DHS Report: Undocumented immigrants heading to states other than California

Amy Taxin’s Immigration Blog  reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released its latest count of the unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S.. The report, which focused on the period between January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2006, estimates that the unauthorized population rose 37 percent to 11.6 million. The annual average increase in the unauthorized population was 515,000. 72 percent of unauthorized immigrants were from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America; 12 percent were from Asia. California’s share of the country’s unauthorized population declined during these six years from 30 to 25 percent due to geographic dispersion.

This report, of course, is consistent with the many other studies showing a greater dispersion of Mexican migrant — and other immigrant communities — across the United States, including in parts of the South and Midwest that previously had not seen much in terms of immigration.  For a link to the report, check out Taxin’s blog.

KJ