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 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.

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

The estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. stands at around ** million people. Although the number has stabilized, the United States has seen a spike in migrant encounters in the last few years, with over * million cases registered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were over *** 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.

Acknowledgement

The following table is imported from the 2019 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics under the Department of Homeland Security:

The 2019 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics is a compendium of tables that provide data on foreign nationals who are granted lawful permanent residence (i.e., immigrants who receive a “green card”), admitted as temporary nonimmigrants, granted asylum or refugee status, or are naturalized. The Yearbook also presents data on immigration enforcement actions, including apprehensions and arrests, removals, and returns.

Table 39. Aliens Removed or Returned: Fiscal Years 1892 to 2019 (https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2019/table39)

Inspiration

The data was collected to observe trends in history reflecting the number of immigrants deported - more specifically removed or returned.

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.

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.

Unauthorized population estimates for 1990, 2000, and 2014.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - Foreign Born (LNU02073395) from Jan 2007 to Jun 2025 about foreign, household survey, employment, and USA.

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

This graph shows the states with the highest search demand for immigration legal help, comparing 10 states and the number of undocumented immigrants. This also takes into consideration the % of undocumented immigrants, state laws on immigration enforcement (ranked 1-5), and search volume per 10k undocumented immigrants.

This is the raw data file and Stata code to replicate analyses found in Dan Qi and James C. Garand, "Perceptions of Threat, American National Identity, and Americans' Attitudes Toward Documented and Undocumented Immigrants" (Political Research Quarterly 2024)

Users can download data and reports regarding the experience of Latinos in the United States. Users can also interact with maps to view population trends over time. Background The Pew Hispanic Center website contains reports and datasets regarding the experience of Latinos in the United States. Topics include, but are not limited to: homeownership, elections, criminal justice system, and education. User Functionality Users can view and download reports. Users can also interact with maps to obtain demographic information and view population trends from 1980 to 2010. Datasets are also available to download directly into SPSS stat istical software. Surveys administered by the Pew Hispanic Center include: Hispanic Health Care Survey, National Survey of Latinos, Hispanic Religion Survey, Survey of Mexicans Living in the U.S. on Absentee Voting in Mexican Elections, Survey o f Mexican Migrants, and the Survey of Latinos on the News Media. Demographic information is available by race/ethnicity. Data Notes Report information is available on a national and county level and is indicated with the report or dataset. Demographic trends in population growth and dispersion are available for 1980 through 2010. Each report and dataset indicate years in which the data were collected and the geographic unit.

Descriptive statistics of undocumented immigrant adults stratified by use of smugglers to cross the US-Mexico border: Mexican Migration Project 2007–19.

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.

This chart shows the four states with the lowest demand for immigration legal help, based on the number of legal help searches per 10k undocumented immigrants.

Objective. The U.S. government continues to deport large numbers of undocumented Latino immigrants. We address the likely effects of these policies on Latino partisanship. Methods. We use a survey experiment to test the effects of information about mass deportations on partisan evaluations among young second-generation Latinos. Results. Young U.S.-born Latinos view the Democratic Party as less welcoming when informed that deportations have been higher under President Obama than under his predecessor. Because most young U.S.-born Latinos are either weak partisans or political independents, there is wide scope for information effects among these potential voters. Conclusion. Mass deportation policies have the potential to reshape the partisanship and politics of Latinos for years to come.