6:38 p.m. Thursday, February 18, 2010 Text size:
Georgia only state to add undocumented immigrants in 2008?
By Dan Chapman and Andria Simmons




In 2008, as the economy tanked and illegal immigrants were increasingly targeted by law enforcement, virtually every state in the nation witnessed a decline in the number of undocumented residents.

Georgia added 20,000 immigrants without papers in 2008, according to a surprising study by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Georgia’s unauthorized immigrant population rose 4 percent from 460,000 to 480,000.

Meanwhile, across the United States that year, the number of undocumented residents declined from 11.6 million to 10.8 million – a 7 percent drop.

“It’s shocking to see that Georgia is showing an increase based on the reports we’ve heard about the immigrant population leaving because of the recession and immigration laws,â€