As Illegal Border Crossings Drop, The Face of Unauthorized Immigration in The U.S. Has Changed

Those who entered the nation legally but overstayed their visas make up about two-thirds of unauthorized immigrants, data shows. The face of unauthorized immigration in the U.S. is changing.

While the public eye is on people crossing the southern border, either through the desert or the river, fleeing the Border Patrol or turning themselves in to claim asylum, the real challenge could lie elsewhere: Those who enter the country legally, then simply overstay.

Data from the Center for Migration Studies shows that two-thirds of the nation’s 10.2 million unauthorized immigrants entered legally, either with a visa or a permit, but overstayed.

“Many people come to America legally, flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet,” said Robert Warren, senior visiting fellow at the center.

“I once was asked by The New York Times whether the wall would be of any use. I told them it would only if they could lift it up to those 30,000 feet.”

The shift is not due to an increase in the number of people overstaying their visas, Warren said, but rather because the number of unauthorized border crossings has dropped. The ratio of visa overstays to border crossings is now about 2-to-1.

Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows that in fiscal year 2019, 55,928,990 people entered the U.S. legally with no intention of immigrating. Of that number, about 676,422, or 1.21%, overstayed their visas.

According to an analysis by the Center for Migration Studies, from 2000 to 2016, the number of people overstaying their visa ranged from 200,000 to 400,000 annually. Meanwhile, unauthorized border crossings plunged from 945,000 in 2000 to 210,000 in 2016.

For Jens Manuel Krogstad, writer and senior editor at the Pew Research Center, the shift means another type of immigrant is staying in the U.S.

“We estimate that for every apprehension at the southern border, about 30 people overstay their visas or after entering from visa-waiver countries,” Krogstad said.

People apprehended at the border are mostly from Mexico and Central America, while the majority of people who overstay are from other countries.

According to a 2019 DHS report, most people who entered legally and overstayed after a tourist or business visit came from Canada, followed by Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, China, the United Kingdom, Spain, Dominican Republic and India.

As for people who entered with student or exchange visas, the list is led by China, followed by India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, Nigeria and Canada.

“This speaks to a new type of unauthorized immigrant. There are people who are changing the profile of this community by being more educated,” Krogstad said.

As a result, Mexicans no longer make up over half of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S.

Central America, Asia

According to Pew estimates, the U.S. had about 12.2 million unauthorized immigrants in 2007, with some 7 million, or 57%, being Mexican nationals.

By 2017, the undocumented population was 10.5 million, with the Mexican portion down to about 5 million, or 47%.

“What we have seen is that Mexicans have been returning to their country,” Warren said. “We don’t know the profile of those who have been going back, whether they are young or old. But we do know that they are going back.”

Among the reasons is increased border control, Warren said.

“During that decade, the number of Border Patrol agents doubled, and there was much more investment on security,” he said.

Meanwhile, living conditions in Mexico improved, and the nation is getting older, meaning there are fewer young people for whom leaving for the U.S. has appeal.

Meanwhile, the number of undocumented people from Central America and Asia rose during that decade.

The number of unauthorized immigrants from Central America rose from 1.5 million in 2007 to 1.9 million in 2017.

Behind the move

Why? Violent crime, natural disasters and corruption.

“People are moving from northern Central America for multiple reasons, and the U.S. not only must, but can, boldly address each and every [one] of those reasons,” said Dan Restrepo, a researcher at the Center for American Progress.

Adriana Beltrán, director of citizen security at the Washington Office on Latin America, said that systemic corruption “means certain politicians and their allies are stealing public funds, undermining the rule of law and hijacking security and justice institutions.”

The Asian undocumented population grew from 1.3 million in 2007 to 1.45 million in 2017.

“People from Asia come to the U.S. looking for what everybody looks for: freedom and better opportunities,” Warren said.

For Warren, unauthorized immigration will continue even if President Joe Biden tries to legalize the entire community that currently doesn’t have a legal immigration status.

“As long as people can get a job with a tourist visa or a permit, undocumented immigration will continue, and that is something very difficult to control,” he said. (https://www.dallasnews.com/news/immigration/2021/04/27/as-illegal-border-crossings-drop-the-face-of-unauthorized-immigration-in-the-us-has-changed/)