Report: Number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States "virtually unchanged" since 2009

Natalie Gonnella

The number of undocumented immigrants living in the the US has levelled off after a two year decline. As of March 2010, according to a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center, there were an estimated 11.2 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States, a number that is nearly unchanged when compared with 2009 figures:

Florida, New York, Virginia and Arizona saw a decline in numbers, as did the combined population "of three contiguous Mountain West states -- Arizona, Nevada and Utah."

In contrast, over the past three years:

There was a statistically significant increase in the combined unauthorized immigrant population of Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The change was not statistically significant for these states individually, but it was for the combined three states.

The increase gives Texas one of the largest populations of undocumented immigrants in the country, a figure which puts the state's unauthorized populace second only to California. Texas and California are also "among the states where undocumented immigrants constitute the largest shares of the overall populations," at 6.7% and 6.8%.  Nevada, however, takes the top spot on this measure, with an unauthorized population accounting for 7.2% of state inhabitants.

Pew's findings come as several lawmakers take steps to tighten immigration policy within their states:

This week, Governor Susana Martinez issued an executive order authorizing New Mexico law enforcement to inquire into the immigration status of anyone arrested within the state. A North Carolina Republican has proposed a bill that would ban undocumented students from attending North Carolina community colleges and universities. Nearly a dozen state legislature's have proposed legislation which would implement Arizona style immigration laws within their own borders. And last Thursday, Arizona legislators proposed a law that would make changes to the legal definition of a citizen of their state.

State governors have yet to comment on the findings, but the full report by the Pew Hispanic Center can be viewed here.