Illegal Immigration to the U.S. Hit a Low Point in 2016
Drop fueled by decline in Mexican citizens in the U.S. illegally, though unauthorized immigration from Central America has risen, Pew study finds
The number of people living in the U.S. illegally has reached its lowest level in more than a decade, according to a study by the Pew Research Center that comes amid heightened conflict at the Mexican border.
Fewer than 11 million unauthorized immigrants were estimated to live in the country in 2016, the most recent year for which Pew was able to analyze government data. That number has fallen steadily from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007 and is the lowest total for any year since 2004.
.. The decline in the number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has been fueled by changing migration patterns among Mexican nationals, according to Pew. In 2007, an estimated 7 million Mexican citizens were living in the U.S. illegally; by 2016, that figure had fallen to 5.5 million, the study found.