Immigrants

These are some of the items from “100 Questions and Answers About Immigrants to the U.S.” We present a selection for free to share the information and to show you what the guide is like. You can order the guide in print or as an ebook from Amazon and other online booksellers.

How many immigrants are there in the United States?
How many immigrants arrive legally in the United States each year?
Where are U.S. immigrants from?
How important is family reunification in immigration?
Why don’t people just wait instead of immigrating illegally?
Do immigrants bring diseases into the country?
What is the difference between assimilation and acculturation?
What does first- and second-generation mean?
What are “English only” laws?
What is a legal permanent resident?
Can immigrants vote?
What is the difference between refugees and asylum seekers?
How many unauthorized immigrants are there in the United States?
Why is the term “unauthorized immigrant” preferred over “illegal alien” or “undocumented immigrant?
Who are unaccompanied minors and border children?
If a non-citizen has a baby in the United States, is that baby a citizen?
Do immigrants take jobs from Americans?
Do unauthorized immigrants pay taxes?
Do immigrants contribute to the crime rate?


How many immigrants are there in the United States?
There were more than 42.4 million, 13.3 percent of the U.S. population, in 2014, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Immigrants and their U.S.-born children now equal about 81 million, about one fourth of the nation’s 325 million people. Back to top | To order


How many immigrants arrive legally in the United States each year?
According to the Census Bureau, 1.3 million foreign-born people moved to the United States in 2014. That was up 11 percent from 1.2 million in 2013. The leading countries of origin were India, 147,500; China, 131,800; Mexico, 130,000; Canada, 41,200, and the Philippines with 40,500. Back to top | To order


Where are U.S. immigrants from?
According to the Migration Policy Institute, these were the top 10 countries of origin in 2014:
Mexico: 28 percent
India: 5 percent
China: 5 percent
The Philippines: 4 percent
Vietnam: 3 percent
El Salvador: 3 percent
Cuba: 3 percent
South Korea: 3 percent
Dominican Republic: 2 percent
Guatemala: 2 percent
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How important is family reunification in immigration?
It can be so important that people risk their lives. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act made family unification and skilled labor the top criteria for immigration to the United States. The desire to be with family can also pull people back to their countries of origin. Back to top | To order


Why don’t people just wait instead of immigrating illegally?
Some people feel an urgency to immigrate, and the wait can be very long. According to the Migration Policy Institute, in April 2016, the federal government was still processing some family-sponsored visa applications dating back almost 24 years. Some employment-related visa applications dated back almost 12 years. Back to top | To order


Do immigrants bring diseases into the country?
This has been claimed in political campaigns, but there have not been large outbreaks. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The sheer number of people who live, work, and travel between the United States and Mexico has led to a sharing of culture and commerce, as well as the easy transportation of infectious diseases. The large movement of people across the United States and Mexico border has led to an increase in health issues, particularly infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.” The United States and Mexico work jointly, the CDC reports, to “detect, notify, investigate, and respond to illness reports and communicable disease cases.” Back to top | To order


What is the difference between assimilation and acculturation?
Assimilation is when a person or group’s language and culture become similar to that of the place they are assimilating into. Acculturation is a cultural exchange in which, through contact with each other, groups exchange cultural ways and become a little more alike. Assimilation is seen as being absorbed and losing one’s original culture. Acculturation is seen as keeping the original culture and adding to it. The difference has social, anthropological and political meanings.
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What does first- and second-generation mean?
First-generation immigrants are people who immigrate to a new country. Second-generation immigrants are their children. Third-generation immigrants are the children of second-generation immigrants. The 1.5 generation or 1.5G refers to someone who immigrated before or during their early teens. According to a Pew Research Center report, of the approximately 234.7 million U.S. adults, 37.4 million are first-generation, 19.7 million are second-generation and 177.7 million are third or higher.
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What are “English only” laws?
This means adopting English as the country’s official language. “English only” or “official English” initiatives have occurred since the 1700s to discourage German, French or Spanish and some indigenous languages. According to the website ProEnglish, which prefers the term “official English,” “Having English as our official language simply means that for the government to act officially, or legally, it must communicate in English. It means the language of record is the English language, and that no one has a right to demand government services in any other language.” Opponents say official English would reduce multilingualism and demean and discourage non-native English speakers. Back to top | To order


What is a legal permanent resident?
A legal permanent resident is an immigrant who is not a citizen, but who can stay and work indefinitely. They are on a Form I-551, a so-called “green card.” The paths to permanent residence typically have to do with work or family. People can jeopardize chances for permanent residency status and be deported or barred from re-entry if they leave the country for extended periods or falsely claim to be citizens. U.S. Center for Immigration Services said there were 13.3 million legal permanent residents on Jan. 1, 2012 and about 8.8 million were eligible to naturalize. Back to top | To order


Can immigrants vote?
Yes, as long as the immigrant is 18 years or older and a citizen. Naturalized citizens vote more than natural-born citizens. Permanent residents may not vote in federal elections. According to the Pew Research Center in 2016, “Hispanics and Asians have long had significantly lower voter turnout rates than whites and blacks. Hispanics and Asians who are naturalized citizens tend to have higher voter turnout rates than their U.S.-born counterparts. In 2012, naturalized-immigrant Hispanics had a voter turnout rate of 54 percent, compared with a 46 percent turnout rate among U.S.-born Hispanics. Among Asians, the turnout rate for naturalized immigrants was 49 percent, compared with 43 percent for the U.S. born.” Back to top | To order


What is the difference between refugees and asylum seekers?
These groups are defined under national and international laws. According to the United Nations, a refugee “is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” An asylum-seeker “is someone whose request for sanctuary has yet to be processed.” The United States limits the number of refugees that may be admitted into the country. It is set by the president in consultation with Congress. There is no cap on the number of asylum seekers, but they must apply for asylum within a year of entering the United States. Back to top | To order


How many unauthorized immigrants are there in the United States?
According to New York’s Center for Migration Studies, that number fell below 11 million in 2015, the lowest since 2003. The change was driven by a decline in the numbers of people from Mexico. Back to top | To order


Why is the term “unauthorized immigrant” preferred over “illegal alien” or “undocumented immigrant?”?
Language, like immigration laws, changes. Language has moved away from indicating people are illegal. Actions are illegal, but people are not. “Illegals” is discouraged, too. There are other problems. People who came into the country on legal visas and who overstayed or who were brought in as children did not enter illegally, so unauthorized is more accurate. Unauthorized is more specific than undocumented. The word “alien” has one connotation in immigration law, but several derogatory ones, as well. In the 1970s, some Mexican-Americans argued for “illegal aliens” because it was less offensive than other terms then in use. U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-Texas, proposed in 2015 that the federal government no longer refer to immigrants as “aliens” and “illegal aliens.” House Republicans have blocked the change, according to NBC News. Back to top | To order


Who are unaccompanied minors and border children?
These are children under 18 who make it into the country on their own without legal immigration status, parents or guardians. In recent years, thousands have come, fleeing gangs and drug violence in South and Central America. Many have died on the journey. Border children are put in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and they can either be placed with a family or deported. Traffic fluctuates because of changing conditions in the countries of origin and U.S. border enforcement. According to the Department of Homeland Security, apprehensions of unaccompanied children rose from 4,182 in July, 2015 to 6,775 that December. The number was 3,113 in February 2016. Back to top | To order


Can people become citizens by marrying Americans?
Yes, but it is not easy. There are several steps and much depends on each person’s legal status. If one of the parties is living overseas, they may have to stay there during the process, which includes applications and interviews, to make sure the marriage is legitimate. Penalties for marriage fraud include up to five years in prison and fines of as much as $250,000. Other penalties are possible, especially for those who arrange marriage conspiracies. Back to top | To order


If a non-citizen has a baby in the United States, is that baby a citizen?
Anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen. Babies born to American citizens outside the United States are also U.S. citizens. Back to top | To order


Do immigrants take jobs from Americans?
Usually not. Immigrants are hired for jobs that Americans don’t want to do or where the pay is low, causing a labor shortage. Citizens, especially lower income workers, have said in various studies that they must compete with immigrants for jobs. The idea is used in political campaigns. The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org says, “Study after study has shown that immigrants grow the economy, expanding demand for goods and services that the foreign-born workers and their families consume, and thereby creating jobs. There is even broad agreement among economists that while immigrants may push down wages for some, the overall effect is to increase average wages for American-born workers.” Back to top | To order


Do unauthorized immigrants pay taxes?
Even unauthorized immigrants pay property, sales, gasoline, income, payroll and other taxes. It is estimated they pay around $13 billion a year in Social Security taxes, although they will not be eligible for those benefits. Other taxes are also deducted from their paychecks. The Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy estimated that unauthorized immigrants paid $11.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2012. Back to top | To order


Do immigrants contribute to the crime rate?
Crime records indicate there is not a link between immigration and criminal behavior. According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants are five times less likely than the nonimmigrant population to be incarcerated. The 2010 American Community Survey reported that the incarceration rate for men 18-39, the largest share of the U.S. prison population, was 3.3 percent for native-born men and slightly less than half of that for immigrant males in that age group. Back to top | To order