How the origins of America’s immigrants have changed since 1850
“How the origins of America’s immigrants have changed since 1850” by Jeffrey S. Passel, Jens Manuel Krogstad, and Mohamad Moslimani, for the Rew Research Center provides a wealth of information about immigration to the United States over the nation’s history:
“The United States is the top destination in the world for people moving from one country to another. Over 70 million immigrants have arrived in the U.S. since 1965 . . . .. About 18 million have come from Mexico, making up the largest wave of immigration from a single country to the U.S.
In 2022, the number of immigrants living in the U.S. reached a high of 46.1 million, accounting for 13.8% of the population. (This includes both legal and unauthorized immigrants.)
These immigrants trace their roots to virtually all countries around the world. The largest numbers hail from Mexico (10.6 million) and India (2.8 million). That’s different from a century ago: In 1920, the largest immigrant populations were from Germany and Italy.”
According to the report, the changes to the immigration stream have resulted from (1 more equitable immigration laws; 2 unauthorized migration; and other changes to the immigration laws (including those brought by the Immigration Act of 1990).
