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Virginia

Summary Demographic State Data (and Source)
Population (2008 CB est.):	7,769,089
Population (2000 Census):	7,078,515
Foreign-Born Population (2008 FAIR est):	835,205
Foreign-Born Population (2000 Census):	570,279
Share Foreign-Born (2008 FAIR est.):	10.8%
Share Foreign-Born (2000):	8.1%
Immigrant Stock(2000 CB est.):	859,000
Share Immigrant Share (2000 est.):	12.1%
Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2006 CB est.):	331,609
Share Naturalized (2006):	42.9%
Legal Immigrant Admission (DHS 1997-2006):	229,492
Refugee Admission (DHS 1997-2006):	14,669
Illegal Alien Population(2008 FAIR est.):	295,000
Projected 2050 Population - (2006 FAIR):	12,147,984

      

Virginia: Census Bureau Data

STATE POPULATION

Using the Current Population Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in July 2008 Virginia’s population had increased to 7,769,089 residents, i.e., an annual average increase of about 83,200 residents since 2000. That is a rate of increase of about 1.2 percent per year.

NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION (NIM)

Based on the Current Population Survey, the Census Bureau estimated that between the 2000 Census and July 2008 the state’s population increased by about 162,200 residents from net international migration (more foreign-born arriving than leaving). That was an annual average increase of about 19,540 residents, i.e., more than one-fourth (25.6%) of the total increase (not including the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States).

The 2000 Census found 7,078,515 persons resident in Virginia. This was an increase of 891,157 persons above the 1990 Census (14.4%). The amount of increase was the 11^th highest in the country. The rate of increase was the 16^th fastest increasing population in the country.

The 2000 population is about 80,000 more persons than the Census Bureau had expected to find in the state in 2000 when it issued its most recent state population projections in 1996. The significance of this is that the Census Bureau has concluded that much of the shortfall in their population estimates during the 1990s was due to an underestimation of the illegal alien population.

Virginia had the 16th greatest rate of population increase in the country between 1960-2000.

The state's population increased between 1980 and 1990 by 15.7 percent (from about 5,346,797 to 6,187,358).

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

Based on the American Community Survey (ACS), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the foreign-born population of Virginia was 768,974 persons in 2006. The ACS is a large-scale, continuous sampling process designed to replace the need for a long-form in the 2010 Census. However, because the ACS does not have the same follow-up procedures as the Census to include non-respondents, it may underestimate the foreign-born population.

FAIR estimates that the foreign-born population of Virginia was about 835,205 residents in July 2008. This meant a foreign-born population share of 10.8 percent. The amount of change since the 2000 Census indicates an average annual rate of increase in the foreign-born population of about 31,920 people, which is nearly two-fifths (38.4%) of the state’s annual average population increase. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has increased by 46.5 percent compared to a 6.5 percent increase in the native-born population.

Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. A 21.6 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 22,020 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for nearly 53,940 persons added to the state’s population annually, i.e., more than three-fifths (64.8%) of the state’s overall population increase.

The 2000 Census found that 47.2 percent of Virginia's foreign-born population had arrived in the state since 1990. This demonstrates the effects of the current mass immigration, and it is a higher share than the national average (43.7%).

An indicator of the change in the immigrant population may be seen in data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in Virginia increased by nearly half, from 7.3 percent to 10.8 percent. Less than half (41.3%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well.

Speakers of Foreign Languages (at home in Virginia in the 2000 Census)
Spanish	316,275
French	39,875
Korean	39,653
Tagalog	33,600
German	32,735
Vietnamese	31,920
Arabic	25,985
Chinese	24,555
Persian	19,200
Urdu	15,250
(Source: Census Bureau report: Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, April 2004)

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that in 2006, the foreign born population was 773,785 residents, an increase of 35.7 percent since 2000. In comparison, the foreign-born population changed from 311,809 to 570,279 residents between 1990 and 2000, an increase of 82.9 percent.

The ten countries below constituted approximately one half (49.4%) of the foreign-born population in Virginia in 2006. Of the total foreign-born population, 9.3 percent were born in El Salvador, 7.2 percent in Mexico, and 6.3 percent in Korea.

Foreign-Born Change: Top Ten Countries 1990-2006
Rank	Country	1990		Country	2000		Country	2006
1	Korea	28,913		El Salvador	54,704		El Salvador	72,122
2	Philippines	16,962		Korea	37,036		Mexico	55,822
3	El Salvador	8,139		Philippines	36,325		Korea	48,857
4	Vietnam	7,063		Mexico	32,598		Philippines	48,079
5	Germany	6,993		Vietnam	30,730		India	46,584
6	United Kingdom	5,467		India	30,611		Vietnam	37,841
7	India	4,783		China	23,483		China	30,772
8	Canada	4,442		United Kingdom	19,991		Germany	18,286
9	Iran	3,860		Germany	19,477		Canada	13,013
10	Mexico	3,561		Bolivia	15,599		Iran	11,212
	All Others	49,124		All Others	269,725		All Others	391,197
	Total	139,307		Total	570,279		Total	773,785

THE IMMIGRANT STOCK

The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 859,000 people in Virginia in 1997 who were "immigrant stock." That is a term that refers to immigrants and their children born here after their arrival. Based on that estimate, and a population of 7,078,515, the immigrant stock share of the state's population was 12.1 percent.

As the graph below shows, the amount and share of Virginia’s population change due to the increase in the foreign stock is rising rapidly. Over the past 34 years the new immigrants and children born to them have added about 802,000 people to the population. Over this period, the increase in the foreign stock has accounted for 28.3 percent of the state’s population increase.

NATURALIZATION

Data from the 2006 American Community Survey indicate that 331,609 residents, or 42.9 percent, of the foreign-born population in Virginia were citizens, compared to 232,767 residents, or 40.8 percent, in 2000.

Nationally, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born population was citizens in 2000 and 42.0 percent were citizens in 2006.

POPULATION PROJECTIONS

Virginia -- Projected Population in 2050: Projection Scenarios

Amnesty+	High-trend	Low-trend	Zero-net
12,147,984	11,477,767	11,080,176	9,227,720

Virginia's projected population in 2050 could range anywhere from about 9.2 million residents to about 12.1 million. The nearly 3 million difference between these alternatives depends on whether policies aimed at immigration stability are adopted or, instead, currently advocated policies that would accommodate today's illegal alien population, allow a new stream of guest workers and increase legal immigration are adopted.

Without any change in immigration policy or enforcement, i.e., with the current trend in large-scale legal and illegal immigration, the state's population is likely to increase from today's about 7.6 million to 11 to 11.5 million residents in 2050 - an increase of 46 to 51 percent.

The largest difference from the current trend comes in comparison with a zero-net immigration scenario (when arriving immigrants balance those who are departing). In that case, the population would still grow, but by a more modest 22 percent. However, if the currently proposed immigration expansion and illegal alien accommodation proposals were adopted - the amnesty/guest worker/immigration increase scenario - the increase in the projected population over the next 45 years would soar by nearly 60 percent.

Virginia -- Projected Population in 2050: Cohorts

1970 Pop.	Post-'70 Stock	Legal Post-'04	Illegal Post-'04	Amnesty+
7,874,798	1,352,922	1,611,568	638,479	670,217

The projection indicates that the population that was already in the country in 1970 - before the effects of the 1965 major change in immigration law - will still be growing in Virginia, by more than 1.1 million persons (17%) over the next 45 years. This trend reflects some net in-migration from other states.

The post-1970 immigrant cohort is projected to grow by about 525,000 residents (63%) by 2050. The high rate of growth is influenced by the larger average family size of these immigrants to the state. At the beginning of the projection, this post-1970 immigrant cohort already accounted for nearly 830,000 of the state's residents. By 2050, this cohort is projected to rise to more than 1.3 million residents on the basis of succeeding generations being larger than that of their forebears.

Without any change in the immigration laws, current mass immigration will continue to add to the state's population. Virginia has had an average of nearly 20,000 legal immigrant admissions per year between 1994 and 2003. We project that immigration from Asian countries will continue to constitute more than half (54%) of the immigrant admissions. Immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries are projected to account for more than 29 percent of the arrivals, if current trends continue. This leaves immigration from countries with predominantly white populations at about 14 percent, and about 3 percent from countries with black populations in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. We project that new immigrants and their children from all sources will add more than 1.6 million residents to the state's population over the next 45 years if current trends remain unchanged.

We estimate that Virginia's illegal alien population now numbers more than 190,000 persons. The continued addition of illegal immigrants over the next 45 years, assuming it continues at current rates, is projected to add nearly 640,000 persons to the population from newcomers and their offspring.

Finally, we project that proposals for amnesty and other provision that are currently being advocated, if adopted, would add more than a further more than 670,000 persons to the state's population over the next 45 years. This would result from the family members of amnesty recipients, increased legal immigration, and increased long-term guest worker residents.

Virginia -- Projected Population in 2050: Demographic Change

White, not Hispanic	Mexican	Other Hispanic	Black	Asian	Other
5,882,099	545,398	1,539,632	2,366,661	1,618,962	195,233

The rate of population change for the various scenarios depends on the size and demographic composition of the influx of immigrants, and the differential rates of fertility. The following projections are based on the highest scenario, i.e., amnesty/guestworker increases.

Both the Mexican and other Hispanic population segments are projected to continue to increase rapidly (Mexicans by 464% and other Hispanics by 372%). Combined, the Hispanic population is projected to add more than 1.6 million residents. The Asian population is also projected rise sharply - adding more than 1.2 million residents - an increase of 325 percent.

Non-Hispanic whites and blacks over the period of this projection have much lower rates of increase, 14 percent and 60 percent respectively. As a result both have shrinking shares of the state's population.

POPULATION PROJECTION 2000 - 2025

FAIR looked at Virginia's rate of population increase between 1990-2000 and projected that a continuation of that rate would result in a population of 9,910,000 in 2025, an increase of 40 percent above the state's population in 2000.

Virginia will have the 16th greatest rate of increase in the country if it continues at the current rate.

The 1997 Census Bureau population projection has Virginia's population growing by 28% between 1995 and 2025 (to 8,466,000). That is the 18th fastest projected rate of growth in the country.

The Census Bureau population projection noted above is the "middle" projection, and it assumes immigration at a net annual increase of 820,000. There are other projections based on different assumptions. In the Census Bureau's "high" immigration projection, assuming annual net immigration of 1,370,000, the population in 2025 is more than six percent higher than in the middle projection, and it is over 11 percent higher by 2050. For Virginia, the high projection could mean a population in 2050 of 10,300,000 to 10,900,000. If today's mass immigration were significantly scaled back, the population increase attributable to immigration and the population spill-over effects from other states could be significantly reduced over time.

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Virginia: Extended Immigration Data

REFUGEE SETTLEMENT

Virginia has received 14,669 refugees over the most recent ten fiscal years (FY'97-'06), with 1,250 arriving in FY’06.

Under the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (HHS/ORR) assistance funding for FY'02, $1,371,574 is available for refugee employment training and other services programs in Virginia based on a three-year refugee settlement program covering 5,465 refugees (an average of $251 per refugee). This allocation does not include a larger share (55%) of funding programs for communities heavily affected by recent Cuban and Haitian entrants, communities with refugees whose cultural differences make assimilation especially difficult, communities impacted by federal welfare reform changes, educational support to schools with significant refugee students, and discretionary grants. ORR grants for FY’05 and FY’06 respectively were $7,147,782 and $6,930,765.

FOREIGN STUDENTS

The 2006/07 annual report of the Institute of International Education (IIE) lists the number of foreign students attending post-secondary school in Virginia as 11,991.

Six schools in Virginia are listed as having a major concentration of these students:

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University had enrollment of 2,257 foreign students, 7.9% of total enrollment
• University of Virginia had enrollment of 1,946 foreign students, 9.5% of total enrollment
• George Mason University had enrollment of 1,822 foreign students, 6.1% of total enrollment
• North Virginia Community College had enrollment of 1,530 foreign students, 4.0% of total enrollment
• Old Dominion University had enrollment of 1,291 foreign students, 6.0% of total enrollment
• Virginia Commonwealth University had enrollment of 1,128 foreign students, 3.8% of total enrollment

Below, a chart illustrates the sharp increase of foreign students attending school in Virginia from 1960-2000.

 

For information on foreign student issues see: Foreign Students in the United States.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

You can view a listing of local immigration reform groups here.

STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD

You can view the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration issues in our voting report section.

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Virginia: Immigrant Admissions

Virginia Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year
1997	19,277
1998	15,686
1999	15,144
2000	20,087
2001	26,876
2002	25,411
2003	19,726
2004	21,697
2005	27,100
2006	38,488
Total	229,492

Recent immigrant admissions have increased by about 793 percent since adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. During the 1965-'69 period, annual admissions averaged about 2,965 immigrants. During the 2002-'06 period, admissions averaged about 26,485 immigrants.

The charts below show recent immigrant admissions and the cumulative INS immigrant admissions data since 1965. The number of annual admissions has ranged from 2,345 in FY'66 to 38,488 in FY'06. The cumulative total of admissions to Virginia between fiscal years 1965 and 2006 was 547,415 immigrants

The data for fiscal years 1989-91 were artificially raised by the inclusion of former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986. According to INS data (1991) the number of amnesty applicants from Virginia numbered 19,445 (10,196 pre-1982 residents and 9,249 agricultural workers).

The data for FY'95 and FY'97-'99 were artificially low because the INS did not issue green cards to all the eligible applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those four years, new immigrant admissions could have registered as much as 30 percent higher if the INS had kept up with its workload.

Beginning with FY'01, the INS began to increase admissions as a result of reducing the size of the backlog of Section 245(i) adjustment of status cases, i.e., amnesty, for illegal aliens.

INS DATA ON IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT FY'93-'02

The table below furnishes INS data on immigrants who have been admitted for residence in Virginia since 1993 by fiscal year and by nationality.

Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year
Country	FY'93	FY'94	FY'95	FY'96	FY'97	FY'98	FY'99	FY'00	FY'01	FY'02	Total
Bangladesh	-	-	-	326	345	280	266	343	-	272	1,832
Canada	250	238	224	317	235	181	197	307	466	445	2,860
China *	1,438	1,249	791	1,024	1,010	703	607	1,147	1,627	1,780	11,326
Colombia	179	153	142	195	170	150	122	198	253	277	1,839
Cuba	14	25	36	47	173	60	35	82	72	88	632
Dom. Rep.	80	70	69	50	67	31	40	56	66	90	619
Ecuador	59	-	72	76	93	59	76	76	114	119	744
El Salvador	1,686	1,283	1,120	1,689	1,747	1,509	1,443	1,794	2,565	1,878	16,714
Germany	218	209	181	-	202	171	151	225	256	260	1,873
Guatemala	248	166	187	283	283	304	252	331	436	358	2,848
Guyana	43	23	49	49	36	29	17	25	-	41	312
Haiti	14	28	84	121	27	31	40	29	44	54	472
Honduras	120	-	-	-	189	174	169	208	-	228	1,088
India	958	928	931	1,208	1,257	910	956	1,465	2,970	2,928	14,511
Iran	539	469	447	647	469	302	337	402	604	473	4,691
Ireland	146	210	-	-	18	18	20	23	-	33	468
Jamaica	122	96	115	98	123	117	96	116	141	123	1,147
Japan	-	89	-	-	91	57	71	147	184	152	791
Korea	761	589	806	886	709	694	596	895	1,084	1,442	8,462
Mexico	278	253	318	531	528	541	616	777	804	749	7,917
Nicaragua	-	-	-	-	173	120	143	329	334	214	1,313
Nigeria	-	-	125	175	100	106	89	136	-	182	913
Pakistan	461	558	623	790	900	889	967	1,017	1,282	1,120	8,607
Peru	471	490	443	692	623	576	547	520	722	646	5,730
Philippines	1,390	1,119	1,219	1,446	1,155	921	812	1,046	1,214	1,247	11,569
Poland	78	85	40	57	34	30	31	32	42	48	477
Sov. Un. *	525	613	575	644	430	571	590	696	715	988	6,347
Trin.& Tob.	-	58	-	-	126	86	57	80	-	89	496
U. Kingdom	484	404	401	440	345	239	280	385	533	515	4,026
Vietnam	1,300	1,594	1,236	1,437	919	686	630	827	1,093	1,017	10,739
Yugo. *	-	-	78	285	178	130	153	290	486	870	2,470
Other	4,589	4,343	6,057	7,860	6,522	5,011	4,708	6,083	8,769	6,685	60,627
Total	16,451	15,342	16,319	21,375	19,277	15,686	15,144	20,087	26,876	25,411	191,968

A dash (-) indicates that the data for that year were not published for that country in the INS Statistical Yearbook.
* China data include Hong Kong and Taiwan. Former USSR data continued since break-up (except FY'96-'97 and ‘01 include only Russia and Ukraine). Former Yugoslavia data continued since break-up.

Immigrant settlement from the 31 countries above accounted for over two-thirds (68.4%) of all immigrant settlement and adjustment in Virginia during this period. Immigrants from El Salvador amounted to nearly nine percent of the total. When immigrants from Vietnam, Philippines, China and India are added to those from El Salvador, those countries accounted for over one-third (33.8%) of all immigrant admissions during the period. 

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Virginia:Illegal Aliens

FAIR Estimate

FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population as of 2008 is as many as 295,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.

INS ESTIMATE

The INS estimated in February 2003 that the illegal alien population in Virginia was about 103,000 residents as of January 2000. This was nearly double the previous INS estimate that there were about 55,000 illegal alien residents in October 1996. The latter estimate was nearly one third (31%) higher than the INS estimate for October 1992. The surge in illegal immigrants to Virginia is greater than the national average. The current INS estimate means that only 11 states had larger illegal alien populations than Virginia in 2000.

Most of this illegal alien population is newly arrived, because earlier illegal residents gained legal status with the amnesty in 1986. After the amnesty for illegal aliens was adopted in 1986, 19,000 applications were received from persons resident in Virginia.

There are 13,000 migrant farm workers in Virginia, according to the Virginia Employment Commission and 42,000 migrants and dependents according to the Migrant Enumeration Project, a 1993 study for Migrant Legal Services to determine how to distribute legal services funds. By some estimates, one-third of the migrant farm workers in Virginia have false work authorization documents. (Source: Richmond Times Dispatch, November 10, 1996).

INCARCERATION COSTS

Virginia has received partial compensation under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that was established in 1994 to compensate the states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of "undocumented," aliens who are serving time for a felony conviction or at least two misdemeanors.

The recent SCAAP amounts that Virginia has received were:

The amount of SCAAP awards has been declining in both total distributions and even more as a share of the state’s expenses. In FY’99 the state received 38.6% of its costs for 548 prisoner years of detention. By FY’02, the state’s reported illegal alien detention more than doubled to 1,136 prisoner years, while compensation rose by 88 percent but since has fallen steeply.

MEDICAL COSTS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS

Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals with emergency rooms are required to treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs regardless whether or not they are in the country legally or whether they are able to pay for the treatment. Congress in 2003 enacted an appropriation of $250 million per year (for 4 years) to help offset some of the costs due to use of this service by illegal aliens. This amount has been allocated among the states based upon estimates of the illegal alien population and data on the apprehension of illegal aliens in each state. This amount compensates only a fraction of the medical outlays. For Virginia, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $2,456,233.

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Virginia : Poll Data

A Zogby poll conducted on May 26-27, 2007 of 606 Likely Voters in Virginia found:

• 55.7% believe illegal immigration is having a negative impact on the state.
• 55.1% oppose amnesty and support the enforcement of current immigration laws. Only 35% of Virginians support amnesty.
• 74% believe that amnesty would harm American workers.
• 84.3% believe that the state should require all employers to use E-Verify to ensure the workers they hire are legally allowed to work in America.
• 60.2% think that those who violate immigration laws are responsible for the consequences it causes for their families.
• 72.8% oppose expanding healthcare to illegal aliens beyond emergency treatment.

A Rasmussen Report conducted on October 24, 2007 of 500 Likely Voters in Virginia found:

• 88% oppose undocumented immigrants receiving public benefits such as rental and housing assistance and business licenses.
• 82% oppose making drivers’ licenses available to illegal immigrants.
• 79% said they favor police officers automatically checking legal status during traffic stops, and 67% said if someone stopped turns out to be illegal, they should be deported
• 72% favor enforcing proof of citizenship when renting an apartment.
• 71% favor strict government sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants
• 88% believe it is important for the government to improve its enforcement of the borders and reduce illegal immigration (72% “very important” and 18% “somewhat important”).

A Washington Post telephone poll of 1,144 Virginian voters, October 4-8th revealed:

• 75% of likely voters said immigration is important to their votes in state and lcoal elections.
• 69% believe the federal government has not done enough to deal with illegal immigration.
• 60% would be more likely inclined to support an office seeker who advocated aggressive state and local action against illegal immigration.
• 53% want the federal and state government to “do a lot” in dealing with illegal immigration.
• 52% think illegal immigration is a problem in their area of the state.

A Washington Post poll of 1, 144 Virginia voters, October 2007 found

• 60% voters said they are more likely to support a candidate who advocates “…strong state and local action against illegal immigrants.”
• 36% identified “immigration issues” as “extremely important” in influencing their vote for the state legislature (highest rated issue after “the economy” 39%).
• 31% in Northern Virginia identified “immigration” as one of the top two issues facing the state (highest rated issue after “transportation” 33%).

A Washington Post poll of registered Virginia voters, August 2005 found:

• “Would you support or oppose using public money to help pay for designated places where day laborers could gather while they wait to be hired?” a clear majority (56%-42%) were opposed.
• “What if some of these day laborers were in the country illegally?” the responses became overwhelmingly opposed (78%-19%).
• Asked whether immigration in general “has been (good/bad/no difference) for your community” the responses were negative (53%-21%).

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Virginia: Social Policy Issues

EDUCATION

The number of school-age children living in poverty in the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. rose by 119 percent between 1990 and 1994 (from 9,643 to 21,098). Demographers said the surge reflects the influx of immigrant families seeking jobs and low-cost housing as well as the rise in single-parent households and economic conditions. The suburban county with the greatest number of children in poverty was Fairfax, which experienced a 134% increase to 11,955. Other suburban counties with significant numbers of children in poverty were Prince William (3,123), Arlington (2,752) and Alexandria (2,322).
Washington Post, May 10, 1997.

A study by the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia documents the rising number of school-age children in Virginia living in poverty. In Arlington, one of the nation's richest counties (ranked 12th on the basis of per capita income), nearly nine percent were living in poverty. Forty percent of the Arlington students are receiving free or reduced price lunches. The number of students enrolled in ESL classes has doubled in the last five years. These trends point clearly to the large influx of unskilled immigrants to the area.
Arlington Courier, Dec. 3, 1997.

The annual amount spent on a student in Fairfax County is approximately $6,200. Yet, according to Senator Warren E. Barry, this amount more than doubles when a non-English speaking student enrolls in a public school, meaning the county spends more on a child for a year in elementary school than many people spend for a year in college.
(Source: Washington Post, January 18, 1995)

Data received from the 1990 census shows that more people are regarding English as a second language. According to the census, Arlington County reports that 25% of its residents speak a language other than English at home. Out of these, 40% admit to not speaking English very well. In Northern Virginia as a whole, the statistic is also quite high. As many as "one in 12 Northern Virginia residents does not speak English very well."
(Source: Washington Post, April 22, 1992)

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS

Data are not available nationally on immigrant students (either legally or illegally resident in the United States) who are enrolled in primary and secondary schools (K-12). However, many of these students are enrolled in Limited English Proficiency/English Language Learning (LEP/ELL) instruction programs. Many may be U.S.-born, but the majority of these students may be assumed to be either immigrants or the children of immigrants, with the exception being areas with native Americans who speak a native language other than English.

In Virginia, overall enrollment in 2002 (1,162,780) was 7.7 percent above enrollment in 1996. By contrast, LEP enrollment (43,535 - 3.7% of all enrollment) was 90 percent higher than a decade earlier.

Data on enrollment in LEP/ELL programs are collected by the federal government from school systems that receive Title VII funds for these special instruction programs. The data on LEP/ELL enrollment are understated because data from private schools that do not apply for Title VII assistance are sketchy.

According to the Greater Washington Research Center, between 1995 and 1998, the number of Virginia suburban students enrolled in the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) program increased from about 17,400 to 20,149 (15.7%). In 1998, native Spanish speakers represented 55.3 percent of the Virginia suburban LEP students. Arlington County had the greatest diversity of foreign languages spoken among its students -- 61, followed closely by Fairfax County (58 languages). Most of (80.1%) of the non-English speaking studnents in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. were in those two counties. (Report available at: http://www.gwrc.org/

OTHER

Foreign born immigrants bring tuberculosis to Virginia in 32.1% of all reported cases -- that is 76.7% in Northern Virginia alone. Of these cases, Fairfax County has the highest percentage (81.7%) attributed to immigrants who bring TB into the country. Arlington County follows closely, with 79.5% of its cases originating in the immigrant population, while Alexandria figures its number to be 57.1%. In 1991, Fairfax County reported that 55 of its 67 cases of TB were in those individuals who were foreign born and in 1992 that number was 49 out of the 60 reported cases. These numbers are only in the reported cases -- and many people here illegally unknowingly spread the disease because they refuse to seek treatment, due to their fear of possible deportation.
(Source: Washington Times)

Another aspect of concentrated growth of immigrants is falling real estate values, according to data collected in the Baileys Crossroads Planning District in Fairfax County. Property values have fallen about 18 percent over the past seven years as immigration and subsidized housing have increased. In addition there are social and monetary costs as schools, churches, social agencies and the police have to adapt to a growing population of peoplewith language barriers. Overcrowding is often a problem in low-income federal housing occupied by immigrants. In the Baileys Crossroads area the share of subsidized housing is more than three times the countywide level (8.5% vs. 2.6%).

(Source: Washington Times, March 17, 1998)

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Virginia: Immigration Impact

State Population (2006 CB estimate)	7,642,884
State Population in 2000	7,104,587
Average Annual Change 2000-2006	1.3%
Foreign Born Population 20051	677,400
Foreign Born Share 2005	8.95%
Foreign Born Population 2000	570,279
Foreign Born Share 2000	8%
Average Annual Change 2000-2005	3.4%
Population Projection 2010	8.0 million
Population Projection 2025	9.4 million
Population Projection 2050 (FAIR)	11.5 million

All numbers are from the U.S. Census Bureau unless otherwise noted. Additional Census Bureau, INS, and other immigration-related data are available for Virginia.

POPULATION CHANGE

Virginia's population increased by 14.8 percent between 1990 and 2000, and by 7.6 percent between 2000 and 2006, bringing Virginia’s total population to more than 7.6 million. 

Approximately 23 percent of the total population increase between 2000 and 2005 in Virginia was directly attributable to immigrants.

FAIR estimates the illegal alien population in 2005 at 192,000, which is ranked thirteenth in the U.S. This number is 86% above the U.S. government estimate of 103,000 in 2000, and 300% above the 1990 estimate of 48,000.

According to an estimate of the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2005 there were an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 illegal aliens living in Virginia, ranking 10th in the U.S. in PEW estimates.²

FAIR estimates in 2004 that the taxpayers of Virginia spent $452.9 million per year on illegal aliens in public schools.³

FAIR’s projected annual fiscal costs to Virginia taxpayers for emergency medical care, education and incarceration resulting if an amnesty is adopted for illegal residents.
Current	2010	2020
$560,000,000	$951,000,000	$1,636,000,000

POPULATION PROFILE

Immigration-driven population growth is taking a toll on Virginia. In the last six years, over 564,369 new residents settled in Virginia. More than twenty-seven percent of these new residents were immigrants. This large-scale population growth is causing serious problems for the state’s infrastructure and environment, particularly in northern Virginia’s suburbs where costs and social burdens have risen.

In Fairfax County, where the foreign-born population grew by 86 percent during the 1990s and is now 25 percent of the total county's population, the poverty rate rose by 54 percent. The number of people over age 25 with less than a ninth-grade education grew by 58 percent.⁴

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

Virginia’s foreign-born population increased by over 18 percent between 2000 and 2005. During that period Virginia gained over 107,000 immigrants, bringing the total number of foreign-born residents in the state to over 677,000.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE PROFILE

Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Virginia residents increased 13 percent during the 1990s, to 27 minutes as of 2005.^{5, 6}

29% of Virginia's major urban roads are congested and 26% of Virginia's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Vehicle travel on Virginia's highways increased 28% from 1990 to 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Virginia motorists $1.2 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs — $248 per motorist. ⁷

Congestion costs $272 in Richmond, $501 in Virginia Beach, and $1,212 in the Washington, DC metropolitan area per person per year in excess fuel and lost time. The annual delay per traveler in Virginia Beach was 26 hours in 2005 and 17 hours in Richmond. ⁸ 18 percent of commuters in Virginia have a commute time that is 45 minutes or more. ⁹

Within the next 20 years Northern Virginia’s increase in population will be two to three times greater than the planned increase in highway capacity, according to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board.¹⁰

Disappearing Open Space: About 62,000 acres were developed in the Richmond region from 1982 to 1992—a developed area one and a half times the size of the city itself. Forty-seven percent of the farmland in the Richmond metro area disappeared from 1959 to 1992. At that rate, 86 percent of the farmland would disappear by 2020.¹¹

A study of urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 that calculated the impact of population increase and per capita land use found that 221.4 square miles of additional land were consumed by urban sprawl in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News metropolitan area, and 85.1 percent of that sprawl was attributable to population increase. In the Richmond metro area sprawl consumed an additional 158.1 square miles and population increase accounted for 47.1 percent of the increase. In the Washington, DC-Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area, 47.0 percent of 450.1 square miles of growth was attributable to population increases. ¹²

Sprawl: In the Richmond region, land was developed twice as fast from 1992 to 1997 as in the previous decade—from an average of 5,830 acres a year to 11,760 acres a year. The development rate increased 42 percent in Hampton Roads (which developed 43,300 acres from 1992 to 1997) and 3 percent in northern Virginia (which developed 49,300 acres).¹³

Water: Between 2000 and 2006, Virginia’s foreign-born population increased by 35.7 percent.¹⁴That compares with a 5.5 percent increase in the native-born population and that includes the children born to immigrants. When the U.S-born children of immigrants are included, immigration accounts for 57.9 percent of the state’s overall growth during that time.¹⁵By 2050 the state’s population is expected to rise from 7.6 million in 2006 to 11.4 million.¹⁶Virginia has a daily, per-capita water demand of 101.7 gallons.¹⁷This means that by 2050 public water usage will have increased by 386.5 million gallons each day.

Solid Waste: Virginia generates 1.5 tons of solid waste per capita.¹⁸

Air Pollution: Seventeen out of Virginia’s 95 counties received a grade of “F” in air quality from the American Lung Association in their 2005 state of the air report.¹⁹

Lack of Affordable Housing: As population rises, the housing supply often can’t keep up with the demand, causing prices to rise sharply. In northern Virginia, tight housing markets have kept prices beyond the reach of many blue-collar workers. Programs that require developers to build affordable housing into their projects have been stymied by efforts to restrict development in order to stop sprawl.²⁰

The number of households requesting governmental rental subsidies has grown by thousands in each of northern Virginia’s major jurisdictions in recent years. In Loudoun, the waiting list tripled. Fairfax County, where the average rent increased 40 percent in the last four years, reported a 25 percent increase in homelessness during the same period.²¹

Crowded Housing: An estimated 39,000 Virginia households are defined as crowded in 2005.²² Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born.²³,²⁴

High immigrant concentrations in Fairfax County have led to massive crowding and plagued once-quiet neighborhoods. “People live in a great neighborhood, and the next day, 14 unrelated people move in, with inadequate bathroom facilities,” says Virginia Senator Leslie Byrne. Byrne, whose office has been deluged with complaints about overcrowding, says it is harming this harms property values and putting public health at risk.²⁵

Immigration and School Overcrowding

Virginia’s K-12 student population increased by more than 80,000 between 2000 and 2005 (7 percent) ²⁶, ²⁷ and is expected to increase an additional 7 percent by 2015. ^28/

In Northern Virginia, the constant influx of students makes it difficult to meet desirable student-teacher ratios, and experts attribute the increase in large part to an influx of immigrants.²⁹ Funds for school construction and renovation have not kept up with the growth in the Fairfax County’s student population; which has increased by 20,000 students since 1995. Stafford county had to ask the state for emergency funds to hire additional teachers to accommodate the hundreds more students than were expected.³⁰ In Chesapeake, “no space is available at the elementary school, middle school, or high school.” ³¹

Poverty: 9.7 percent of the foreign-born population lived below the poverty line in 2005, a change of 12.7 percent since 2000. For non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 12.2 percent.³²

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Before September 11th, 2001, Virginia’s lax requirements for obtaining a driver's license caused a stream of illegal aliens into the state. After the terrorist attacks, the state tightened its identity and residency requirements and will no longer accept passports with expired visas as an acceptable document.³³
Experts say that northern Virginia, with its thriving service economy and surging communities of legal immigrants, has made north Virginia a magnet for illegal aliens.³⁴  Approximately Eighty percent of the state’s illegal residents live in northern Virginia.³⁵

Endotes:

1. FAIR estimate based on the 2005 Current Population Survey
2. "Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for
3. States based on the March 2005 CPS", Pew Hispanic Center
4. Martin, Jack. “Breaking the Piggy Bank: How Illegal Immigration is Sending Schools into the Red,” A Report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform
5. Boom in Immigrants Transforming County,” Washington Post. June 6, 2002.
6. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000,” Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
7. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990,” 1990 Census, U.S. Census Bureau.
8. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
9. Ibid
10. “U.S. Population 2007 Data Sheet,” Population Reference Bureau.
11. Hiawatha Nicely, “Northern Virginia’s Gridlock Affects the Entire State, “Roanoke Times & World News, February 16, 2002.
12. Rex Springston and Will Jones, “A Growing Problem, “Richmond Times Dispatch,” September 10, 2000.
13. Beck, Roy and Leon Kolankiewicz, “Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities,” NumbersUSA, March 2001.
14. U.S Census Bureau 2006.
15. Jack Martin, “Issue Brief: Estimation of Foreign Born Birthrate.” FAIR. 2008
16. Jack Martin and Stanley Fogel, “Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050.” FAIR. March 2006
17. U.S. Geological Survey 2000.
18. Ron Vample, “Sprawl Drying Up Drinking Water,” Associated Press, August 28, 2002.
19. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
20. “State of the Air 2005: Virginia”, American Lung Association.
21. Michael Laris, “Affordable Housing Programs
22. Peter Whoriskey, “Prosperity Feeds Housing Pinch,” Washington Post, March 17, 2002.
23. Virginia: Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
24. Haya El Nasser, “U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded,” USA Today, July 7, 2002.
25. Randy Capps, “Hardship among Children of Immigrants: Finding from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families,” Urban Institute, 2001.
26. Lisa Rein and Michael D. Shear “Sleeping Quarters Measure Withdrawn,” Washington Post, January 30, 2001.
27. "Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
28. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007.
29. Projections of Education Statistics to 2015, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
30. Vaishali Honawar, “Schools Facing 8,000 More Students,”Washington Times, August 27, 2000.
31. Steven Ginsberg and Christina A. Samuels, “School Enrollments Surge for 2 Year,”Washington Post,”September 9, 2001.
32. Robert McCabe, “Schools Can’t Handle Growth,”Virginian-Pilot,”August 26, 2002.
33. “Virginia State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
34. David Cho and Mary Beth Sheridan, “Tighter Immigrant ID Rules Shut Doors,”Washington Post,”March 18, 2002
35. Mary Beth Sheridan and Peter Whoriskey, “A Magnet for Illegal Immigrants,” Washington Post,” March 27, 2001.
36. Spencer S. Hsu, “Va. Lawmaker Takes Aim at Illegal Immigrants,” Washington Post, January 16, 1995.

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