Confronting Illegal Immigration: Understanding Who Illegal Immigrants Really Are

We previously published a brief history about U.S. immigration ("Our Never Ending War on Illegal Immigration: A Brief History"). As noted, every president since Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s has promised the American People that they would do whatever was necessary to end the onslaught coming primarily from across our southern border. And yet, virtually every one of those presidents lied.

Not only did they not take steps to halt illegal immigrations, most took steps to open the border even further. They’ve cut budgets, restricted enforcement, changed laws to allow for easier immigration, and permitted cities to openly defy federal immigration law.

President Obama even sued the State of Arizona to prevent them from enforcing immigration laws (and in a legal first, allowed a foreign power---Mexico---to join the lawsuit). The end result is that there are now some 11 million illegal residents now living in the United States.

According to a December 4, 2024 study by the Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. is spending 2% of its budget on illegal immigration. How much is that to American taxpayers? Roughly $150.7 billion dollars.  While President Trump is doing what few before him has done---keep his word on illegal immigration---the question which arises is whether he can reverse decades of subversion to our national sovereignty?

With 11 million individuals illegally living in the U.S. (which, no doubt, has to include terrorist’s cells from the Middle East), just who are these people who knowingly broke our laws to be here? Why did they come? What are their long-term intentions? Are they hoping for amnesty and eventual citizenship or is this just about employment? In this issue, we’re going to take a look at who these people are.

When most of us think of illegal immigrants, a certain stereotype comes to mind. We tend to think of them as Hispanic, mainly Mexican, illiterate, minimally skilled, and so forth, but what’s the truth?

As of 2022, illegal immigrants represented 3.3% of the U.S. population and 23% of the foreign born population. Naturalized citizens make up roughly 23.4 million of the foreign born population or about 49%. Legal permanent residents number approximately 11.5 million people, which is 24% of the foreign born population living the U.S.  Temporary lawful residents (comprising 2 million people) are just 4% of the population. So, where do these individuals come from?

Mexico is the home of some 4 million illegally. Immigrants. Although Mexicans were historically has represented the largest segment, since 2022, that number has declined. Today, it’s just around 37% of “undocumented” immigrants. The majority of those here illegally come to fill temporary agricultural jobs (many return to Mexico after the harvesting season has ended), while some end up employed in domestic and service positions.  

The largest increase in the illegal population has come primarily from the Caribbean (mainly Haiti, Trinidad and Jamacia), Europe (especially southeastern Europe), Asia, and believe it or not, Canada (many of these are of Asian descent).  Central America has contributed a large percentage of illegal immigrants as well, especially the area known as the “Northern Triangle”.

 The “Northern Triangle” is comprised of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  As of 2022, these three countries represented 1.9 million of the illegal population living in the U.S.(El Salvador 750,000, Guatemala 675,000, and Honduras 525,000).  India, which is typically considered a part of Asia, is responsible for approximately 725,000 illegal residents now in the U.S.

Other countries with large “undocumented” populations in the U.S. include Venezuela (which has jumped from approximately 55,000 in 2007 to  270,000 in 2022), Brazil, Columbia, Dominican Republic,  as well as the Philippines, China, and the former USSR.  

Where do the majority of these people tend to settle? California tops the list with about 1.8 million illegal residents. Following California is Texas (1.6 million), Florida (1.2 million), New York (650,000), New Jersey (475,000), and Illinois (400,000).

In addition, there are several other states with large populations of illegal immigrants, including Washington State, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The states with the fastest growing populations of “undocumented” residents are Florida, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland. It’s not surprising that the majority of these states also provided so-called “sanctuary cities”.

Illegal residents, as of 2022, made up 4.8% of the total U.S. workforce (down from 5.4% in 2007). That’s roughly 8.3 million workers. The majority of these individuals tend to occupy the lower rungs of the labor market. Many of the women find jobs working in the hospitality industry in housekeeping, as domestic workers, cooks, or working in factories.

Men tend to be employed in construction related jobs, agriculture and farms (including racetracks), handymen, and odd jobs. Given that they make up 3.3% of the population and comprise 4.8% of the workforce, many obviously work multiple jobs.

Nevada has the largest percentage of illegal migrants in their workforce with 9%. Texas and Florida each have 8% while illegal workers make up 7% of the workforce for California, Maryland, and New Jersey each.

According to a November 24, 2024 Pew Poll, 64% of Americans believe that illegal residents should be offered a pathway to remain in the U.S. The largest majorities favoring a legal pathway for the “undocumented”  are naturalized or native born Hispanics, Asians, and Black Americans.

White Americans are nearly evenly divided, with a slight majority favoring some sort of legal pathway. It bears mentioning that 88% of Trump supporters favor immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants.

Younger Americans (mostly Gen Z and some Millennials) are mostly likely to support a means for illegals residents to remain while older adults (especially Boomers and Gen X) believe that illegals need to be deported and should follow the law if they want to come to America.   

Nevertheless, 96% agreed that breaking the law (in this case, immigration law) should not be rewarded or encouraged. 94%  also thought that allowing illegal immigrates to remain was unfair to those trying to the right thing and follow the law. Lastly, 83% said that illegal immigrants took resources aways from U.S. citizens.

When asked what a possible “pathway to legal residency” might look like, 79% said that a background check was mandatory. 52% said they must be employed. 25% believe that illegal residents must pay a fine or penalty if they want to remain. Not qualifying or solely qualifying for residency is having a “anchor baby” (a child born in the U.S. by a mother here illegally) by a margin of 84%.

Owning a resident should not qualify as the primary reason to be allowed to remain according to 88% of those polled. (half of those said it should be considered at all). 89% said owning a business in itself shouldn’t be the only reason to qualify for residency.  

Finally, why did some 11 million individuals leave their homes to come to America illegally? There’s little doubt they knew that doing so was an intentional violation of U.S. immigration law, if for no other reason, that their home country has similar, and more often, stricter immigration laws.

The majority of individuals come to America strictly for economic reasons. They’re looking for a job. Even low paying jobs here are viewed as far better than what’s available at home. Often, they leave poor countries with third world economies. There are few jobs for most workers, especially those without a good education or connections. It’s not uncommon for them to send money back home to support their families. There are some communities which depend on this money to survive.

Their home countries often lack an adequate social safety net. To make matters worse, their governments tend to be run by incompetent or corrupt leaders and bureaucracies, making actual reform unlikely. Often they can't even turn to the judicial system or churches (which has historically sided with the wealthy). As a result, many head to the U.S., bypassing other nations  even though some of them have a stronger economy, but due to stricter immigration laws, they are unable to remain.

Studies have shown that few of those who come to America illegally are actually interested in citizenship per se, and they have no interest in becoming part of the great “mixing pot”, often refusing to learn or use the English, adopt to the traditions, values, or laws (which is not unusual even among legal immigrants, depending on others to accommodate them instead).

Increasingly, many of these immigrants come here claiming “amnesty”. However, according to international law, someone seeking amnesty must be fleeing their home country due to persecution for religious, racial, ethnic, or similar reasons.  Unfortunately, economic reasons don’t count. Secondly, they must seek sanctuary in the next closest (and safest) country. That means they don’t get to randomly choose what country they go to.

However, some do come here with the intent of staying permanently.  Pregnant women often use the 14^th Amendment as a means to obtain residency (infamously known as “anchor babies”). While intended for the newly emancipated slaves, the laws states that any child born in the U.S. is automatically a U.S. citizen.  Of course, you can’t deny a child their mother…or father…or siblings…or grandparents, etc. It’s easy to see how it can spiral out of control, especially when dealing with individuals who come from strong extended family cultures.

Others simply try to blend in. Some even try to register to vote, thinking that might be a means to establish residency (and some states now allow illegal residents to vote in local elections). You also have various groups (mostly religious oriented) who aid newly arrived immigrants by providing them with “sanctuary” in a church. They assist them to find housing, employment, and even manipulate the system to get healthcare and other taxpayer benefits, and, of course, in evading immigration officials. They will even help to get their children into public schools complete with a translator at the taxpayer’s expense!

So, there you have it. A factual picture of those individuals who, for whatever reason, have decided to bypass the law and come to the United States illegally. The majority are here strictly for economic purposes, although some do come for legitimate reasons. Determining the difference is difficult, time consuming, and expensive.  Many of their home countries were happy to see them go regardless. They couldn’t afford to provide for them anyway.

Deportation, while providing an immediate solution, is also a temporary one. It doesn’t address the "why" these people are fleeing or prevent them from returning (which is likely) and thus perpetuating the cycle. What are some of the long term solutions? Certainly, addressing our foreign policy is one answer. We can’t be destabilizing countries solely because we disagree with their political or economic philosophy. Promoting increased trade and greater self-sufficiency at home through the development of natural resources as well as greater investment in R&D, especially in emerging technologies, is another.

 However, stricter immigration requirements (such as enforcing laws on employers on employers of illegal workers,  revoking tax exemption status on religious groups adding illegal immigrants and mandatory jail time and/or fines, making more green cards or visas available with improved tracking, requiring a minimum level proficiency in English, and tighter border security are just as important.  

 Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

Illegal Immigration Cost U.S. Taxpayers $150.7b: DOGE

What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.

Most Americans say undocumented immigrants should be able tostay legally under certain conditions

Demographic Divides Immigration and Diversity