Report: Florida Sees Biggest Rise Of Residents In US Illegally

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) —A report released Tuesday shows Florida saw the biggest increase in illegal immigrants.

The report from the Pew Research Center says between 2009 and 2012, some 55,000 new immigrants in the country illegally came to the Sunshine State.

That brings the total in Florida to an estimated 925,000. The increase in Florida highlights a broader shift from the West and Southwest.

Other states that saw sharp rises: Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico saw the biggest declines.

Florida's agriculture, construction and hospitality industries have long attracted those in the country illegally. So too has South Florida's thriving legal immigrant population.

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