According to a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that is generally known for favoring tougher immigration rules, immigration has increased, even with the economic situation and September 11 attacks.  The pace of immigration, legal and illegal, corresponds to the pace of immigration in the 1990s.  In March 2003, the total foreign-born population reached 33.5 million, a net increase of one million since 2002.

The report has also found the following:

• Over 2.3 million immigrant workers have arrived in the U.S. between 2000 and 2003.  From 1997 to 2000, over 2.2 million immigrant workers arrived.

• Approximately half of the immigrants who arrived between 1997 and 2000 and between 2000 and 2003 were illegal immigrants.

CIS also reported that there does not seem to be a relationship between economic conditions in the U.S. and immigration trends.  In Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, unemployment increased.  At the same time, more immigrants have moved to these states.  This trend is attributed to the fact that while the U.S. as a whole and these specific states individually have been hit hard by recession, immigration is driven by the higher standard of living in the U.S. and not the demand for labor.

For example, in Illinois, there was an unemployment rate of 4.9% in 1997, 4.2% in 2000 and 6.9% in 2003.  Between 1997 and 2000, 97,000 foreign-born workers arrived in Illinois, and from 2000 to 2003 122,000 foreign-born workers arrived.  In California, the rate of unemployment in 1997 was at 6.8%, 5.4% in 2000 and 7% in 2003.  From 1997 to 2000, 485,000 foreign workers arrived in California and 367,000 arrived between 2000 and 2003.  Nationally, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 5.1% in 1997, 4.1% in 2000 and 6.2% in 2003.  However, from 1997 to 2000, 2,231,000 foreign-born workers arrived in the U.S. and from 2000 to 2003, the number rose to 2,338,000.

The report explains that immigration to the U.S. today differs from immigration in other times.  In the 19^th century, legal immigration would decrease when there was a recession.  Data shows that in the 20^th and 21^st centuries, even when there has been as economic recession in the U.S., immigration continues to increase.  CIS claims that compared to conditions in their home countries, immigrants would rather move to the U.S. and be unemployed or rely on others for support.

The full report can be viewed at http://www.cis.org/articles/2003/back1603.html.