Illegal entry into U.S. tops legal immigration, says report

Published: 2005-06-23

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Clandestine immigration continues to outstrip legal immigration into the United States despite increased security concerns and tighter border controls since 2001, according to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center. "There is some suggestion of a very slight decrease in 2003 and 2004, but immigration is still above the levels of the mid-1990s," said the report. The report added that not all illegal immigrants fit "the stereotype of a poorly educated manual laborer." It said 15 percent have a bachelor's degree and 10 percent more have some college education. Of the 10.3 million illegal immigrants, 57 percent came from Mexico and 24 percent were from other parts of Latin America, said the report. The rest were from Asia, Africa, Europe and Canada. Of the 10.3 million, the report said 4.9 million are adult males, 3.9 million are adult females and 1.5 million are under 18. An additional 3.1 million children of illegal immigrants are U.S. citizens, the report added. The report was written by Jeffrey Passel, senior research associate at the center, and is based on March 2004 statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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