U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Reached a Record 14M in 2023
6 days ago
- #US-policy
- #immigration
- #unauthorized-immigrants
- U.S. unauthorized immigrant population reached a record high of 14 million in 2023, with a 3.5 million increase over two years.
- About 6 million unauthorized immigrants had some protection from deportation in 2023, up from 2.7 million in 2021.
- Unauthorized immigrants accounted for 27% of all U.S. immigrants in 2023, up from 22% in 2021.
- The largest groups with deportation protection included asylum applicants (2.6 million), parolees (700,000), and DACA recipients (600,000).
- Mexico remained the top origin country for unauthorized immigrants (4.3 million), but its share dropped to 30% in 2023.
- Other major origin countries included Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and India, with Venezuela showing rapid growth.
- California, Texas, and Florida had the largest unauthorized immigrant populations, but geographic concentration has decreased over time.
- Unauthorized immigrants made up 5.6% of the U.S. workforce in 2023, with high representation in construction and agriculture.
- Policy changes in 2024-25 slowed unauthorized immigration growth, with possible declines due to increased deportations.
- About 4.6 million U.S.-born children lived with unauthorized immigrant parents in 2023.