Mexicans Largest Immigrant Population In U.S.
A record number of nearly 13 million Mexican immigrants live in the United States, a 17-fold increase since 1970. More than half are here illegally.
“What is really amazing is the fact that we finally have a consensus on the undocumented. So, we have a number of the undocumented which means we do know they exist and it’s about time we bring them out of the shadows,” says immigration attorney Karan Kler.
Filipinos come in second at 5% followed by immigrants from India and China. Mexicans comprise6 in10 of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. Kler says they could be a solution to these tough times.
“You have $20,800 that a person makes being employed in the U.S. At minimum wage, that’s what they work, and 15% of $20,800 that they’ll be contributing into Medicare, multiplied by 12 million, I think we’re talking about a large number here. We could use that,” Kler says.
“You’re not going to send them back home and not disrupt the economy and the structure of people’s lives and jobs, schools or whatever because it’s crazy,” says Jim Kless, a supporter of amnesty.
“When I came here I think it stemmed over that a lot of people want the services of the immigrants but perhaps not giving them status to which I think is unfair,” says Canadian immigrant Marilyn Bauer.
The study by the Pew Research Center also shows no other country in the world has as many total immigrants. Russia comes closest with 12 million immigrants, many of them from countries formerly part of the Soviet Union.
For a detailed look into the new numbers on Mexican immigrants in the US, click HERE.
