In 2022, about 2.58 million illegal aliens were apprehended in the United States. This was a significant increase from the previous year, when there were around 1.87 million illegal aliens apprehended nationwide. Apprehensions refer to Border Patrol apprehensions and ICE administrative arrests.

The estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. stands at around 11 million people. Although the number has stabilized, the United States has seen a spike in migrant encounters in the last few years, with over two million cases registered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were over 2.2 million cases registered. Due to its proximity and shared border, Mexico remains the leading country of origin for most undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with California and Texas being home to the majority.

Immigration and political division

Despite the majority of the population having immigrant roots, the topic of immigration in the U.S. remains one of the country’s longest-standing political debates. Support among Republicans for restrictive immigration has grown alongside Democratic support for open immigration. This growing divide has deepened the polarization between the two major political parties, stifling constructive dialogue and impeding meaningful reform efforts and as a result, has led to dissatisfaction from all sides. In addition to general immigration policy, feelings toward illegal immigration in the U.S. also vary widely. For some, it's seen as a significant threat to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. This perspective often aligns with support for stringent measures like Trump's proposed border wall and increased enforcement efforts. On the other hand, there are those who are more sympathetic toward undocumented immigrants, as demonstrated by support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

In January 2022, it was estimated that about 1.85 million male illegal immigrants living in the United States were aged between 35 and 44 years old. In that same year, it was estimated that 1.52 million female illegal immigrants living in the U.S. were between 35 and 44 years old.

In 2022, an estimated 10.99 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States. This is an increase from about 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants who lived in the United States in 1990.

In 2022, the greatest number of illegal aliens returned in the United States were from the Philippines, with 39,891 illegal aliens returned. India, Canada, China, and Russia rounded out the top five in that year.

In 2019, California had the highest population of unauthorized immigrants, at around 2.74 million. The overall figure for the United States was estimated to be around 11.05 million unauthorized immigrants.

In 2022, the greatest number of illegal aliens apprehended in the United States were from Mexico, with 836,844 illegal aliens apprehended. Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and Venezuela rounded out the top five in that year.

From January to September 2020, the highest number of illegal immigrants that arrived in Spain via land and sea came from Algeria, with approximately 7,600 people. The immigrants from Morocco and Mali were the second and third most numerous group, with 3,900 and 2,400 people leaving their country of residence, respectively. While more than 41,000 illegal immigrants reached the Iberian country in 2020, this figure represents merely eight percent of all immigrants that arrived in Spain that year.

A risky journey Spain, together with Italy and Greece, are the main points of entry to Europe for illegal migration. Most arrivals happen through the Mediterranean Sea, which is a very dangerous journey for migrants. Only in 2020, 1,717 people died or went missing while trying to reach the Spanish shores, more than in any of the last ten years. The Canary Islands is the area where the most people lost their lives. While active since 2006, the migration route from the coasts of West Africa to the Canary Islands (the closest territory of the European Union) has become particularly popular in recent years, even though so many people lost their lives there.

Undocumented minors

Among those reaching the Spanish territory are undocumented and unaccompanied minors, known in Spanish as "menas” (Menores Extranjeros No Acompañados). In 2018, the number of unaccompanied and separated children that arrived by sea exceeded seven thousand, which represented the largest figure since at least 2014. This number decreased by approximately 3,700 cases in 2020. Nearly half of them came from Morocco, separated from Spain by merely 13 kilometres of water at the Gibraltar Strait's narrowest point.

This statistic shows the estimated percentage of employed undocumented immigrants in the United States in 2016, distinguished by industry. In 2017, around 14.2 percent of agriculture workers were estimated to be undocumented immigrants.

This statistic shows the top ten metropolitan areas in the United States with highest unauthorized immigrant populations in 2014. With over one million unauthorized people, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA had the highest illegal immigrant population in the United States in 2014.

This statistic shows the number of undocumented immigrants caught in South Korea in 2018, broken down by country of origin. In that year, more than 138 thousand undocumented immigrants from Thailand and more than 71 thousand immigrants from China were caught. In total, around 355 thousand illegal immigrants were caught.

The statistic shows the number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. from 2000 to 2012, as estimated by the Department of Homeland Security. As of 2012, about 11.4 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States.

According to the source, the number of immigrants that arrived in Spain illegally in 2018 amounted to approximately 64,300, representing the peak of the period under consideration. In 2024, over 63,970 irregular immigrants arrived at the Mediterranean country.

As of January 2022, it was estimated that about 4.81 million illegal immigrants from Mexico were living in the United States. It was also estimated that 750,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala were living in the United States.

In 2023 there were over 350,000 illegal border crossing detecting on the borders of the European Union, the most crossings recorded since 2017 when there were over 204,000. Illegal border crossings peaked in 2015 at the height of the European migrant crisis, when over 1.8 million illegal border crossing were detected.

Between the third quarter of 2017 and the end of 2023, the largest share of Canada's refugee applications came from people from Haiti. Among these, 3,376 had been accepted, and 5,664 had been rejected. The remaining countries with the largest share of applications were fairly spread out across the globe, although the majority of applications are believed to have come from those fleeing persecution or seeking asylum.

In 2024, the net migration rate in France reached 152,000. In recent years Europe and France have seen more people arrive than depart. The net migration rate is the difference between the number of immigrants (people coming into an area) and the number of emigrants (people leaving an area) throughout the year. France's highest net migration rate was reached in 2018 when it amounted to 201,000. Armed conflicts and economic migration are some of the reasons for immigration in Europe. The refugee crisis Studies have shown that there were 331,000 immigrant arrivals in France in 2022, which has risen since 2014. The migrant crisis, which began in 2015 in Europe, had an impact on the migration entry flows not only in France but in all European countries. The number of illegal border crossings to the EU over the Eastern Mediterranean route reached a record number of 885,386 crossings in 2015. Immigration in France Since the middle of the 19th century, France has attracted immigrants, first from European countries (like Poland, Spain, and Italy), and then from the former French colonies. In 2023, there were approximately 8.9 million people foreign-born in France. Most of them were living in the Ile-de-France region, which contains Paris, and in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the Southeastern part of the country. In 2022, the majority of immigrants arriving in France were from Africa and Europe.

This statistic shows the estimated GDP loss if all illegal immigrant workers were removed from the United States. As of September 2016, the manufacturing industry would suffer an estimated 74 billion U.S. dollar decline in GDP output if all illegal immigrant workers were removed from the U.S.

Significantly more men were apprehended by the United States Border Patrol than women in the the fiscal year of 2020. Nationwide, 329,347 men were apprehended by Border Patrol in that year, compared to 75,678 women who were apprehended.

This statistic illustrates the number of undocumented migrant arrivals in the United States in 2016, by method of arrival. In that year, 320,000 migrants entered the U.S. by overstaying their visa.