About two thirds of the 10.2 million unauthorized adult immigrants who currently live in the U.S have lived here for at least 10 years, according to a report released early this month by the Pew Hispanic Center.

The Pew reportĀ (.pdf) adds that ā€œnearly half are parents of minor childrenā€ and that ā€œthe characteristics of this population have become a source of renewed interestā€ after GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich endorsed a ā€œproposal to create a path for unauthorized immigrants to gain legal status if they have lived in the country for a long period of time, have children in the U.S., pay taxes and belong to a church.ā€

Gingrich’s recent call for a humane path to immigration enforcement makes him the most recent conservative voice calling for solutions that encompass something more than the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Gingrich said, ā€œI don’t see how the — the party that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century. And I’m prepared to take the heat for saying, ā€˜Let’s be humane in enforcing the law without giving them citizenship, but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families.ā€™ā€

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has also saidĀ Ā ā€œthatĀ RepublicansĀ would do better to tone down the overheated rhetoric and focus on a positive immigration reform agenda.ā€

The Pew Hispanic report adds that:

  • 35 percent of unauthorized adult immigrants have resided in the U.S. for 15 years or more,
  • 28 percent for 10 to 14 years,
  • 22 percent for five to nine years, and
  • 15 percent for less than five years.

The report also indicates that 46 percent ā€œof unauthorized adult immigrants today—about 4.7 million people—are parents of minor children. By contrast, just 38% of legal immigrant adults and 29% of U.S.-born adults are parents of minor children.ā€

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