Illinois hosts 550,000 unauthorized immigrants
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Illinois ranks among six states that host the majority of the nation's record 14 million unauthorized immigrants.
The big picture: The states — which include Texas, California, Florida, New York and New Jersey — have consistently been home to the most unauthorized immigrants since at least 1980.
- But they are no longer the only draw as the immigrants move to other states amid economic transformation, a new Pew study finds.
Why it matters: The report highlights the historic rise in unauthorized immigrants during President Biden's first two years in office, fueling the backlash that helped Donald Trump's return to the White House as Latinos in places like South Texas began shifting to the GOP.
- Latinos who told pollsters they supported a border wall and deporting all undocumented immigrants jumped by at least 10 points since 2021, after the increase in unauthorized immigrants began.
Zoom in: Similar Latino divisions emerged in Chicago during the 2023-24 migrant crisis when some long-term unauthorized residents questioned the benefits being bestowed on new arrivals.
Yes, but: Illinois is doubling down on new protections for immigrant students. This month, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Safe Schools For All Act, which enshrines a child's right to education regardless of immigration status and pushes districts to outline policies for responding to immigration raids.
By the numbers: The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2023 nearly 8 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the top six immigrant states.
- That's 56% of the total unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S, compared to 80% in 1990.
- The tally found that Illinois was home to about 550,000 unauthorized immigrants (or 4.4 % of the state population) while California led the nation with 2.3 million, followed by Texas with 2.1 million — only a 200,000-person difference.
- That's a dramatic shift from 2017, when California had 1.2 million more.
State of play: The U.S. unauthorized immigrant population is far less concentrated than in the past, growing in 32 states from 2021 to 2023, Pew found.
- The population shifts happened as worker shortages and growth continue in industries like construction, agriculture and oil and gas.
Zoom in: Between 2021 and 2023 unauthorized immigrant populations grew by 75,000 or more in eight states — New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio.
- But the biggest jumps occurred in the red states of Florida with around 700,000 and Texas, with 450,000 more.
- An Axios analysis found that Florida had the highest percentage of unauthorized immigrants among its total population, with 7.1%.
- Nevada was second with 6.9%, followed by Texas (6.7%) and New Jersey (6.5%).