would provide a path to citizenship to as many as 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. This would include DACA recipients, agricultural workers, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries, and any undocumented individual who has been physically present in the U.S. on or before January 1, 2021, as long as they pay their taxes and can pass criminal and national security background checks. While a majority of Americans support this plan, most of the support comes from Democratic voters.
While public support for immigration has increased significantly over the years, recent studies have found Americans less likely to believe that immigration is a good thing for the United States in comparison to previous years. A 2024 survey further found that American opinions were split on whether immigration makes the U.S. better off or worse off, with 29 percent of respondents indicating that immigration made the country better off while 38 percent said it made the country worse off. However, in a 2020 poll on illegal immigrants being allowed to stay in the U.S. if they fulfill certain criteria, 75 percent of American respondents believed that illegal immigrants should have a way to them to stay legally if certain requirements are met. In comparison, only around a quarter of respondents thought that illegal immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the country legally.
Illegal immigration and the Biden administration
Under the Biden administration, the President has worked to reverse some of the stringent immigration policies that former president Donald Trump passed. These policies included stopping the Mexican border wall construction, protecting DACA recipients, and ending the travel ban on several Muslim majority countries. One of his proposed legislations includes the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which would provide a path to citizenship to as many as 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. This would include DACA recipients, agricultural workers, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries, and any undocumented individual who has been physically present in the U.S. on or before January 1, 2021, as long as they pay their taxes and can pass criminal and national security background checks. While a majority of Americans support this plan, most of the support comes from Democratic voters.
Public opinion on immigration
While public support for immigration has increased significantly over the years, recent studies have found Americans less likely to believe that immigration is a good thing for the United States in comparison to previous years. A 2024 survey further found that American opinions were split on whether immigration makes the U.S. better off or worse off, with 29 percent of respondents indicating that immigration made the country better off while 38 percent said it made the country worse off. However, in a 2020 poll on illegal immigrants being allowed to stay in the U.S. if they fulfill certain criteria, 75 percent of American respondents believed that illegal immigrants should have a way to them to stay legally if certain requirements are met. In comparison, only around a quarter of respondents thought that illegal immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the country legally.
