FAIR’s immigration facts sheet is designed to help you stay fresh with facts as you talk about immigration policy. Below is a summary of the most commonly used statistics.

Download this fact sheet here

POPULATION

Number of Illegal Aliens in the U.S.

• 14.5 million (2020 FAIR estimate).
• Includes 1.9 million illegal alien minors.
• Does not include 4.9 million U.S.-born children of illegal aliens (anchor babies).

Population

• 332.5 million people live in the United States.
• As of November 2021, the U.S. has a foreign-born population of 46.2 million. This amounts to 14.2 percent of the total U.S. population.
• About 1 in 4 children under 18 have at least one foreign-born parent.
• U.S. has approximately 10 million more foreign-born residents than entire European Union combined.
• The majority of immigrants in the United States come from Latin America and the Caribbean.
• By 2060, the U.S. will add over 79 million more people – the equivalent of adding the combined populations of California, Texas, New York, Florida and Massachusetts.
• The United States gains 1 net migrant every 11 minutes.

Top 5 States with Highest Illegal Alien Population

• California (3,042,000) 
• Texas (2,073,000)
• Florida (1,104,000)
• New York (1,007,000)
• New Jersey (649,000)

Future Population Growth Fueled by Immigration

• Up to 95%.
• 69.3 million foreign-born population estimated for 2060, compared to 44.6 million in 2017, and 9.6 million in 1970.
• 7.1 million immigrants expected to enter the U.S. from 2020-2030.

Number of Children Born to Illegal Aliens in U.S. (Anchor Babies)

• Approximately 7.5 percent of all births nationwide are to illegal aliens. Prior to 1987, this number was under 1%.
• Another 33k expectant mothers came to the U.S. as “birth tourists” during the second half of 2016 and the first half of 2017, meaning their children will be dual citizens, even though they will be raised in a foreign nation.

COSTS & INFRASTRUCTURE

Miles of Fence Constructed along the 2000-mile US-Mexico Border

• 738 total miles of border fencing (Trump administration enhanced 452 miles of existing border fencing, 80 miles of which was brand new).
• 300 miles of vehicular barriers.
• 353 miles of pedestrian fencing.
• 36 miles of double-layer fence.
• 14 miles of Tertiary Pedestrian Fencing.

Annual National Fiscal Cost of Illegal Immigration

• $133.7 billion.

Average Annual Tax Deficit per Illegal Alien Adult

• $10,480.

EDUCATION

States Offering Financial Aid to Illegal Aliens

• California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

States that Prohibit Illegal Aliens from Enrolling at Public Universities

• Alabama South Carolina: banned from all public universities.
• Georgia: banned from some public universities.

Educating Illegal Aliens (2016 FAIR Estimates)

• Number of illegal students and students with at least one illegal parent: 3.6 million.
• Total state cost to educate illegal students and the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens: $44.8 billion.
• Average annual per-pupil cost to educate illegal aliens: $12,128.

Number of States Giving In-State Tuition to Illegal Aliens

• 21 States.

CRIME

Illegal Alien Incarceration

• 3 times as likely to be incarcerated as U.S. citizens or lawfully present immigrants.
• Minimum of 42,000 illegal aliens incarcerated in California.
• In Texas alone, 405,000 crimes were committed by 245,000 illegal aliens between June 1, 2011, and December 31, 2021.

Number of Criminal Aliens in U.S. Prisons (October 2020)

• 27,494 known or suspected criminal aliens incarcerated in Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities (17% of BOP population).
• In 1980, our federal and state prisons housed fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens.

MISCELLANEOUS

Visa Overstays

• 684,499 total visa overstays in FY 2020. Estimated that 584,885 were still present at end of fiscal year.
• 3,396 overstays in FY 2017 from the six countries listed on the Trump travel restriction list.
• 99% of visa overstays are never investigated.

States Issuing Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Aliens

• 16 states plus the District of Columbia.
• Despite the 9/11 Commission recommendation 15 years ago urging a tightening, not loosening, of DL issuance requirements.