Immigration

Almost all of the Center's research, regardless of topic, includes separate tabulations of data for U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics. The documents listed here focus specifically on trends in migration flows, the characteristics of the foreign-born population and attitudes towards immigration policy issues.

Related Publications

4.29.2010
Hispanics and Arizona’s New Immigration Law
More Americans believe that Hispanics are the targets of a lot of discrimination in American society than say the same about any other major racial or ethnic group, according to a Pew Research Center survey taken prior to the recent enactment of an immigration enforcement law by the state of Arizona. These findings from the Pew Research Center’s November 2009 survey are included in a new Pew Hispanic Center fact sheet that covers a range of issues, attitudes and trends related to the new Arizona measure and its potential impact on the Latino community and on the enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.

4.1.2010
Latinos and the 2010 Census: The Foreign Born Are More Positive
A new nationwide survey of Latinos finds that foreign-born Latinos are more positive and knowledgeable about the 2010 Census than are native-born Latinos. While majorities of both groups say that the census is good for the Hispanic community, the foreign born are significantly more likely to feel this way. The foreign born are also more likely to correctly say that the census cannot be used to determine who is in the country legally; more likely to trust the Census Bureau to keep their personal information confidential; and more likely to say they have seen or heard messages encouraging them to participate in the census.

1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2008
This statistical profile of the Latino population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It covers virtually the same topics as those in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and, for the first time, persons living in group quarters.

1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2008
This statistical profile of the foreign-born population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It covers virtually the same topics as those in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and, for the first time, persons living in group quarters.

12.11.2009
Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America
Latino youths ages 16 to 25 are satisfied with their lives, optimistic about their futures and place a high value on education, hard work and career success. Yet they are much more likely than other American youths to drop out of school and to become teenage parents. They are more likely than white and Asian youths to live in poverty. Two-thirds are the U.S.-born children or more distant descendants of immigrants, and many straddle two cultures -- American and Latin American. A Pew Hispanic Center report based on a new nationwide survey of Latino youths and on analyses of government data examines the values, attitudes, experiences and self-identity of this generation as it comes of age in America.

7.22.2009
Mexican Immigrants: How Many Come? How Many Leave?
The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the United States has declined sharply since mid-decade, but there is no evidence of an increase in Mexican-born migrants returning home from the U.S.

Survey data from the U.S. and Mexico reveal a large flow of migrants back to Mexico, but the size of the return flow appears to be stable since 2006. As for immigration to the U.S. from Mexico, surveys from both countries attest to recent substantial decreases in the number of new arrivals, reinforced by U.S. Border Patrol data showing markedly reduced apprehensions of Mexicans trying to cross into the United States illegally.

4.15.2009
Mexican Immigrants in the United States, 2008
This statistical profile provides historical data on the flow of migrants from Mexico to the U.S. The profile also describes the demographic, employment and income characteristics of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. using data from the March 2008 Current Population Survey.

4.14.2009
A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
The nation's 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants are more geographically dispersed than in the past, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center demographic and geographic analysis of this group that includes population and labor force estimates for each state. Undocumented immigrants also are more likely than either U.S. born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with children, a growing share of whom--73%--are U.S. born citizens. The new report also finds that the recent rapid growth in the undocumented immigrant labor force has come to a halt, and estimates that the nation's 8.3 million unauthorized immigrant workers in March 2008 made up 5.4% of the labor force.

3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2007
This statistical profile of the foreign-born population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It covers virtually the same topics as those in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and, for the first time, persons living in group quarters.

3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2007
This statistical profile of the Latino population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It covers virtually the same topics as those in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and, for the first time, persons living in group quarters.

2.18.2009
A Rising Share: Hispanics and Federal Crime
Sharp growth in illegal immigration and increased enforcement of immigration laws have altered the ethnic composition of offenders sentenced in federal courts. Latinos, who are 13% of the U.S. adult population, accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders in 2007—up from 24% in 1991. Immigration offenses now represent about one-quarter of all federal convictions, compared with 7% in 1991. Most Latinos with federal sentences are not U.S. citizens. Hispanics are more likely to receive a prison term but it is generally shorter than prison terms for whites and blacks.

10.2.2008
Trends in Unauthorized Immigration: Undocumented Inflow Now Trails Legal Inflow
There were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in March 2008, according to new Pew Hispanic Center estimates. The unauthorized immigrant population grew more slowly in the period from 2005 to 2008 than it did earlier in the decade. The inflow of immigrants who are undocumented has now fallen below that of immigrants who are legal permanent residents, reversing a trend that began a decade ago.

9.18.2008
2008 National Survey of Latinos: Hispanics See Their Situation in U.S. Deteriorating; Oppose Key Immigration Enforcement Measures
Half (50%) of all Latinos say that the situation of Latinos in this country is worse now than it was a year ago, according to a new nationwide survey of 2,015 Hispanic adults conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center. On the question of immigration enforcement, Latinos disapprove of all five enforcement measures asked about in this survey--and generally do so by lopsided margins.

1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2006
This statistical profile of the Latino population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It covers virtually the same topics as those in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and, for the first time, persons living in group quarters.

1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2006
This statistical profile of the foreign-born population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It covers virtually the same topics as those in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and, for the first time, persons living in group quarters.

1.23.2008
Arizona: Population and Labor Force Characteristics, 2000-2006
This fact sheet presents a demographic profile of Arizona's Hispanic and foreign-born populations in 2006. Arizona is the first state in the nation to enact a law that penalizes businesses for knowingly hiring unauthorized immigrants. The Legal Arizona Workers Act took effect on Jan. 1, 2008.

12.13.2007
2007 National Survey of Latinos: As Illegal Immigration Issue Heats Up, Hispanics Feel a Chill
The 2007 National Survey of Latinos finds Hispanics are feeling a range of negative effects from the increased public attention to immigration and stepped up enforcement measures.

12.6.2007
Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?
This report analyzes Census data and voting trends on a state-by-state basis to explore the potential of Latinos to be a "swing vote" in the 2008 presidential election.

11.29.2007
English Usage Among Hispanics in the United States
Nearly all adult children of Latino immigrants, but only a small minority of immigrants, describe themselves as fluent in English. English is spoken more commonly at work than at home by all generations. Hispanic immigrants report greater fluency in English if they are highly educated, arrived in the United States as children or have spent many years here. Those born in Puerto Rico and South America are the most likely to say they are proficient in English; Mexican-born are the least likely.

10.25.2007
Between Here and There: How Attached Are Latino Immigrants to Their Native Country?
Most Latino immigrants maintain some connection to their native country by sending remittances, traveling back or telephoning relatives, but just one-in-ten engages in all three activities on a regular basis and nearly three-in-ten engage in none. The attachment of Latino immigrants to their native country is related to where they came from, their age at arrival, and their years in the U.S, and their attitudes toward the U.S.

5.30.2007
Indicators of Recent Migration Flows from Mexico
The Mexican-born population in the U.S. has continued to increase but the rate of growth appears to have slowed beginning in mid-2006. This preliminary assessment is based on data that indirectly reflect the pace of migration over time.

3.28.2007
Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization
The proportion of all legal foreign-born residents who have become naturalized U.S. citizens rose to 52% in 2005, the highest level in a quarter of a century and a 14 percentage point increase since 1990, according to an analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center. Mexicans still have a comparatively lower tendency to become U.S. citizens, but the number of naturalized citizens from Mexico rose by 144% from 1995 to 2005--the sharpest increase among immigrants from any major sending country.

10.10.2006
From 200 Million to 300 Million: The Numbers behind Population Growth
The U.S. population will reach 300 million some time this month. This fact sheet presents an analysis, by race/ethnicity and nativity, of the 100 million people who were added to the population since 1966-67. In addition, the fact sheet breaks down the U.S. population, again by race/ethnicity and nativity, when it was 200 million and at the 300 million mark.

8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of Hispanics at Mid-Decade
This statistical profile of the Latino population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2005 American Community Survey public use microdata file, which was released August 29, 2006. The topics covered are virtually the same as those in the long form of the decennial census. Fully implemented nationwide for the first time in 2005, the ACS became the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It provides statistical resources not previously available except with data from a decennial census.

8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade
This statistical profile of the foreign born population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2005 American Community Survey public use microdata file, which was released August 29, 2006. The topics covered by the ACS are virtually the same as those in the long form of the decennial census. Fully implemented nationwide for the first time in 2005, the ACS became the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It provides statistical resources not previously available except with data from a decennial census.

8.25.2006
Cubans in the United States
Compared with the rest of the Hispanic population in the United States, Cubans are older, have a higher level of education, higher median household income and higher rate of home ownership. While there are important differences among Cubans, particularly between those who arrived before 1980 and those who arrived in subsequent years, as a group Cubans in the United States are distinct in many ways from the rest of the Hispanic population.

7.13.2006
2006 National Survey of Latinos: The Immigration Debate
The first major survey of Latinos in the wake of the pro-immigration marches and the debate in Congress reveals how the battle over immigration reform has affected Hispanic public opinion. More than half of Latinos believe the debate has increased discrimination. Almost two-thirds think the pro-immigrant marches signal the beginning of a new and lasting social movement. And in marked contrast to prior surveys, a majority now believes Hispanics are working together to achieve common goals.

7.5.2006
Gender and Migration
This report examines the gender composition of migration to the U.S. The report shows that while females have been an increasing share of migrants worldwide in recent decades, the U.S. has defied the trend. Legal migration to the U.S. is in fact more female as it is elsewhere, but the effects of a growing and largely male unauthorized migration has meant that women are slightly smaller share of the foreign born population than 25 years ago. The report also shows that the profile of the female immigrant to the U.S. has changed considerably over the past quarter century. In 2004, recently arrived female migrants were better educated, older and less likely to have children than their counterparts in 1980.

6.7.2006
Hispanic Attitudes Toward Learning English
Hispanics by a large margin believe that immigrants have to speak English to be a part of American society and even more so that English should be taught to the children of immigrants, according to recent surveys conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center.

5.22.2006
Modes of Entry for the Unauthorized Migrant Population
Nearly half of all the unauthorized migrants now living in the United States entered the country legally through a port of entry such as an airport or a border crossing point where they were subject to inspection by immigration officials. As much as 45% of the total unauthorized migrant population entered the country with visas that allowed them to visit or reside in the U.S. for a limited amount of time. Known as "overstayers," these migrants became part of the illegal population when they remained after their visas had expired.

5.17.2006
The State of American Public Opinion on Immigration in Spring 2006: A Review of Major Surveys
This fact sheet reviews findings on attitudes towards immigration and immigration policy options from a variety of major surveys of the American public taken this spring by several different media and research organizations. Looking at this body of data as a whole indicates that the American public has generally consistent views. The polls do not suggest major shifts in public opinion over the spring as a result of either the immigrant marches or the policy debate with one important exception: The share of Americans who see immigration as a major problem has been increasing rapidly, and the growing concern is especially notable among Republicans.

4.26.2006
Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for States based on the March 2005 CPS
This fact sheet presents estimates for the number of unauthorized migrants living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on a well-established methodology applied to data from the March 2005 Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted jointly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, is best known as the source for monthly unemployment statistics. Every March both the sample size and the questionnaire of the CPS are augmented to produce the Annual Social and Economic Supplement, which provides additional data on several additional subjects, including the foreign-born population.

4.5.2006
Recently Arrived Migrants and the Congressional Debate on Immigration
Some of the proposals in immigration legislation under consideration in the U.S. Congress would distinguish between unauthorized migrants of long standing and those more recently arrived. For example, one alternative would offer a path towards immediate legal status for those who have been in the U.S. for five years or more while those with less time in the country would have the chance to apply for temporary worker status. This Fact Sheet presents information from several data sources showing that short-term illegal migrants comprise a sizeable and somewhat distinct population.

3.30.2006
America's Immigration Quandary: No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes
Americans are increasingly concerned about immigration. A growing number believe that immigrants are a burden to the country, taking jobs and housing and creating strains on the health care system. Yet the public remains largely divided in its views of the overall effect of immigration. Roughly as many believe that newcomers to the U.S. strengthen American society as say they threaten traditional American values, and over the longer term, positive views of Latin American immigrants, in particular, have improved dramatically. Reflecting this ambivalence, the public is split over many of the policy proposals aimed at dealing with the estimated 11.5 million-12 million unauthorized migrants in the U.S. The poll is based on a survey conducted nationally and in five cities in conjunction with the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.

3.7.2006
Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S.: Estimates Based on the March 2005 Current Population Survey
Analysis of the March 2005 Current Population Survey shows that there were 11.1 million unauthorized migrants in the United States a year ago. Based on analysis of other data sources that offer indications of the pace of growth in the foreign-born population, the Center developed an estimate of 11.5 to 12 million for the unauthorized population as of March 2006.

2.22.2006
Pew Hispanic Center Survey of Mexicans Living in the U.S. on Absentee Voting in Mexican Elections
Strict requirements, insufficient information about registration procedures and lack of public interest hobbled Mexico's first effort to conduct absentee voting among its more than ten million adult citizens living in the United States, according to a Pew Hispanic Center survey. About one-half of one percent of Mexicans in the U.S. sought absentee ballots for the presidential election in July during a registration period which ended last month. Full toplines are available under "Other Resources."

12.6.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part Three: The Economic Transition to America
This study analyzes the employment experience of migrants before they left Mexico, their transition into the U.S. labor market, and their economic status in their new jobs. It uses the Pew Hispanic Center's Survey of Mexican Migrants, which interviewed 4,836 migrants, mostly believed to be undocumented, as they were applying for identity cards issued by Mexican consulates. The vast majority were gainfully employed before they left for the U.S. Failure to find work at home does not seem to be the primary reason that the estimated 6.3 million undocumented migrants from Mexico have come to the U.S.

9.27.2005
Rise, Peak and Decline: Trends in U.S. Immigration 1992 – 2004
A new report by the Pew Hispanic Center, "Rise, Peak and Decline: Trends in U.S. Immigration 1992 – 2004," provides the first detailed analysis of recent year-to-year immigration flows to the United States. Using newly developed statistical methods, Jeffrey S. Passel, one of the nation's most respected demographers in the field of immigration and a senior research associate at the Center, breaks down the overall increases in the foreign-born population that the United States has experienced since the early 1990s into estimates of annual flows and charts key changes in its major components, including countries of origin and legal status. With co-author and Center director Roberto Suro, Passel offers new insights into the pace and content of migration. The report is based on multiple data sources compiled by the US Census Bureau.

8.16.2005
Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy: Surveys among Latinos in the U.S. and in Mexico
The Pew Hispanic Center released findings from major new surveys conducted in the U.S. and Mexico on attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy options. A survey of U.S. Latinos shows that views are not unanimous on unauthorized migrants and U.S. policy toward them. A separate survey in Mexico reveals the size of the Mexican population that is considering migration to the United States, including those inclined to come without legal status.

7.26.2005
The New Latino South: The Context and Consequences of Rapid Population Growth
The Pew Hispanic Center released a new report that examines the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the South. The study details the distinctive characteristics of the Latinos moving to new settlement areas, the very successful economic development models that prompted the Hispanic influx and the consequences for local policymakers. The report provides detailed demographic and economic data on six states: Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

6.14.2005
Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics
Contrary to the stereotype of undocumented migrants as single males with very little education who perform manual labor in agriculture or construction, a new Pew Hispanic Center report shows that most of the unauthorized population lives in families, a quarter has at least some college education and that illegal workers can be found in many sectors of the US economy. The report builds on previous work that estimated the size and geographic dispersal of the undocumented population and offers a portrait of that population in unprecedented detail by examining family composition, educational attainment, income and employment.

3.21.2005
Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Undocumented Population
The undocumented population of the United States now numbers nearly 11 million people, including more than 6 million Mexicans according to new estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center, based on the most recent official data available. State-level data shows that Arizona and North Carolina now rank among the states with the largest populations of unauthorized migrants. The estimates were developed by Jeffrey S. Passel, a senior research associate at the Center and a veteran demographer who specializes in the foreign-born population.

3.14.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part Two: Attitudes about Voting in Mexican Elections and Ties to Mexico
As the Mexican Congress debates a proposal that would grant Mexican citizens living in the United States the right to vote in Mexican presidential elections for the first time, the Pew Hispanic Center releases another in its series of reports on an unprecedented survey of Mexican migrants in the United States. The survey findings reveal whether the migrants would vote if they could and which segments of the migrant population are likely to meet key eligibility requirements. The report also explores other ties between the Mexican migrant population in the United States and their home country.

3.2.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part One: Attitudes about Immigration and Major Demographic Characteristics
As the debate over immigration reform intensifies, the Pew Hispanic Center has conducted an unprecedented survey of Mexican migrants in the United States, including thousands who say they have no U.S.-issued identity documents. The survey explores their willingness to participate in a temporary worker program of the sort proposed by President Bush as well as a permanent legalization program. The survey also provides detailed information on demographic characteristics, living arrangements and work experiences. The survey sample is comprised of 4,836 Mexican adults interviewed as they applied for identity cards at Mexican consulates in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Raleigh and Fresno.

6.7.2004
The Remittance Marketplace: Prices, Policy and Financial Institutions
Research by the Pew Hispanic Center points to difficulties in achieving further price reductions; limited penetration of the market by financial institutions. On the eve of the annual summit meeting of the world's leading industrialized nations, the Pew Hispanic Center released a detailed evaluation of how much it costs for immigrants to send money back home to their families in Latin America.

3.19.2004
Assimilation and Language
This survey brief explores the concept of assimilation and the role of language in explaining this process.

3.19.2004
Generational Differences
This survey brief explores the differences in demographics, attitudes and experiences of first, second and third generation or higher Latinos. It also looks at "generation one and a half," those Latinos who arrived in the United States before age 10.

3.19.2004
Health Care Experiences
This survey brief examines Latinos' experiences with health care in the United States. Topics discussed include coverage, accessing health care services, and communicating with health care providers.

1.7.2004
Immigration Data Excerpts: From the 2002 National Survey of Latinos and 2002 Pew Hispanic Center Report on Undocumented Workers
In light of President George W. Bush's January 7, 2004 announcement of a new immigration initiative, the Pew Hispanic Center provided information about attitudes towards immigrant and immigration policy, and estimates of the size of the undocumented population in the United States. Sources for the data are the National Survey of Latinos, conducted in 2002 jointly by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Center's March 2002 report entitled "How Many Undocumented: The Numbers Behind the U.S.-Mexico Migration Talk."

11.24.2003
Remittance Senders And Receivers: Tracking The Transnational Channels
Across the United States some six million immigrants from Latin America now send money to their families back home on a regular basis. The number of senders and the sums they dispatched grew even when the U.S. economy slowed, and looking to the future, the growth seems likely to continue and potentially to accelerate. The total remittance flow from the United States to Latin America and the Caribbean could come close to $30 billion this year, making it by far the largest single remittance channel in the world.

10.14.2003
The Rise Of The Second Generation: Changing Patterns In Hispanic Population Growth
As it continues to grow, the composition of the Hispanic population is undergoing a fundamental change: Births in the United States are outpacing immigration as the key source of growth. Over the next twenty years this will produce an important shift in the makeup of the Hispanic population with second-generation Latinos--the U.S.-born children of immigrants-- emerging as the largest component of that population. Given the very substantial differences in earnings, education, fluency in English, and attitudes between foreign-born and native-born Latinos, this shift has profound implications for many realms of public policy, and indeed for anyone seeking to understand the nature of demographic change in the United States.

12.4.2002
The Improving Educational Profile Of Latino Immigrants
It is a commonplace claim that the education level of the Latino immigrant population is continually falling behind that of the U.S.-born population. However, the Pew Hispanic Center finds that the educational profile of the adult population of foreign-born Latinos has improved significantly during the past three decades. These gains, however, have not yet produced a notable convergence with the level of education in the native-born U.S. population. During the period 1970 to 2000 the native-born population also experienced improvements of education that outpaced the progress among Latino immigrants. Nonetheless, the trends identified in this report suggest that the gap between immigrants and natives will narrow in the future.

11.22.2002
Billions In Motion: Latino Immigrants, Remittances And Banking
Central banks across the region are tracking remittance income more carefully which has somewhat boosted the numbers they report. Nonetheless, there seems little doubt that the remittance flow has continued to increase over the past two years even as the U.S. economy dropped from its boom time peaks. In 2000 remittances to Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua--nations that receive almost all their money transfers from the United States--totaled some $10.2 billion. This year that figure could reach $14.2 billion or more, a flow of $39 million a day. By 2005 the sum, which does not capture all remittances to Latin America, will go beyond $18 billion, according to projections by the Pew Hispanic Center.

7.30.2002
Latino Growth In Metropolitan America: Changing Patterns, New Locations
The Latino population is rapidly evolving and that its demographic impact on the nation is changing quickly. Significant concentrations of Hispanics are no longer confined to a few regions such as Southern California or the Southwest, or only to a few cities like New York and Miami. Instead, in the coming years Hispanic population growth will most impact communities that had relatively few Latinos a decade ago.

5.9.2002
Counting The : How Many Colombians, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans And Salvadorans Are There In The United States?
This study reports on an alternative estimate of the breakdown of the Hispanic population according to national origin groups. Based on recently released Census Bureau data, the estimate reduces the "other" category by more than half. This estimate does not change the overall size of the Hispanic population, but it does offer a new calculation of how national groups are distributed within that population.

3.21.2002
How Many Undocumented: The Numbers Behind The U.S.-Mexico Migration Talks
There are more than 5 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. economy. This study estimates that these workers have become a very substantial presence in the sectors where they are concentrated. More than a million undocumented persons are employed in manufacturing and a similar number in the service industries. More than 600,000 work in construction and more than 700,000 in restaurants.

3.21.2002
Guest Workers: New Solution, New Problem?
This paper addresses three questions: (1) How many unauthorized workers are employed in U.S. agriculture? (2) How many unauthorized farm workers would be eligible for a legalization or guest worker program that required e.g. 60, 90 or 120 days of U.S. farm work during a qualifying 12-month base period? (3)How many guest workers would be admitted under the most likely legalization/guest worker programs; that is, what are likely exit rates from the farm work force for newly legalized workers? The concluding section discusses the implications of alternative scenarios for dealing with immigration and farm workers.

1.24.2002
Estimates of Numbers of Unauthorized Migrants Residing In the United States: The Total, Mexican, and Non-Mexican Central American Unauthorized Populations in Mid-2001
This brief report presents estimates of the number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States in mid-2001 for three separate groups: the total unauthorized population, the Mexican unauthorized population, and the non-Mexican Central American unauthorized population. The approach to estimation used is one set forth recently by Bean, et al (2001) that extends and amplifies work originally begun as part of the Mexico/U.S. Binational Migration Study (1997; Bean, et al. 1998). The specific features of the approach are described in detail in Bean, et al (2001). Basically, the method involves subtracting estimates of the numbers of persons residing in the country legally from the numbers of foreign born persons in official government surveys (which are known to contain both legal and unauthorized persons), and then adjusting for extra undercount of such persons in the surveys. The resulting figures give estimates of various unauthorized populations in the country.

1.24.2002
The Impact of the 2001/2002 Economic Recession on Hispanic Workers: A Cross-Sectional Comparison of Three Generations
Currently there are nearly 35 million Hispanics in the U.S., making them the second-largest ethnic group in the country. But the effect of the current recession on this important group is unknown. Yet, it is unlikely that all Hispanics have been similarly affected by the recession. Hispanics are a varied group not just in terms of national origin, but also in terms of time in the U.S., ranging from newly arrived immigrants to U.S.-born Hispanics. This report examines how three generations of Hispanics have fared in September and October 2001, compared to September 2000 and September 1999.

1.24.2002
The Socioeconomic Status of Hispanic New Yorkers: Current Trends and Future Prospects
This research report presents data showing the major demographic and socioeconomic changes in the Hispanic population of New York in the 1990s. It shows that despite gains in some areas, on average, Hispanics in New York were not significantly better-off in 2000 than in 1990. The household income per capita of Hispanic New Yorkers increased only slightly in the 1990s, compared to a much stronger expansion among White New Yorkers. By 2000, Hispanics displayed per-capita income of about one-third that of the non-Hispanic White population. The roots of the lack of change in Hispanic overall socioeconomic status in the 1990s lie, first, in the major demographic changes in the city, as reflected in an influx of relatively unskilled immigrants and an exodus of relatively skilled, high-income Hispanic New Yorkers; it also responds to the sluggish economic recovery of the city from one of its most severe recessions this century.