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Legal and illegal immigration into the United States declined as of 2001 after reaching a high in 2000, a study released by the Pew Hispanic Center found.
"The number of migrants coming to the United States each year, legally and illegally, grew very rapidly starting in the mid-1990s, hit a peak at the end of the decade, and then declined substantially after 2001," the report found.
During peak years 1999 and 2000, the number of immigrants entering the country topped 1.5 million each year. In 2002 and 2003, the number was 1.1 million, the study found. In 2004, however, migration bounced back to over 1.2 million, it said.
"Whether or not this move portends further increases is impossible to predict," authors Jeffery Passel and Roberto Suro wrote.
"But even with this recent increase in migration, the most recent data show that immigration flows are at levels comparable with those of the mid-1990s and still significantly below the peak levels of 1999-2000," it added.
Reaction
Findings from the report were called inconclusive and misleading by the Federation for American Immigration Reform. While the report indicates overall immigration is lower than it was in the late 1990's, the nation's legal and illegal immigration are once again on the rise, observes FAIR.
The decline in legal immigration to the United States in recent years is not an indication that fewer people are arriving in this country. A more accurate estimate should include the millions of additional foreign-born nationals who are waiting for green cards or other legal status, not included in the report's findings.
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