Mapped: Minnesota's growing unauthorized immigrant population
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An estimated 130,000 unauthorized immigrants lived in Minnesota as of 2023, representing about 2.2% of the state population, per a new Pew Research Center analysis.
The big picture: The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. reached a record 14 million in 2023, sparked by migration from countries other than Mexico, the Pew report, released yesterday, found.
Between the lines: The report sheds light on the massive jump in unauthorized immigrants during the first two years of the Biden presidency, a historic rise that fueled the backlash that aided Donald Trump's return to the White House.
Zoom in: In Minnesota, Pew estimates that the unauthorized immigrant population increased by 40,000 between 2019 and 2023.
- Four in ten of the unauthorized immigrants living here have been in the U.S. for five years or less, the researchers estimate.
Zoom out: Most unauthorized immigrants live in just six states — California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois — which together account for more than half of the U.S. total.
- In California, Florida and Texas, they represent more than 5% of the state population.
Worth noting: Despite the increase, most immigrants in Minnesota do have legal status: Those who are unauthorized represent about 25% of the state's total immigrant population.