Concerns are mounting over the substantial growth of the migrant population in the United States — the majority of whom are purportedly undocumented — in the wake of a recent report by the Center for Immigration Studies.
The report, which does not differentiate between unlawful and lawful migrants, was released on March 28 and reveals staggering statistics that showcase the true scale of the issues surrounding migration into the United States.
Since President Joe Biden assumed office, the foreign-born population has increased by 6.4 million, a figure exceeding the population of 33 individual states, according to the report. The figures, analyzed by Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) director of research Steven Camarota and demographer Karen Zeigler, paint a picture of a swelling record-high migrant population totaling 51.4 million as of February 2024. This means that 15.5% of the U.S. population is now foreign-born.
The average monthly increase in migrants under Biden of 172,000 is four times what it was under former President Donald Trump (42,000) and double what it was under former President Barack Obama (68,000), according to the report. Half of these new arrivals are estimated to be “illegal immigrants,” according to the report.
Camarota and Zeigler conclude:
“Much of the news coverage on immigration has focused on the workers immigration has provided employers or by how immigration makes the economy larger. There are fewer discussions about the impact the dramatic increase has on everything from the nation’s education and healthcare systems to its physical infrastructure and political representation.
“Perhaps the most fundamental question these numbers raise is whether America can successfully incorporate and assimilate this many people. Moreover, the size and growth of the immigrant population is not static. If legal and illegal immigration were to continue at the current level, we project that the total foreign-born population will reach nearly 60 million and 17.5% of the population by the end of Biden’s second term in December 2028.
“Adding so many people to the country so fast may please employers and immigration advocacy groups, but any serious discussion of immigration policy has to grapple with these numbers and the implications they have for American society as a whole.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, “immigration” has topped inflation as the most important issue to Americans, according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll released at the end of January.