Thread: Immigration and Economic Stagnation: An Examination of Trend

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Immigration and Economic Stagnation: An Examination of Trends 2000 to 2010
By Steven A. Camarota
November 2010
Steven A. Camarota is the Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies.


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New Census Bureau data collected in March of this year show that 13.1 million immigrants (legal and illegal) arrived in the previous 10 years, even though there was a net decline of a million jobs during the decade. In contrast, during the 1990s there was a net growth of 21 million jobs and 12.1 million new immigrants arrived. Despite fundamentally different economic conditions, the level of immigration was remarkably similar for both 10-year periods.

•The March 2010 data show that 13.1 million immigrants (legal and illegal) have arrived in the United States since January 2000. This is the case despite two significant recessions during the decade and a net loss of a million jobs.


•Data collected in March 2000 show one million fewer immigrants arrived from January 1990 to March 2000 (12.1 million), while 21 million jobs were created during the decade.


•In 2008 and 2009, 2.4 million new immigrants (legal and illegal) settled in the United States, even though 8.2 million jobs were lost over the same period.


•The new data indicate that in the absence of a change in U.S. immigration policy, the level of new immigration can remain high even in the face of massive job losses.


•Immigration is a complex process. It is not simply a function of U.S. labor market conditions. Factors such as the desire to be with relatives or to access public services in the United States also significantly impact migration.


•Although new immigration remains high, the 2.4 million new arrivals represent a decline from earlier in this decade. In the two years prior to 2006, for example, there were 2.9 million arrivals, according to Census Bureau data.


•There was no significant change in legal immigration during the past decade. Although the number of jobs declined in the decade just completed, 10.3 million green cards were issued from 2000 to 2009, more than in any decade in American history.


•Illegal immigrants also continue to arrive, though prior research indicates that the number coming dropped significantly at the end of the decade.


•The new data not only indicate that there was a slowdown in immigration in 2008 and 2009, it also indicates there was a substantial increase in the number of immigrants who returned to their home counties, particularly in 2008.


•The overall immigrant population grew to 37.6 million in March 2010. This does not include those living in group quarters, such as prisons and nursing homes. Including these individuals makes for a total immigrant population of 38.2 million.

http://oneoldvet.com/


http://cis.org/highest-decade

Remember how there was a crash in 2000-2001, and 9/11 prolonged it? In the lame duck session of 2000 they raised the guestworker visa yearly cap for white collar workers from 65K to nearly 200K - and left it there for three years. Were it not for a sunset clause, it would be there still. Result? In spite of the nation going into a swoon, 9 out of 10 IT jobs created in the US in 2001 went to foreign workers here on guestworker visas. Most of them are still here, employing all sorts of legal tricks to try and get green cards and not go back. Often they overstay and do illegal or at least shady things to remain here.