Illegal immigration to the United States

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Illegal immigration, or unauthorized immigration, occurs when foreign nationals, known as aliens, violate US immigration laws by entering the United States unlawfully,[1][2] or by lawfully entering but then remaining after the expiration of their visas, parole or temporary protected status.

July 2024 data for border crossings showed the lowest level of border crossing since September 2020.[3] Between 2007 and 2018, visa overstays have accounted for a larger share of the growth in the illegal immigrant population than illegal border crossings,[4] which have declined considerably from 2000 to 2018.[5] In 2022, only 37% of illegal immigrants were from Mexico, the smallest share on record.[6] El Salvador, India, Guatemala and Honduras were the next four largest countries.[6] As of 2016, approximately two-thirds of illegal adult immigrants had lived in the US for at least a decade.[7] As of 2022, unauthorized immigrants made up 3.3% of the US population, though nearly one-third of those immigrants have temporary permission to be in the United States, such as those in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.[6]

Opponents of illegal immigration worry about crime, as well as possible social and economic burdens caused by migration.[8] Opponents also insist immigrants enter the United States through a formal process and do not want to reward those bypassing the system.[9][10]

Research shows that illegal immigrants increase the size of the US economy, contribute to economic growth, enhance the welfare of natives, contribute more in tax revenue than they collect, reduce American firms' incentives to offshore jobs and import foreign-produced goods, and benefit consumers by reducing the prices of goods and services.[11][12][13][14] Economists estimate that legalization of the illegal immigrant population would increase the immigrants' earnings and consumption considerably, and increase US gross domestic product.[15][16][17][18] Most scientific studies have shown that illegal immigrants commit less crime than natives and legal immigrants.[19][20][21] Sanctuary cities—which adopt policies designed to avoid prosecuting people solely for being in the country illegally—have no statistically meaningful impact on crime.[22][23] Research suggests that immigration enforcement has no impact on crime rates.[22][24][25]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1325(a) was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1181(c) was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (August 1, 2024). "Unlawful border crossings drop for 5th straight month, reaching lowest level since September 2020". CBS News. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Seitz, Amanda; Weissert, Will (January 4, 2019). "AP FACT CHECK: Visa overstays outpace border crossings". AP NEWS. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  5. ^ Qiu, Linda (June 20, 2018). "Border Crossings Have Been Declining for Years, Despite Claims of a 'Crisis of Illegal Immigration'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Passel, Jeffrey S.; Krogstad, Jens Manuel (July 22, 2024). "What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S." Pew Research Center. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "5 facts about illegal immigration in the U.S." Pew Research Center. November 28, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  8. ^ Nowrasteh, Alex (2021). "The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They're Wrong" (PDF). Immigration Research Library. Cato Institute. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  9. ^ "Illegal Immigration - Top Arguments For and Against". ProCon.org. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  10. ^ "Why Don't Unauthorized Migrants Come Here Legally?". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBO 2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mayda 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Liu 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Palivos 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rivera-Batiz 1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hall 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bratsberg 2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dustmann 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Hesson, Ted; Rosenberg, Mica; Hesson, Ted; Rosenberg, Mica (July 16, 2024). "Trump says migrants are fueling violent crime. Here is what the research shows". Reuters. Retrieved July 28, 2024. A range of studies by academics and think tanks have shown that immigrants do not commit crime at a higher rate than native-born Americans. A more limited universe of studies specifically examine criminality among immigrants in the US illegally but also find that they do not commit crimes at a higher rate.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gonzalez 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ a b Collingwood, Loren; Gonzalez-O'Brien, Benjamin; El-Khatib, Stephen (October 3, 2016). "Sanctuary cities do not experience an increase in crime". Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Martinez 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Miles 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference Baker 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).