According to a Rasmussen Reports survey, most Americans consider illegal immigration a serious problem. The survey found that 41% of Americans report worrying a great deal about illegal immigration, with another 19% worried a fair amount.Â
This concern has been consistent over the past year and is near a two-decade high. The issue of illegal immigration has been a political flashpoint, with Republicans highly concerned about it, while concern among Democrats has been vanishing. The survey also revealed that illegal immigration ties with race relations as a public concern and ranks among the lower half of 14 issues rated this year.
The Pew Research Center provides key facts about the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population. The unauthorized immigrant population rose rapidly from 1990 to 2007 before declining sharply for two years and stabilizing at 10.5 million in 2017.
The most recent estimate is well below a peak of 12.2 million in 2007, but roughly triple the estimated 3.5 million in 1990.Â
The Center estimates that 10.7 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2016, which represented less than a quarter (23.7%) of the U.S. immigrant population. The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. has been falling since 2007 and is now at levels last seen in 2004.
A 2018 Pew Research Center survey of 18 countries that host half of the world’s migrants found that majorities in most immigrant destination countries surveyed support the deportation of people who are in their countries illegally. In the U.S., public opinion is divided on the issue, with about half of the public supporting deporting immigrants residing there illegally, while the other half opposes their deportation.
A 2021 poll by the Cato Institute found that 72% of Americans say immigrants come to the United States for jobs and to improve their lives. The poll also found that the better solution to illegal immigration, according to Americans, is simplifying the legal immigration process.
In 2018, a Yale study found that the population of undocumented immigrants in the United States may be 22 million, nearly twice what has been previously estimated. The study used mathematical modeling on a range of demographic and immigration operations data to arrive at this estimate.
GOP Widens Lead on Immigration Issue
In conclusion, illegal immigration is a serious concern for a significant portion of Americans, with Republicans being more concerned about it than Democrats. The unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S. has fluctuated over the years, and public opinion on the deportation of illegal immigrants is divided. Most Americans believe that immigrants come to the United States for jobs and to improve their lives, and there is a call for simplifying the legal immigration process as a better solution to illegal immigration.