Illegal Families Having More Kids In U.S.

(AP)  Growing numbers of children of illegal immigrants are being born in the United States, and they are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty than those with American-born parents, a report says.

The study released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center highlights a growing dilemma in the immigration debate: Illegal immigrants' children born in the United States are American citizens, yet they struggle in poverty and uncertainty along with parents who fear deportation, toil largely in low-wage jobs and face layoffs in an ailing economy.

The analysis by Pew, a nonpartisan research organization, found that an estimated 11.9 million illegal immigrants made up 5.4 percent of the U.S. work force, primarily in lower-paying farming, construction or janitorial work.

Roughly three out of four of their children - or 4 million - were born in the U.S. In 2003, 2.7 million children of illegal immigrants were born in this country.

Overall, illegal immigrants' children account for one of every 15 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Illegal immigrants also have become more geographically dispersed, increasingly passing up typical destinations like California in favor of jobs in newly-emerging Hispanic areas in southeastern states like Georgia and North Carolina.

In 2008, California had the most illegal immigrants at 2.7 million, double its 1990 number, followed by Texas, Florida, New York and New Jersey. Still, California's 22 percent share of the nation's illegal immigrant population was a marked drop-off from its 42 percent share in 1990.

The latest demographic snapshot comes as President Barack Obama is preparing to address the politically sensitive issue of immigration reform later this year, including a proposal to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

Though their numbers have soared over the past two decades, the total number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has declined or remained flat in the last couple of years. Demographers attribute that to slower rates of migration into the U.S. caused in part by the recession, as well as to deportations and stepped-up immigration enforcement during the Bush administration.

Among the findings:

• One-third of the children of illegal immigrants live in poverty, nearly double the rate for children of U.S.-born parents.
  
• Illegal immigrants' share of low-wage jobs has grown in recent years, from 10 percent of construction jobs in 2003 to 17 percent in 2008. They also make up 25 percent of workers in farming and 19 percent in building maintenance.
  
• The 2007 median household income of illegal immigrants was $36,000, compared with $50,000 for U.S.-born residents.
  
• About 47 percent of illegal immigrant households have children, compared with 21 percent for U.S.-born residents and 35 percent for legal immigrants.
  
• About 59 percent of illegal immigrants, or 7 million, came from Mexico. Other regions included Asia (11 percent), Central America (11 percent), South America (7 percent), the Caribbean (4 percent) and the Middle East (2 percent).

Earlier this year, the Homeland Security Department's inspector general found that more than 100,000 parents of U.S. citizens were deported over the decade ending in 2007, prompting the department to say it would gather more information about families before deporting immigrants.

For more info:

Report: "A Portrait Of Unauthorized Immigrants In The United States" - Pew Hispanic Center (pdf file)
By Associated Press Writer Hope Yen

[xtremenortherner]

After reading all of the dissenter's comments I only have this to respond,a movie quote:

"What did you expect?....,welcome to our town?..., these are people of the land...,the common clay...,ya know....,MORONS!

[Meg003]

CLoverNYC1

Sending them back to Mexico makes all the sense in the world. The babies have as much right to Mexican citizenship as they do American. They can just go back to Mexico with their parents until they are grown.

One of my siblings was born in a foreign country. That did not mean my parents could stay there forever, or that the family had to break up. The media acts like the kids cannot go back to Mexico, but they can, just like all of my family returned to the United States.

[Meg003]

Both parties are equal culprits in the selling and destruction of the core values this country was founded on .. just for selfish, but different reasons.
Posted by afmcalax


You are exactly right in your statement that both parties have let this happen. The Republicans and the Democrats have taken more and more power that is supposed to belong to the states.

The Constitutional duty that is clearly the responsibility of the federal government that they will not fulfill is defending our borders.

[CLoverNYC1]

ok, we need to do three things LOL

[CLoverNYC1]

Is this supposed to be some sort of a revelation?

The United States is one of the few nations in the world that still has citizenship conferred by birth. We need to do two things:

(1) Send them all back to Mexico along with their babies and children.
(2) Stop those welfare payments
(3) Change the citizenship laws so that only those whose grandmothers were born in the US can become citizens, and only after a long and arduous process that involves payment of monies, a post-graduate degree from an accredited institution, and a profession that would benefit American society.

[candy-apple]

I don't believe that the children should automatically become US Citizens!! Does anyone in government understand the term "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT!!!" If the parents are here illegally then how can it be LAWFUL for the children to be here. Aren't we the some of the same people that are b*&%$ing about parents taking responsibility for their children?? Does that only apply to lawful citizens of this country??

[liberalme]

Posted by TheDude78 at 6:49 PM : Apr 14, 2009


Hang that up in Mexico will ya? It ain't gonna fly here!!

[afmcalax]

Again Repubs have mush for brains. Exactly who was in charge of Congress 6 of the last 8 years? Who was in charge of the presidency 8 out of the last 8 years. Except for blowing smoke and using it as a wedge issue what exactly did the Repubs do to stop this illegal immigration? The voted to build a fence - whoopee !!!

The Repubs want illegals for their low cost, no complaining labor as much as the Demos want them for their potential votes. Those automatic citizens at birth eventually become voters ... a lot are coming of age now. The Demos want them. Both parties are equal culprits in the selling and destruction of the core values this country was founded on .. just for selfish, but different reasons.

[nujac123]

We should just invade Mexico.

[wtcmedic911]

Wonderful, just friggin wonderful. thanks to reagan and every president since we are over run with illegials and now the union wants to take them in, obama and others want a path to citizenship. i as an american who has lived here for my lifetime just would LOVE A FRIGGIN JOB!