It has become regrettable to start every presidential electoral cycle with messages that seek to demonize immigrants, especially the undocumented ones. Republican candidates speak of an “invasion,” the “caravans” of immigrants begin to reappear in certain news outlets, portraying them as if they were a plague. But is this true? Are we being “invaded” by an overwhelming wave of immigrants? Let's look at the facts.
The Pew Research Center released a report in mid-November on the situation of undocumented immigrants in the country. Their conclusion veers away from the apocalyptic scenario painted by ultra-conservative media and politicians: The population of unauthorized immigrants in the United States reached 10.5 million in 2021 (the latest available data). This number is practically the same as in 2017 and is below the peak of 12.2 million recorded in 2007.
In 2021, undocumented individuals represented around 3% of the total population of the United States and 22% of the foreign-born population. These proportions were among the lowest since the 1990s.
Between 2007 and 2021, the number of undocumented individuals decreased by 1.75 million, or 14%.
Meanwhile, the population of legal immigrants grew by more than 8 million, an increase of 29%, and the number of naturalized American citizens grew by 49%. In 2021, naturalized citizens represented half of all immigrants in the country.
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And the immigrant wave?
Faced with these compelling figures, some proponents of demonizing immigrants might insinuate that this study does not consider the “Venezuelan migration wave” that was notorious in 2022. To address this questioning, we must separate media perception from objective reality.
The inhumane plan of some Republican governors to send buses full of undocumented individuals to cities considered “sanctuaries” for immigrants took many of these places by surprise, causing overcrowding and begging. This created the perception of an out-of-control crisis, but in reality, it was a plan with propagandistic purposes.
What do the data say? Certainly, there was an increase in people trying to cross the border in 2022, many of them of Venezuelan origin, but that trend soon disappeared.
Official figures indicate that encounters between the Border Patrol and undocumented individuals at the southwest border decreased by 55% between December 2022 and June 2023.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration announced a parole program for up to 30,000 people per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the country legally with an American sponsor. This significantly halted the arrival of more immigrants through the southern border.
How many undocumented immigrants live in North Carolina?
According to the latest available data, it is estimated that 325,000 undocumented immigrants lived in North Carolina in 2021, a decrease compared to the 350,000 recorded in 2014.
Undocumented individuals represent just 3% of the entire population of North Carolina and 35% of all immigrants. 20% of undocumented individuals in the state originate from Mexico. Only 8.4% of children K-12 do not have proper immigration papers.
Undocumented immigrants are not invading us, they are not a plague, they are not the external enemy; they are human beings who simply continue the long tradition that historically shaped the United States - seeking better future for their families. Baselessly demonizing this vulnerable community solely for electoral purposes is despicable and un-American.