The United States has the largest number of immigrants, about 46 million, of whom more than 11 million are in the country without authorization, according to estimates by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). It is worth noting that the calculation based on 2021 data does not include the record number of border crossings seen in 2022 and 2023.
a Visual capitalist According to his summary, Mexico had the largest number of illegal immigrants, at 5.2 million. This is a significant decrease from 7.7 million in 2008. The United States’ southern neighbor was followed by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras: immigration from these three countries has contributed the most to the growth of Central America’s native-born population since 1980.
Surprisingly, India, the world's most populous country, comes in fifth place with a population of 400,000. According to US Customs and Border Protection, an unprecedented number of undocumented Indian migrants have crossed the US border on foot in recent years. China is in seventh place.
An important topic for the campaign
In early June, US President Joe Biden issued an executive order closing the US southern border to all but a small number of asylum seekers. However, this step had already been taken by Donald Trump, but then the courts prevented him from doing so within a few months. After four years of inaction, closing the border a few months before the election would be a stunning political move.
However, if the federal judges are consistent, they will prevent Biden’s plan from going into effect, as Trump’s similar attempt has already failed. But that outcome may be the Biden administration’s goal, as several Republican politicians and commentators have pointed out:
The border closure effectively remains in effect until a Democratic president gets the swing vote.
Biden is set to announce a new policy in mid-month that could save hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from deportation. Immigration is a major headache for Biden, but it’s an important issue for undecided voters who may decide until the fall presidential election.
