Dallas County among top areas for unauthorized immigrants
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Dallas County was among the counties with the most unauthorized immigrants in mid-2023, according to new estimates.
- The population could be lower now, after President Trump's deportation efforts.
Why it matters: The report, from nonpartisan think tank Migration Policy Institute (MPI), offers insight into a group that's notoriously hard to count — and thus understand.
- Nationally, an estimated 13.7 million people lacked legal immigration status in 2023.
By the numbers: Texas was home to the country's second largest population of unauthorized immigrants. Around 14% of the nation's unauthorized immigrant population, or nearly 2 million people, lived in the state.
- Among U.S. counties, Dallas County had the fifth largest unauthorized immigrant population. An estimated 319,000 people in the county lacked legal immigration status in 2023.
The latest: Immigration and Customs Enforcement has maintained a strong presence in the Dallas area this year.
- The agency made around 11,300 arrests between January and July across its Dallas field office region, which covers Oklahoma and the northern parts of Texas, per the Deportation Data Project's most recent figures.
Zoom out: Nationwide, around 6.3 million children were living with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent, the MPI report says.
- About 9.6 million of the country's unauthorized immigrants had a job, per the MPI report. Nearly 2 million worked in construction, followed by 955,000 in food services.
Yes, but: The flow of newly arriving immigrants has slowed and possibly reversed this year with fewer border crossings, stronger enforcement and efforts to discourage immigration overall, MPI's report notes.