New estimates from the Pew Research Centre reveal that as of 2021, there were approximately 725,000 Indian unauthorized immigrants in the United States, making it the third-largest population of undocumented immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador.
The overall number of unauthorized immigrants in the US was estimated at 10.5 million in 2021, constituting about 3% of the total US population and 22% of the foreign-born population. The report noted a notable increase in unauthorized immigrants from almost every region of the world between 2007 and 2021.
The largest increases in unauthorized immigrants came from Central America (240,000) and South and East Asia (180,000) during this period. Although the number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico decreased to 4.1 million in 2021, the lowest since the 1990s, countries like El Salvador (800,000) and India (725,000) witnessed an increase in their respective numbers. Among countries with the largest populations of unauthorized immigrants in the US, India, Brazil, Canada, and former Soviet Union countries all experienced growth from 2017 to 2021, as per a report in India Today
In terms of distribution across states, the six states with the largest unauthorized immigrant populations in 2021 were California (1.9 million), Texas (1.6 million), Florida (900,000), New York (600,000), New Jersey (450,000), and Illinois (400,000). The report highlighted an overall increase in the unauthorized immigrant population from other countries, totaling 6.4 million in 2021, up by 900,000 from 2017. Guatemala (700,000) and Honduras (525,000) were among the other countries with significant numbers of unauthorized immigrants in the US.
Moreover, the report indicated growth in the unauthorized immigrant populations from various regions worldwide, including Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. In contrast, the lawful immigrant population grew by over 8 million, representing a 29% increase, while the number of naturalized US citizens increased by 49%. In 2021, naturalized citizens accounted for approximately 49% of all immigrants in the country.
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