Published on March 5th, 2020 | by Sunit Nandi

Top 7 Facts on US Immigration and Immigrants

The Mexico United States Border wall has created speculation all over the world. Immigration policies and laws in the US have evolved under different governments at different periods. It’s interesting that this factor has largely impacted the economic, social and cultural status of the present US. Here are the seven quick facts you should know about the US Immigrants.

1. History of US Immigration: The first immigrants were the people from Eurasia settling in America. They are known as Native Americans or Indian Americans who settled here some 20,000 years ago, probably during the late ice age. Later, at the beginning of 1492, the Europeans started to colonize America which disrupted the livelihood of Native Americans.
2. Impact on US Population: By 2065, immigrants and their descendants are projected to account for 88% of U.S. population growth assuming current immigration trends continue. In addition to new arrivals, U.S. births to immigrant parents will be critical to future growth in the country’s population. In 2017, the percentage of women giving birth was higher among immigrants (7.5%) than among the U.S. born (5.8%).
3. Immigrants Hotspots: California, Texas and New York are the three states with the majority of the immigrants, nearly half (45%) of total immigrants. California holds the largest immigrant population of any state in 2017, at 10.6 million. Texas and New York contained more than 4.5 million immigrants each. In 2017, most immigrants were settled in just 20 major metropolitan areas, with the largest populations in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. These top 20 metro areas were occupied by 28.7 million immigrants or 65% of the nation’s total.
4. Economic Contribution: Immigrants work at high rates and make up more than a third of the workforce in some industries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018, the labor force participation rate of immigrant adults was 65.7 percent, higher than the 62.3 percent rate for the native-born. Approximately, 27.2 million foreign-born adults, 63.4 percent of all foreign-born adults, were employed that year, compared to 59.8 percent of native-born adults
5. The Condition of the US- Mexican Border: In 2016, the Border Patrol of US employed 19,828 agents—61 percent more than the 12,349 agents employed in 2006. Staffing along the southern border has been increased to 54 percent from 11,032 individuals in 2006 to 17,026 in 2016.
  To date, 653 total miles of fencing has been constructed along the southern border, including 352 miles of pedestrian fencing and 300 miles of vehicle barriers. The existing 653 miles of fence cost between $2.8 million and $3.9 million per mile, and wall development costs for additional fencing could be even higher in desert areas. Given that the U.S.- Mexico border stretches almost 2,000 miles, completing the fence could cost upwards of $66.9 billion.
6. Updation of Immigration Laws: Trump’s immigration policies whirls around six major areas:
  - Completion of the US-Mexican Border.
  - Deport immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. They are presently protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
  - Curb travel and work visas from eight countries.
  - Increase the screening of refugees while cutting the staff needed to do so.
  - Revise the H-1B visa program.
  - Decrease legal immigration.
    If you are affected by these policies, it is convenient to consult a Los Angeles immigration attorney.
7. Public opinion on immigration: In a January 2017 CBS poll, 61 percent of respondents supported that unauthorized immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States and apply for citizenship eventually. In contrast, only 22 percent expressed that all unauthorized immigrants should be deported completely. The Support for immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship remains high.

Tags: facts, immigrants, immigration, top, United States, us

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.