If you are reading this, you want to know about immigration. And if you want facts about immigration, the Migration Policy Institute has it covered. They have just published their annual statistical summary, which has “information about the approximately 45.3 million immigrants in the United States as of 2021, by compiling the most authoritative and current data available. It provides an overview of historic immigration trends in the United States, sociodemographic information about who is immigrating, through which channels, and how many immigrants become naturalized citizens. It also provides data on the government’s enforcement actions and adjudication efforts to process visas.” Check it out for information such as:
• “In 2021, immigrants comprised 13.6 percent of the total U.S. population, a figure that remains short of the record high of 14.8 percent in 1890 and slightly below the 13.7 percent share they comprised in 2019. …
• “Forty-eight percent of all immigrants in the United States in 2021 arrived prior to 2000 (28 percent entered before 1990 and 20 percent between 1990 and 1999), 24 percent entered between 2000 and 2009, and 28 percent have come since 2010. …
• “Immigrants constituted 17 percent (28.6 million people) of the civilian labor force (166.9 million) in 2021.”
They also have state immigration profiles. Along with a ton of other information Minnesota’s profile shows that immigrants make up 8.5 percent of the state’s population. Some 37 percent of Minnesota’s immigrants come from Asia, 28.7 percent from Africa, and 22.5 percent from Latin America, with the remainder coming from Europe, Northern America, and Oceania.
And in other news
Asylum seekers need to work. The United States needs workers. But the rules governing asylum say they must wait for employment authorization, and that wait often stretches for years.
[NBC] “Under federal law, asylum seekers cannot start the six-month wait until after they have filed their asylum claim, itself a complicated and expensive process that can take almost a year. After that, the work authorization cards often arrive well after the six month waiting period, because of backlogs. …
” Manhattan Congressman Jerrold Nadler urged the president “to redesignate TPS immediately given the oppressive Maduro regime.”
“It would not be the first time. A previous group of Venezuelan migrants was granted the status because of the brutal political and economic conditions from which they were fleeing. The status comes with immediate work authorization, but does not apply to Venezuelans who have entered the U.S. since 2021. The UN has listed Venezuela’s displacement crisis among the top three in the world, alongside Ukraine and Syria.
“Congresswoman Pingree says it’s important to remember that ‘it’s not illegal to come to this country and declare asylum.'”
One of the 222 political prisoners flown to the United States by the Nicaraguan government is speaking out for protection for his fellow citizens.
[ABC] “Suazo was jailed in Nicaragua in 2018 after participating in and organizing anti-government protests. He was released nine months later but was arrested again in 2022 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for undermining national integrity and spreading misinformation. …
“‘I’m going to continue to raise my voice for the Nicaraguan community that has had to leave home because of oppression and persecution,’ Suazo said. ‘I’ve lived through that pain, and that’s why I’m calling on the Biden administration to approve TPS for Nicaraguans who have no guarantee of returning to our county safely.'”
The Council of Economic Advisors says that the country needs more immigrants and more paid childcare to support economic growth.
[Reuters] “The annual report by the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) said the aging U.S. workforce, slowing population growth and declining labor force participation by both women and men have created “significant headwinds” for U.S. labor supply, which could depress economic growth and living standards for years. …
“Allowing more immigrants to enter the United States, and legalizing the status of 11 million people already in the country without authorization to work, would offset the aging demographics and boost innovation, without a big impact on the wages and employment of the existing population, it said.”
Immigration news 