Is Illegal Immigration on the Decline?

The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has declined by roughly 1.3 million, or 11 percent, in the past year, according to a new report from the immigration think tank and advocacy group, Center for Immigration Studies, which analyzes the latest data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. But while the CIS report attributes the significant drop to heightened border enforcement by federal authorities, others have pointed to a weakened economy and a drop in low-wage jobs. Some demographers and immigration experts have also questioned the methodology of the report and have suggested that the decline could, in fact, be less than stated. The Center for Immigration Studies favors policies that aim to reduce immigration and advocates against giving legal status to illegal immigrants.

The issue of immigration is, perhaps, one of the most contentious and complicated in this country, and public attitudes about this topic tend to be ambivalent -- and often contradictory. Majorities of Americans say immigrants take jobs Americans don't want, yet the public is divided on whether or not immigrants help the economy. Half of Americans believe illegal immigration should be solved both by halting the flow of immigrants and by dealing with illegal immigrants already in the U.S. Still, majorities of Americans say illegal immigrants should be allowed to remain in the U.S. if they have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, pay a fine and learn English. But support for a guest worker program varies depending on how the survey question is worded.