Today the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of Pew Research Center, just released a 52 page report entitled “A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States.”
Before providing some of their data I need to state my opposition to their constant use of the word “unauthorized” immigrants which we know to be “illegal” immigrants.
I will not count the number of references to the use of the word “unauthorized” which we first see in their title. “Unauthorized” (immigrants) is also the first word of their Executive Summary.
What do they mean by that “spin” as they try to desensitize us to accepting the 11,400,000 to 12,400,000 currently in this country “illegally” based on their data as found in Table 1? As we all expected, the state of California is listed first with the largest number of illegals at 2,700,000 which is virtually double the total of Texas which has the next highest population. As president Obama intends to promote his concept of a solution for resolving this debate let’s not get cute with definitions.
Under the topic heading “About this Report” it reads. “These unauthorized immigrants consist of residents of the United States who are not U.S. citizens, who do not hold current permanent resident visas or who have not been granted permission under a set of specific authorized temporary statuses for longer-term residence and work. The vast majority of undocumented immigrants either entered the country without valid documents or arrived with valid visas but stayed past their visa expiration date or otherwise violated the terms of their admission.”
Some of their major findings in the report include:
“Adult unauthorized immigration are disproportionately likely to be poorly educated. Among unauthorized immigrants ages 25-64, 47% have less than a high school education. By contrast, only 8% of U.S. -born residents ages 25-64 have not graduated from high school.
An analysis of college entrance finds that unauthorized immigrants ages 18 to 24 who have graduated from high school, half (49%) are in college or have attended college. The co parable figure for U.S. born-residents is 71%.
The 2007 median household income of unauthorized immigrants was $36,000, well below the $50,000 median household income for U.S.-born residents. In contrast to other immigrants, undocumented immigrants do not attain markedly higher incomes the longer they live in the United states.
A third of the children of unauthorized immigrants and a fifth of adult unauthorized immigrants live in poverty. This is nearly double the poverty rate for children of U.S.-born parents (18%) or for U.S.-born adults (10%).
More than half of adult unauthorized immigrants (59%) had no health insurance during all of 2007. Among their children, nearly half of those who are unauthorized immigrants (45%) were uninsured and 25% of those who were born in the U.S. were uninsured.”
Following is part of the introduction after which I have included the link to the 52 page report.
A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
By Jeffrey S. Passel, Senior Demographer, Pew Hispanic Center, and D’Vera Cohn, Senior Writer, Pew Research Center
“Based on March 2008 data collected by the Census Bureau, the Center estimates that unauthorized immigrants are 4% of the nation’s population and account for 5.4% of its workforce. Their children, both those who are unauthorized immigrants themselves and those who are U.S. citizens, make up 6.8% of the students enrolled in the nation’s elementary and secondary schools.
About three-quarters (76%) of the nation’s unauthorized immigrants are Hispanic. The majority of undocumented immigrants (59%) are from Mexico. Significant regional sources of unauthorized immigrants include Asia (11%), Central America (11%), South America (7%), the Caribbean (4%) and the Middle East (less than 2%).
These estimates are based mainly on data from March Current Population Surveys, conducted by the Census Bureau, through 2008, augmented with legal status assignments and adjusted to compensate for undercount; some estimates are from the 1990 and 2000 Censuses. For more details, see the report’s Methodology appendix.”
The Pew Research report link is found here: http://pewhispanic.org/
When the 1987 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) passed with its amnesty provision, the number who applied for amnesty in Orange County was about 220,000. That was about 10% of the Orange County population at that time. This experience may provide a baseline for estimating what another round of amnesty might produce herer. However, a difference between then and now is the sinking economy today with reports that considerable numbers of “unauthorized immigrants” are returning to their homeland due to lack of work here. So, perhaps an estimate of something less than 10% of OC’s current 3.1 million residents would be reasonable.
Careful Larry, the Feds may be looking for you! You right wing extremeist!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/14/federal-agency-warns-of-radicals-on-right/
See you tomorrow at the tea party
Larry,
The immigration law does not use the word “illegal” to describe people who are here in violation of the immigration law.
“Illegal” is in this context indeed just a word used by some members of the public to muddy the issue.
The immigration law separates two categories of people who are here in violation of the immigration law:
1. people who were not admitted pursuant to inspection,
2. people who were admitted after inspection, and subsequently overstayed their authorized duration of stay.
Hence, the Pew Report’s use of “unauthorized” is correct, even if you don’t like it.
Oh, and being unauthorized is not a crime, according to the immigration law.
Joe.
Are you being serious?
No matter how you dress it up you are either in this country “legally” or “illegally.”
Have you heard the expression: “If it looks like a duck; if it quacks like a duck then it probably is a duck?”
oh so in littles joe world unauthorized is not a crime .. gee i will go into the bank vault at wells fargo and look around at the cameras to see where they are at i am unauthorized to be there and its not a crime HAAAAAAAAAAAA . much like his stance on ILLEGAL immigration
I read the Pew report. It is not unbiased. I don’t appreciate their cute language – they do support illegals who are “just here to work.” We don’t need most of these illegal Hispanics. Too many of them are illiterate and unskilled. American schools – especially in black communities – already turn out plenty of unskilled illiterates.
As for the immigration raids they are permanently on hold due to the idiocy of Homeland Security Chief Napolitano. It is no longer politically correct to enforce American laws against Hispanics.
#6,
Is beign unskilled and illiterate as you claim these illegal HIspanics are and similarly occurring in Black communities a genetic trait of these communities?
“We don’t need most of these illegal Hispanics”
– Are you saying we only need a few of them?
“To many are illiterate and unskilled”
– This is the cheap labor market we have created. We recruit this worker. We bring them here. They are here just to work.
“American Schools-especially in black communities-already turn out plenty of unskilled illiterates”-Why single out Black communities. This is true in poor white communities too. this is not cultural or of race it is a symptom of poverty.
“It is no longer politically correct to enforce American laws against Hispanics”
-Great , tahnks for the information now we Hispanics can run rampant and not worry of getting arrested.
You are a funny guy!
There’s no estimate of the margin of error in these estimates, so it could be +or- 50% – particularly since the census never inquires into an immigrants status – not that they would get an honest answer either. Statistics aside, so many of these families have a child or children that are American citizens that deportation is politically impossible and would add an unbearable burden to the welfare rolls – so like it or not we’re going to have to settle on a compromise solution.
History is written from different perspectives and
for the benefit of its intended audience and with the objective of proving or refuting whatever premise. A no brainer quick example is—
try a google search for The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in English and then in Spanish.
Our nation will tell us that this Treaty is what it is. (and most of you know that wars are referred to by different names- depending on which country is referencing it – i.e Mexican-American War- or War of North American Invasion)
The U.S will tell us that article X was in fact thrown out before The Treaty of Guadalupe was ratified, if research is done in Mexico, you will find that this was in fact an invasion as the U.S forces-then recent immigrants from the mother country and mostly criminals from overcrowded jails back in the mother country- with no doubt mentally challenged – invaded a foreign country. The President of Mexico was a prisoner of war- and according to Mexican Law prisoners of war lose all rights as citizens so therefore a treaty cannot be signed and much less considered valid. Next, this treaty promised open borders where citizens of both countries would move about freely, next this treaty was to be kept for 150 years and then these lands would be returned to Mexico. (Something like the Panama Canal for all of you that did not know that you have all overstayed your visit-yes
folks- “Mi casa es tu casa” americans’ favorite spanish saying has a double meaning- wake up- Mi casa es tu casa Mexicans and I am keeping your land I am staying in it . Will we ever know who is saying the truth? Respect is what is important here. All immigrants deserve respect.
The undocumented immigrant situation can be solved by enforcing existing laws and prosecuting the illegal employers that hire them.