Nearly 1 in 5 immigrants in US illegally in NYC, LA areas
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A report released Thursday estimates more than 2.5 million immigrants in the country illegally live in the metropolitan areas of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, which have pledged to fight President Trump’s plans to expand deportations.
The study by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center provides a glimpse of where immigrants in the country illegally reside and regions that could be most affected by Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
It also underscores the challenges Trump could face in rounding up large numbers of deportees because many areas that are home to large numbers of immigrants lacking legal papers oppose his plans.
Any actions by the new administration could be even more widely felt among immigrant communities in regions such as Phoenix, Houston, Dallas and Denver. In these areas, 37 percent of immigrants lack legal status, compared to 26 percent nationwide, the report said.
Immigrants in Phoenix are already starting to see tougher enforcement. A woman in the country illegally who was not targeted for deportation under the Obama administration was taken into custody Wednesday and sent back to Mexico, unleashing protests at a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
The Pew report estimates there are 11.1 million immigrants in the country illegally — or 3.5 percent of the overall U.S. population.
In some areas, a larger share of immigrants lack legal papers than others, according to the report by the Washington-based center, which was based on 2014 Census Bureau data.
For example, about 17 percent of immigrants in the San Francisco area lack legal status compared with 35 percent in the region surrounding Las Vegas.
Cities and counties are immersed in a fierce debate over what role, if any, they should play in immigration enforcement as Trump seeks help from local law enforcement to boost deportations and threatens to cut off funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to assist.
Many large cities including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have pledged to fight back and not cooperate with requests for assistance from federal deportation agents.
The Pew report looked at large metropolitan areas. Many of the local sanctuary policies cover specific cities within those regions.
About 61 percent of immigrants in the country illegally live in 20 metropolitan areas, the report said.
FILE – In this April 10, 2006, file photo, Pro-Immigration rights demonstrators rally on a freeway overpass in downtown Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of people demanding U.S. citizenship for illegal immigrants spilled into the streets Monday in dozens of cities from New York to San Diego in some of the most widespread demonstrations since mass protests began around the country last month. Immigrant rights advocates are planning rallies against President-elect Donald Trump’s pledged hard line on immigration, but experts say the rallies won’t likely draw the crowds of a decade ago unless he makes good on his promises. Union leaders and young immigrants are organizing more than 50 protests and cultural events from Philadelphia to Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 14. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
FILE – In this April 10, 2006, file photo, Pro-Immigration rights demonstrators rally on a freeway overpass in downtown Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of people demanding U.S. citizenship for illegal immigrants spilled into the streets Monday in dozens of cities from New York to San Diego in some of the most widespread demonstrations since mass protests began around the country last month. Immigrant rights advocates are planning rallies against President-elect Donald Trump’s pledged hard line on immigration, but experts say the rallies won’t likely draw the crowds of a decade ago unless he makes good on his promises. Union leaders and young immigrants are organizing more than 50 protests and cultural events from Philadelphia to Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 14. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)