Illegal immigration continues to slow in California

After years of rapid growth, illegal immigration has slowed in California, with the state's share of the nation's 11.9 million undocumented migrants dropping by nearly half  to 22% from 42% since 1990, according to a new study released today by the Pew Hispanic Center.

The study found that California is still home to the nation's largest concentration of illegal immigrants, numbering 2.7 million last year, but that more of them have dispersed to Georgia, North Carolina and other states.

The study, based on March 2008 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, found that three quarters of illegal immigrants are Latino, mostly from Mexico. On average, they tend to work in low-skilled jobs such as farming and construction, earn markedly less than the median national income and have lower educational levels than U.S.-born residents.

For instance, 47% of illegal immigrant adults ages 25 to 64 have less than a high school education compared with 8% for U.S.-born residents. Their 2007 median household income was $36,000, compared with $50,000 for the U.S.-born, and they do not attain markedly higher incomes the longer they live in the United States, unlike legal immigrants, the study found.

Nearly three-quarters of the children of illegal immigrants are U.S. citizens by birth. In California, they consist of about 10% of students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The number of such mixed status families has rapidly grown, to 4 million in 2008 from 2.7 million in 2003, the study found.

-- Teresa Watanabe

Read full story: Illegal immigration slowdown in California

Comments

[Roman A]

Maybe now we can start to see some improvments in California from it's current third world status.

[DD]

Thank God...now if we can just get rid of the gangbangers and all the other illegal immigrants that leech off of the gov't, we'd be great.

[mike]

11.9 million illegal aliens- ya right. This makes the survey suspect right out of the box. There are 10 million illegal aliens in California alone. There are approx 20 - 21 million illegal aliens in the US by several credible surveys - get real!!!!

[Taylor]

People use to think California was the greatest state in the union
but not any more other states are beating it now. The shine is GONE!

Phoenix, AZ

[Sunshine]

What a bogus study. Was this research done for your dissertation, Teresa Watanabe? How about you get out of the library and off the computer and go see for yourself what the percentages are at the schools and around the country. You are completely wrong and should have to rewrite your bogus paper.

[Richard]

Can't we do something about the children of illegals? Shouldn't they be illegal as well? When is it legal to be illegal? These people are draining our economy. Just look at California. We're near the brink of bankruptcy. They take and take and never give. Social services should be for the society of those that contribute, i.e. its citizenry.

[c3]

"third world status" is an ignorant comment.

[Ransome]

(From Wikipedia) Los Angeles Unified School District ("LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California. It is the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. During the 2007-2008 school year, LAUSD served 694,288 students, and had 45,473 teachers 38,494 other employees.[1] It is the second largest employer in Los Angeles County, after the county government.[2] The total school district budget for 2008 was $19,986,000,000 US dollars.[1] In enrollment breakdown by ethnic group, 73% of its students were of Hispanic origin and 11% of its students were African American. Non-Hispanic white students comprise 9% of the student population, while Asian students comprise 4%. Students of Filipino origin form 2% of the student population, and American Indian and Pacific Islanders together are less than 1%[1]

Studies show that while Latino children are predominantly U.S.-born, in states such as California, Texas, Florida, and New York, the parents are largely immigrant (in 2000, 62% of
Latino children in California had at least one immigrant parent). Doing the math, about 8.9 billion of LAUSD’s 20 billion dollar budget goes to the education of children of illegal immigrants.
The school system continually has to build new schools in order to accommodate the growing illegal population.

[Adam Vant]

The Times is notoriously pro-illegal alien. Teresa Watanabe and Anna Gorman never stop trying to shove illegal aliens down our throats. Don't believe anything they write about illegal aliens. All lies.

[Joey]

This article makes it sound sympathic to people who are breaking our immiration laws and sucking up our tax dollars rather it be for education or health care. Since the government does not have the cajonies to do anything, I believe that they should get the lower wage!! They are not paying taxes and I am fronting their and their US Citizen childrens bills. Let them keep those paying jobs. Until they become citizens, why are we even comparing then to what "Real" US Citizens make.

When is it going to right to be American. Why should I question and worry about law-breakers wages that our government doesn't have the spine to kick out.

Teresa Watanabe....go take this sob story somewhere else!

[Californian]

Even more reason to legalize those immigrants so that they aren't exploited at work and can learn English. With so many citizen children born to immigrants in this state, there's no way we can do anything but make sure that all immigrants are integrated. People who think we can deport them all are just plain delusional, and shortsighted.

[Philip]

California is a good example of the failure of multiculturalism.

[RH]

Nice trick juggling the books. One can easily arrive at the conclusion the Times article stated by listing Natururalized Americans as the minority, which they are or soon will be in California, and making the dominant "illegal" population the majority, which they are or soon will be. La Raza and MALDEF have finally accomplished part their long term goal, to return the American Southwest back to Mexico. Does one need a visa to enter California yet?

[Yawn]

I'll believe it when I see it. We are absolutely overrun with illegals in our state, yet our politicians do nothing but pander to them and encourage more to come and seek amnesty.

[Marbella]

Well after murdering and the massacre of native americans, and the enslavement and suppression of the African American for cheap labor, the U.S government has managed to convince the poor (and believe me, you are all poor compared to the elite that run the banks and bureaucracies) that it is others who leech of the government and that they are different from others. I say, let everyone who wants to come into this country be allowed, then we can all be one happy family, and what you fear most will be constantly in your face, and maybe, you will learn to deal with the fears you have on immigration and life in general. Yuppies.

[giley1]

It is obvious that the reduction in illegal crossings into our state is due to the economic downturn. Now would be an excellent time to re-group and secure our borders once and for all. We need to expeidite the completion of our border double fence, increase the number of border agents. We also need to cut off the social services that we tax payers are stuck with go after employers who hire illegals. The invasion has to stop if California is to remain California and not become Mexifornia.

[juandejesus]

why would anyone go to a place where the welfare is slim pickins?

[Mario]

How many hospitals have to close? Lives lost, jobs taken, how much tax money is enough to take care of their American children, which alone is more then many make in their native countries? how many of our children have to become collateral damage in the war to the top, while we occupy lifting Mexico's citizens? how many political seats do we have to lose to representatives that get their jobs because these people are here illegally? How much American are you willing to give our of the lives of your children and children's children? If they cared as much about us, as we do them. They would leave because of the damage they create

[erik self]

...This is not a real statistic...I agree with the comment that we have at tleast 11 million in California alone , if you don't see that that your as blind as i imagine you are... and any mixed -status family is a failure of our governments response to immigration, nmoone born of illegal parents should be legal, it makes no sense and creates these mixed status families...If foreign immigrants want to come and work they shouldn't expect to bring their family or make their pregnant wives the bearers of american citizenship fruit...

[KK]

This is a political game local politicians are banking on. Having an influx of illegal and legalized them later is making sure Latinos owns the power in California. I guess the Mexican Mafia is also making an inroad to our politics too.

[Taylor]

E - verify

Arizona has this for illegals NO SSN NO JOB! simple as that.

they verify SSN plus Back ground checks.

weed out the BAD..

Phoenix, AZ

[Dave]

Man you guys are so wrong most illegal immigrants pay taxes Why do you think the government hands out TIN Numbers? Ah poor America, instead of its citizen focusing on real problems they blame there problem to the hopeless. Tsk tsk just like the Germans did to the Jews. Racism.

[rumptrumpet]

California is broke and running out of free stuff.

[m]

Dave- Although your post was almost unintelligible, I think I got the point.

Illegal immigrants are just that, illegal. So what if some of them pay taxes? That does not make their actions acceptable.

Secondly, no one has mentioned race. The pro-illegal, law breaking crowd, always is the first to play the race card. People are against illegal immigration, not the various races that participate in it. This is not anything like Nazi-era Germany. That comparison is not apt and it is very offensive.

Note the mention that illegal immigrants do not achieve, they do not better themselves and they do not move up the ladder to realize the dream. Instead, they bring disease, crime and poverty. Compare East LA to a Mexican city, there is no difference. They are bringing the third world into our communities and all the problems that come along with it.

[steve rodriguez]

illegal immigrants use to "take the jobs nobody wants," now there no such job as one nobody wants!!!!!