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Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
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Congressional Research Service (CRS)

 

Unauthorized Aliens in the United States

Andorra Bruno, Specialist in Immigration Policy

April 27, 2010

http://opencrs.com/document/R41207/2010-04-27/download/1013/

[full-text, 26 pages]

 

Summary

The unauthorized alien (illegal alien) population in the United States is a key and controversial

immigration issue. In recent years, competing views on how to address this population have

proved to be a major obstacle to enacting comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The

unauthorized alien issue is likely to be a key challenge if, as the Senate Majority Leader and the

Speaker of the House have indicated, the 111th Congress takes up immigration reform legislation

this year.

 

It is unknown, at any point in time, how many unauthorized aliens are in the United States, what

countries they are from, when they came to the United States, where they are living, and what

their demographic, family, and other characteristics are. Demographers develop estimates about

unauthorized aliens using available survey data on the U.S. foreign-born population. These

estimates can help inform possible policy options to address the unauthorized alien population.

According to recent estimates by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), approximately

10.8 million unauthorized aliens were living in the United States in January 2009. Using different

sources, the Pew Hispanic Center has estimated the March 2008 unauthorized resident population

at about 11.9 million.

 

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and other federal laws place various restrictions on

unauthorized aliens. They have no legal right to live or work in the United States and are subject

to removal from the country. At the same time, the INA provides limited avenues for certain

unauthorized aliens to obtain legal permanent residence.

 

Over the years, a range of options has been offered for addressing the unauthorized resident alien

population. In most cases, the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of aliens in the United States

who lack legal status. One set of options centers on requiring or encouraging illegal aliens to

depart the country. Those who support this approach argue that these aliens are in the United

States in violation of the law and that their presence variously threatens social order, national

security, and economic prosperity. One departure strategy is to locate and deport unauthorized

aliens from the United States. Another departure strategy, known as attrition through enforcement,

seeks to significantly reduce the size of the unauthorized alien population by across-the-board

enforcement of immigration laws.

 

One of the basic tenets of the departure approach is that unauthorized aliens in the United States

should not be granted benefits. An opposing strategy would grant qualifying unauthorized aliens

various benefits, including an opportunity to obtain legal status. Supporters of this type of

approach do not characterize unauthorized aliens in the United States as lawbreakers, but rather as

contributors to the economy and society at large. A variety of proposals have been put forth over

the years to grant some type of legal status to some portion of the unauthorized population. Some

of these options would use existing mechanisms under immigration law to grant legal status.

Others would establish new legalization programs. Some would benefit a particular subset of the

unauthorized population, such as students or agricultural workers, while others would make relief

available more broadly.

 

This report will be updated if developments warrant.

 

Contents

Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1

Demographics of Unauthorized Population .................................................................................2

Period of Arrival ...................................................................................................................2

Region of Birth .....................................................................................................................3

States of Residence ...............................................................................................................4

Demographic and Family Characteristics ..............................................................................5

Labor Force Participation......................................................................................................6

Current Law...............................................................................................................................6

Restrictions on Unauthorized Aliens......................................................................................7

Inadmissibility ................................................................................................................7

Removal .........................................................................................................................7

Penalties .........................................................................................................................8

U.S. Employment............................................................................................................8

Other Restrictions ...........................................................................................................8

Relief for Unauthorized Aliens ..............................................................................................9

Cancellation of Removal .................................................................................................9

Adjustment of Status.....................................................................................................10

Registry ........................................................................................................................10

Asylum.........................................................................................................................10

Policy Options .......................................................................................................................... 11

Departure of Unauthorized Aliens ....................................................................................... 11

Removal ....................................................................................................................... 11

Attrition Through Enforcement .....................................................................................12

Legal Status for Unauthorized Aliens ..................................................................................13

Updating INA Provisions ..............................................................................................14

Establishing New Mechanisms: Targeted Population .....................................................15

Establishing New Mechanisms: General Population ......................................................16

Conclusion...............................................................................................................................19

Tables

Table 1. U.S. Unauthorized Alien Population, by Period of Arrival ..............................................3

Table 2. Unauthorized Alien Population in Top Nine States of Residence.....................................4

Table 3. Alien Removals from the United States ........................................................................12

Table A-1. Estimated Unauthorized Alien Population, by State, 2008.........................................21

Appendixes

Appendix. State Unauthorized Alien Populations.......................................................................21

Unauthorized Aliens in the United States

Congressional Research Service

Contacts

Author Contact Information ......................................................................................................22

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Institute for Workplace Studies 
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New York, NY 10016                        
                                   
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