Immigration Hotline

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Pace of illegal immigration slows, study says

The flow of illegal immigration into the United States has declined in the past few years, according to a study released Thursday.

The number of illegal immigrants arriving in the United States has declined from about 800,000 a year earlier this decade, to about 500,000 a year from 2005 to 2008, said the report by the Pew Hispanic Center, a non-partisan research group in Washington.

The findings reverse a decade-long trend where more illegal immigrants arrived in the United States than legal immigrants.

The total number of illegal immigrants — which also includes millions who came legally to the United States and overstayed their visas — appears to have declined since last year — from 12.4 million in 2007 to 11.9 million in 2008. However, the finding is “inconclusive” because of the margin of error in the estimates, the study said.

The study also found:

— Illegal immigrants comprise about 4 percent of the U.S. population and about 30 percent of the nation’s foreign-born population. More than 39 million people born in other countries live in the United States.

— The vast majority of illegal immigrants — four out of five — come from Latin American countries.

— The number of illegal immigrants from Mexico appears to have leveled off since last year at around 7 million.

Read the study here.

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