Immigration numbers can only be so accurate in America. The reason for this is that millions of people flood across the Mexican-American border every year in search of a new start. People from as far south as Chile make treacherous train journeys into America, often fleeing violence or extreme poverty. This is a phenomenon unique to the United States – no other major industrialized nation is dealing with anything close to this incessant influx of people. The reason for this is mostly geographical, of course. England is an island, and France is surrounded by stable countries. Germany must manage migrants from Eastern Europe that find ways to make it in the country without papers. The same goes for Greece and Spain, both dealing with an influx of Middle Eastern and African migrants respectively.
None of these European examples match the severity of the American illegal immigration situation today. Here are 5 facts to illustrate the reality of illegal immigration into America:
There are millions of undocumented people already, and it’s only growing: The last official assessment of illegal immigrants living in America put the number at 11.1 million. This accounts for roughly 3.5% of the entire population, which might not sound surprising. What is a surprise is when these numbers are added onto the immigration numbers. Taken together, America has over 50 million immigrants living and working in the country. That pushed the percentage to over 15%, the highest number in the history of the nation.
Most of these people are working: Job force data released in 2014 found that roughly 8 million were unauthorized workers – or 5% of the entire workforce.
Mexicans love America: The majority of these undocumented residents are Mexicans. Data from 2014 showed that approximately 52% of all unauthorized workers are Mexican.
It’s only an issue in certain States: The states with the most illegal immigrants is California. Other states with high percentages include Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois. Taken together, these six states account for 59% of all undocumented residents.
Many have been here for a long time: A 2014 study found that about 66% of unauthorized workers had been living in America for over a decade. The reality is that these people have made a life and a home in America in just the same way as an official immigrant has. It’s just they are not working in prestigious positions, and many probably turn to some form of petty crime to make ends meet.
As the facts show, undocumented residents living in America make up a healthy portion of the population. There are a number of law firms that focus on immigration labor to help these workers gain some form of status. It is important that these law firms have advertising that reaches undocumented workers, because the immigration labor advice they can give will make all the difference.
