Immigration

Immigration is central to the growth and identity of the Hispanic population. Almost all of the Center's research, regardless of topic, includes separate tabulations of data for U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics. Research on immigration focuses on the unauthorized population, overall trends in immigration and public attitudes towards immigrants and immigration policy.

Also see our statistical portraits, state and county databases, demographic profiles and Census 2010 tables for data on the characteristics of the Latino and foreign-born populations in the United States.

02.21.12

Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010

This statistical profile of the foreign-born population is based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey.

01.09.12

U.S. Foreign-Born Population: How Much Change from 2009 to 2010?

The U.S. population in 2010 included 39.9 million foreign-born residents. This estimate, the latest available for the foreign-born population, is 1.5 million, or 4%, higher than the survey’s 38.5 million estimate in 2009.

12.28.11

As Deportations Rise to Record Levels, Most Latinos Oppose Obama’s Policy

By a ratio of more than two-to-one (59% versus 27%), Latinos disapprove of the way the Obama administration is handling deportations of unauthorized immigrants.

12.01.11

Unauthorized Immigrants: Length of Residency, Patterns of Parenthood

Nearly two-thirds of the 10.2 million unauthorized adult immigrants in the United States have lived in this country for at least 10 years and nearly half are parents of minor children.

07.14.11

The Mexican-American Boom: Births Overtake Immigration

Births have surpassed immigration as the main driver of the dynamic growth in the nation’s Mexican-American population. From 2000 to 2010, the Mexican-American population grew by 7.2 million as a result of births and 4.2 million as a result of new immigrant arrivals.

03.24.11

Hispanics Account for More than Half of Nation’s Growth in Past Decade

The 2010 Census counted 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, making up 16.3% of the total population. The nation’s Latino population, which was 35.3 million in 2000, grew 43% over the decade.

02.01.11

Unauthorized Immigrant Population: National and State Trends, 2010

As of March 2010, 11.2 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States, virtually unchanged from a year earlier, according to new estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center.

10.29.10

After the Great Recession: Foreign Born Gain Jobs; Native Born Lose Jobs

In the year following the end of the Great Recession in June 2009, foreign-born workers gained 656,000 jobs while native-born workers lost 1.2 million. As a result, the unemployment rate fell for immigrants while it rose for the native born.

10.28.10

Illegal Immigration Backlash Worries, Divides Latinos

The national political backlash against illegal immigration has created new divisions among Latinos and heightened their concerns about discrimination against members of their ethnic group-including those who were born in the United States or who immigrated legally.

09.01.10

U.S. Unauthorized Immigration Flows Are Down Sharply Since Mid-Decade

The annual inflow of unauthorized immigrants to the U.S. was nearly two-thirds smaller in the March 2007 to March 2009 period than it had been from March 2000 to March 2005.

08.11.10

Unauthorized Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children

An estimated 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies born in the United States in 2008 were the offspring of unauthorized immigrants, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data.

04.01.10

Latinos and the 2010 Census: The Foreign Born Are More Positive

A new nationwide survey of Latinos finds that foreign-born Latinos are more positive and knowledgeable about the 2010 Census than are native-born Latinos.

12.11.09

Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America

A Pew Hispanic Center report based on a new nationwide survey of Latino youths and on analyses of government data examines the values, attitudes, experiences and self-identity of this generation as it comes of age in America.

07.22.09

Mexican Immigrants: How Many Come? How Many Leave?

The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the United States has declined sharply since mid-decade, but there is no evidence of an increase during this period in the number of Mexican-born migrants returning home from the U.S.

05.28.09

Latino Children: A Majority Are U.S.-Born Offspring of Immigrants

Hispanics now make up 22% of all children under the age of 18 in the United States–up from 9% in 1980–and as their numbers have grown, their demographic profile has changed.

04.14.09

A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States

The nation’s 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants are more geographically dispersed than in the past, according to a new demographic and geographic analysis of this group that includes population and labor force estimates for each state.

02.18.09

A Rising Share: Hispanics and Federal Crime

Sharp growth in illegal immigration and increased enforcement of immigration laws have dramatically altered the ethnic composition of offenders sentenced in federal courts.

10.02.08

Sharp Decline in Income for Non-Citizen Immigrant Households, 2006-2007

The current economic slowdown has taken a far greater toll on non-citizen immigrants than it has on the United States population as a whole.

10.02.08

Trends in Unauthorized Immigration: Undocumented Inflow Now Trails Legal Inflow

There were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in March 2008. The size of the unauthorized population appears to have declined since 2007.

09.18.08

Hispanics See Their Situation in U.S. Deteriorating; Oppose Key Immigration Enforcement Measures

Half (50%) of all Latinos say that the situation of Latinos in this country is worse now than it was a year ago.

02.11.08

U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050

If current trends continue, immigrants arriving from 2005 to 2050 and their descendants will account for 82% of the population growth in the United States during this period, according to new projections from the Pew Research Center.

12.13.07

2007 National Survey of Latinos

The 2007 National Survey of Latinos (NSL) coincided with a period of increased local- and state-level legislative actions, and stepped-up enforcement measures that accompanied the growing national debate over illegal immigration.

12.13.07

2007 National Survey of Latinos: As Illegal Immigration Issue Heats Up, Hispanics Feel a Chill

Hispanics in the United States are feeling a range of negative effects from the increased public attention and stepped-up enforcement measures that have accompanied the growing national debate over illegal immigration.

10.25.07

Between Here and There: How Attached Are Latino Immigrants to Their Native Country?

Most Latino immigrants maintain some kind of connection to their native country by sending remittances, traveling back or telephoning relatives, but the extent to which they engage in these transnational activities varies considerably.

08.21.07

1995-2005: Foreign-Born Latinos Make Progress on Wages

Foreign-born Latinos, especially the newly arrived, were much less likely to be low-wage earners in 2005 than in 1995.

03.28.07

Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization

The proportion of all legal foreign-born residents who have become naturalized U.S. citizens rose to 52% in 2005, the highest level in a quarter of a century and a 15 percentage point increase since 1990.

08.10.06

Growth in the Foreign-Born Workforce and Employment of the Native Born

Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers.

07.13.06

The 2006 National Survey of Latinos: The Immigration Debate

This survey was the first major public opinion poll of the Hispanic population to be conducted after the spring 2006 pro-immigration marches and congressional debate.