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.

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 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.

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.

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 shows the number of unauthorized Colombian immigrants in the United States from 1990 to 2014. As of 2014, around 130,000 unauthorized immigrants in the United States were from Colombia.

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 2023, almost 90 percent of migrants who arrived illegally through Spain's southern border were male adults. Undocumented arrivals of minors accounted for approximately five percent of all cases, whereas women accounted another five percent of the total number of irregular immigrants.

Guatemala was the country of origin of the largest quantity of migrants that are deported from Mexico. In 2023, over 25,100 Guatemalan citizens entering Mexico were assisted or forced to return to their country of origin. Guatemala was followed by another two other American countries: Honduras and Ecuador.

Im Jahr 2022 lebten insgesamt geschätzt rund 11 Millionen illegale Einwander:innen in den USA. Mexikaner:innen bilden mit geschätzt rund 4,8 Millionen Individuen im Jahr 2022 die größte ethnische Gruppe illegaler Einwander:innen in den USA. Diese entspricht geschätzt etwa 44 Prozent aller illegalen Einwander:innen in den USA. Die Anzahl illegaler Einwanderer:innen in den USA ist seit 2020 leicht gestiegen, ist aber geringer als noch 2018. Während die Anzahl illegaler Einwanderer:innen aus Mexiko zuletzt sank, kommen mehr Migrant:innen ohne Aufenthaltsstatus aus zentralamerikanischen Ländern, wie Guatemala oder Honduras, oder auch aus Venezuela. Die Statistik zeigt die geschätzte Anzahl illegaler eingewanderter Menschen in den USA im Jahr 2022 nach Herkunftsländern. Diese Daten geben ausschließlich Auskunft über die geschätzte Anzahl illegaler Einwanderer:innen in den USA. Illegale Einwanderer sind Personen, die über keine gültigen Einreisepapiere für das Zielland oder die Zielregion verfügen oder Personen, die das Zielland nach Ablauf eines befristeten gültigen Visums nicht verlassen haben und sich fortan illegal im Land aufhalten.