THE number of illegal immigrants living in the United States declined by 1 million since 2007, coinciding with the economic downturn, according to a new report by the US Department of Homeland Security.
According to the DHS, 10.8 million undocumented immigrants lived in the US in 2009, down from the 11.8 million in 2007.
Mexico continued to be the leading source of unauthorized immigration to the US, followed by those from El Salvador (530,000), Guatemala (480,000), and Honduras (320,000).
The DHS reported the Philippines had the most illegal immigrants (270,000) living in the US, the highest among those from Asian countries, followed by India (200,000) and Korea (also 200,000).
The government believes there were as much as 300,000 undocumented Filipinos in the US in 2008 but more than 30,000 either were deported or voluntarily left.
California, Texas and Florida in that order were the states with the most illegal immigrants.
The US and global financial crisis may have been a significant reason to the decline of illegal immigration in the US but there are other causes as well. Since 2007, the US has stepped up its effort in border enforcement and crackdown on illegal immigrants.
US President Barack Obama has said that comprehensive immigration reform is one of his priorities.
( Published February 13, 2010 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. A5 )
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