More than 60 percent of adult illegal immigrants in the U.S. have lived here for at least 10 years and nearly half have minor children, according to a report published Thursday by the Pew Hispanic Center.
The analysis based on data from the March 2010 Current Population Survey and the Pew Hispanic Center's 2010 National Survey of Latinos shows a marked increase in the long-term duration of illegal immigrants in the U.S. compared with a decade ago.
Currently, about 35 percent of illegal immigrants adults have been in the U.S. for 15 years or more; in 2000 only about 16 percent had been in the country for that long, says the report, titled "Unauthorized Immigrants: Length of Residency, Patterns of Parenthood."
An additional 28 percent have been in the country for 10 to 14 years, a percentage that has not changed since 2000. Meanwhile, the percentage of illegal immigrants who have lived in the country for fewer than five years dropped to 15 percent in 2010 from 32 percent in 2000.
According to the report, the increased duration of unauthorized immigrants in the country reflects a surge in illegal immigration in the late 1990s and early 2000s but has since slowed because of the sputtering U.S. economy and increased border enforcement.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Illegal immigrants in U.S. have put down roots
11:22 PM
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