About 11.5 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States as of January 2011, according to a report released by the Department of Homeland Security. The department study indicates that âin summary, an estimated 11.5 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States in January 2011 compared to a revised 2010 estimate of 11.6 million.â
âThese results suggest little to no change in the unauthorized immigrant population from 2010 to 2011,â the report states, adding that âit is unlikely that the unauthorized immigrant population increased after 2007 given relatively high U.S. unemployment, improved economic conditions in Mexico, record low numbers of apprehensions of unauthorized immigrants at U.S. borders, and greater levels of border enforcement.â
The report adds that with 6.8 million, or 59 percent of Americaâs unauthorized immigrants, âMexico continued to be the leading source country of unauthorized immigration to the United States.â
El Salvador (660,000), Guatemala (520,000), Honduras (380,000) and China (280,000) were the ânext leading source countries.â
According to Reuters, âimmigration has been a hot topic on the presidential campaign trail with Mitt Romney, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination to face President Barack Obama in Novemberâs election, backing tougher measures to crack down on illegal immigrants,â while President Obama âhas sought to block some tough new state laws aimed at pushing out illegal immigrantsâ and urged âCongress to pass a comprehensive package of immigration reforms, but that effort has gone nowhere.â
According to the Department of Homeland Security report in 2011, Florida, with 740,000, had the third largest number of unauthorized residents while âCalifornia remained the leading state of residence of the unauthorized immigrant population in 2011, with 2.8 million,â followed by âTexas with 1.8 million unauthorized residents.â
Floridaâs unauthorized immigrant population declined from 800,000 in 2000 to 740,000 according to the report.