The situation in which illegal immigrants are integrated into American society and their children are Americans by birth complicates the work of authorities responsible for combating illegal immigration. According to a new report, illegal immigrants are more dispersed across the United States than before, are more likely to have their own households, and live with spouses and children. About two-thirds of illegal immigrants are citizens of Latin American countries, primarily Mexicans.
According to Lenta, citing USA Today, illegal immigrants currently make up 4% of the U.S. population and 5.4% of the country's workforce. Children of illegal immigrants account for 6.8% of all elementary and middle school students. 73% of these children were born in the United States (compared to 63% in 2003).
Previous Pew studies showed that the number of illegal immigrants in the United States grew rapidly between 1990 and 2006 but then stabilized at around 12 million. As became known in April, President Barack Obama intends to start preparing a reform in 2009 aimed at legalizing the status of foreigners illegally present in the country.