Most Latino children born in U.S. have immigrant parents, study finds

The majority of Latino children born in the United States are sons and daughters of immigrants, most of whom arrived in the U.S. from Mexico and Central America in the 1980s, according to a new report released today by the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center.

The U.S.-born children of immigrants make up 52% of the 16 million Latino children living here, a finding that highlights how immigration continues to shift the nation's demographics.

In 1980, only three in 10 Latino children were second-generation, or born in the U.S. to immigrant parents. That same year, six in 10 were in the third generation or higher, meaning their parents or grandparents were born in the United States.

Now, 11% of Latino children are first-generation, or foreign-born, and 37% are third generation or higher.

The study, based on an analysis of U.S. Census data, also reported that first- and second-generation Latino children are less likely than third-generation or higher to speak fluent English and are more likely to live in poverty and have parents who didn't finish high school.

Nearly four in 10 second-generation Latino children have at least one parent who is undocumented. The authors also report that the number of Latino children is rapidly growing, nearly tripling since 1980.

--Anna Gorman