The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published a report on key trends in U.S. immigration. CRS exists to provide data and legal and policy analysis to Congress, which has recently considered issues such as border security, immigration enforcement and reforms, and options to address undocumented immigrants residing in the United States.
Here are some of the key findings of the report:
- There are more foreign-born residents in the United States today — 42.4 million in 2014 — than at any other point in history.
- Immigration in recent decades has not been dominated by three or four countries as it was in the early 20th century.
- The proportion of foreign-born residents in the United States was 13.3 percent in 2014, approaching a level last seen in 1910, when the proportion of foreign-born residents reached 14.8 percent.
- In fiscal year 2013, approximately 991,000 aliens gained legal permanent resident (LPR) status, with about 65 percent entering the United States based on family ties.
- There were 9.9 million temporary visas issued in fiscal year 2014, an increase from 2004, when 5.0 million temporary visas were issued.
- Overall, there has been an increase in all temporary, employment-based visa categories since 1994, with the number rising each year except for a brief dip during the recession.
- There were 617,000 employers enrolled in the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system at the end of fiscal year 2015, representing about 10 percent of U.S. employers.
- There were 462,463 formal removals in fiscal year 2015, compared to 30,039 in 1990.
- The population of unauthorized resident aliens grew from 8.5 million to 12.2 million from 2000 to 2007, but then dipped to 11.3 million in 2014.
