A new report shows that the immigrant population of the US has hit a new record high of more than 43 million. This follows the enormous boom in both legal and illegal immigration during the last 16 years.
The Center for Immigration Studies Center (CIS) has reviewed federal statistics that suggest the figure increases to more than 60 million when including the children of immigrants born in the US, making immigrants almost one-fifth of the population of the country. Co-author of the report and (CIS) director of research, Steven Camarota, says that the number of immigrants already living in the country, together with more than a million new immigrants settling every year, has had a massive impact on US society. This impact includes schools, hospitals, the environment, workers, and infrastructure. Camarota says that a serious debate about allowing such immigration levels to continue is needed.
The explosion of immigration, particularly illegal immigration, helped Donald Trump to secure the Presidency in last year’s election. His administration addressed such concerns by cracking down on refugees and undocumented immigrants. The new report found that the immigrant population of the US has increased by as much as eight million, with a large number, including most undocumented immigrants, coming from Latin America and Mexico.
Among the findings in the report were that immigrants now comprise 13.5 percent of the population of the US, which is the highest recorded percentage for 106 years.