Phoenix unauthorized immigrant population hit 225K in 2023
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Maricopa County was home to more than 225,000 unauthorized immigrants, according to newly released 2023 estimates — accounting for 2% of the nation's 13.7 million people without legal immigration status.
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.
By the numbers: The group estimated 307,000 people were living in Arizona without legal immigration status in 2023.
- The vast majority — 77% — were born in Mexico.
- Nearly 200,000 of them were employed.
The big picture: The overall U.S. unauthorized immigrant population grew by 3 million between 2019 and mid-2023, MPI found, noting the country "has not experienced a pace of change this rapid ... since the early 2000s."
Yes, but: Unauthorized immigration probably stopped growing last year and potentially began reversing this year, due to fewer border crossings, stronger enforcement and efforts to discourage immigration overall, MPI's report notes.