The most recent immigration surge, which started to pick up in 2021 and has become a key issue during the Biden administration and the 2024 general election cycle, has been revealed to be the largest in American history, a new analysis explains.
The conclusion comes from a recent New York Times report, which analyzed government data from the recent immigration boom. They found that annual net migration— the number of people coming to the country minus the number leaving— averaged 2.4 million people from 2021 to 2023, surpassing other historic periods of mass migration including during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
That figure includes both legal and illegal immigration. About 60% of immigrants who have entered the country since 2021 have done so without legal authorization, the Times explains.
The combination of legal and illegal migrants has also had a significant impact on the overall U.S. population. Now, 15.2% of people living in the U.S. were born in another country, up from 13.6% in 2020 and surpassing the previous record high in 1890 of 14.8%.
The Times suggests, however, that the actual number of migrants currently living in the U.S. could be larger than they are reporting. For one, researchers looked at federal data, which heavily relies on numbers provided by the Census Bureau on surveys to the population that are only done once a decade.
The Census Bureau can underestimate the size of the immigration population, outside researchers say. For instance, some immigrants, especially those without legal status, are likely to avoid replying to surveys. And the census uses a statistical technique that assumes that the county's population is not changing rapidly from year to year, rather than trying to measure precisely how it might have grown.
There are several attributed reasons for the noted boom. Domestically, the Biden administration enacted welcoming immigration policies during his first three years in office, leaving behind some of President Donald Trump's harshest practices, including the separation of families at the border.
Prior to the surge in migration, President Biden loosened the rules on asylum and other immigration policies, making it easier for people to enter the U.S. He also expanded the Temporary Protected Status program to include countries in distress over the last year, such as Venezuela.
But trouble abroad also contributed to the recent surge. For instance, turmoil in Haiti, Ukraine and Venezuela led people to leave their home behind and venture into a new life. The growth of smuggler networks run by Mexican drug cartels also made it easier for these desperate migrants to reach the U.S. border.
The notable increase in migration over the past years made the issue a key star during the 2024 general election, making Republicans— who have heavily adopted anti-immigration rhetoric— to make inroads across the country, even in big cities once considered to be Democratic safe havens such as New York City.
Now, with just weeks before President-elect Trump is set to take office, he is promising to pass sweeping immigration legislation on Day 1, including the largest mass deportation operation in American history and ending birthright citizenship to make it more difficult for children of undocumented immigrants to have legal status in the U.S.
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