Immigration Hits All-Time High

About 1 in 8 Americans started out elsewhere, says anti-immigrant group
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 29, 2007 12:18 PM CST
Immigration Hits All-Time High
Elli Castillo, center, waits with her family for a protest to begin at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. About 500 mostly Hispanic protesters gathered to decry a new state law that is designed to fight illegal immigration.(AP Photo)   (Associated Press)

One out of every 8 US residents is an immigrant following seven years in which a record 10.3 million newcomers crossed US borders. But more than half of those were illegals, according to an anti-immigration group's census analysis. Critics were skeptical of the study’s conclusions—which focused on the burden immigrants pose to society—but not its data.

Roughly one third of immigrants receive public assistance, the study finds, and 30% are uninsured—compared with 13% among the native-born population. But, “This is a one-eyed portrait,” one demographer told the New York Times, because it neglects immigrant contributions, like paying taxes or performing undesirable jobs. (More immigrant stories.)

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