Unauthorized Aliens Residing in the United States: Estimates Since 1986

^Pr^ep^ar^{ed f}^o^r^M^e^m^b^ers^an^d^Com^mⁱ^t^t^ees^of^C^ong^r^e^ss

Estimates derived from the March Supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population
Survey indicate that the unauthorized resident alien population (commonly referred to as illegal
aliens) has risen from 3.2 million in 1986 to 11.1 million in 2005. The estimated number of
unauthorized aliens had dropped to 1.9 million in 1988 following passage of a 1986 law that
legalized several million unauthorized aliens. About two-thirds of the unauthorized population in

2005 were estimated to have entered the United States in the past decade.

Similarly, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) reported
an estimated 11.6 million unauthorized alien residents as of January 2006, up from 8.5 million in
January 2000. The OIS based its estimates on estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American
Community Survey. The OIS estimated that the unauthorized immigrant population in the United
States increased by 37%, with an annual average increase of 515,000 unauthorized aliens over the
past six years.
Research suggests that various factors have contributed to the increase in unauthorized resident
aliens in recent years, and that the rise is often attributed to the “push-pull” of prosperity-fueled
job opportunities in the United States in contrast to limited or nonexistent job opportunities in the
sending countries. Some observers maintain that lax enforcement of employer sanctions for hiring
unauthorized aliens has facilitated this “push-pull,” but it is difficult to demonstrate this element
empirically.
Some researchers are now suggesting that the increased unauthorized resident population is an
inadvertent consequence of border enforcement and immigration control policies. They posit that
strengthened border security has curbed the fluid movement of seasonal workers. They also cite
the backlog in processing immigrant petitions, which some argue lead aliens to risk residing
without legal status with their family in the United States while they wait for the petitions to be
processed or visas to become available.
Some observers point to more elusive factors when assessing the increase of unauthorized
resident aliens—such as shifts in immigration enforcement priorities away from illegal entry to
removing suspected terrorists and criminal aliens, or discussions of possible “amnesty”
legislation. Others argue that border security measures enacted in recent years have not received
adequate funding to be effective against unauthorized migration.
This report does not track legislation and will be updated as needed.

Backgr ound ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Estimates Since 1986.......................................................................................................................2
Analysis from the Current Population Survey.................................................................................4
Analysis from the American Community Survey............................................................................6
Contributing Factors........................................................................................................................7
Figure 1. Estimated Number of Unauthorized Resident Aliens, 1986-2005...................................3
Figure 2. Unauthorized Resident Alien Population by Place of Origin, 1986 and 2005.................5
Figure 3. Unauthorized Resident Aliens in 2005, by Reported Year of Arrival..............................6
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................8

An estimated 37 million foreign-born people reside in the United States. In recent years, the
United States typically admitted or adjusted 600,000 to 1 million aliens annually, giving them the
status of “legal permanent resident” (LPR), a term synonymous with the term immigrant. In
addition to those foreign nationals who permanently reside legally in the United States, millions
each year come temporarily on nonimmigrant visas, and some of these nonimmigrants (e.g.,
foreign students and intra-company business transfers) may reside legally in the United States for
several years. It is also estimated that each year hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals ¹
overstay their nonimmigrant visas.
The three main components of the unauthorized resident alien population are (1) aliens who
overstay their nonimmigrant visas, (2) aliens who enter the country surreptitiously without
inspection, and (3) aliens who are admitted on the basis of fraudulent documents. In all three
instances, the aliens are in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and subject to
removal.
The last major law that allowed unauthorized aliens living in the United States to legalize their
status was the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 (P.L. 99-603). Generally,
legislation such as IRCA is referred to as an “amnesty” or a legalization program because it
provides LPR status to aliens who are otherwise residing illegally in the United States. Among
IRCA’s main provisions was a time-limited legalization program, codified at § 245A of the
Immigration and Nationality Act, that enabled certain illegal aliens who entered the United States ²
before January 1, 1982, to become LPRs. It also had a provision that permitted aliens working ³
illegally as “special agricultural workers” to become LPRs. Nearly 2.7 million aliens established
legal status through the provisions of IRCA.
Continued high levels of unauthorized migration to the United States have, in part, prompted the
current discussion of guest worker programs, as well as major proposals that would permit
legalization under specified conditions. There are also proposals aimed at reducing unauthorized ⁴
migration by tightening up enforcement of immigration laws. The report of the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission)
stated that “more than 9 million people are in the United States outside the legal immigration
system” as one of the reasons for the Commission’s recommendations to improve immigration ⁵
services and strengthen enforcement of immigration laws.
This CRS report presents data estimating the number of unauthorized aliens who have been living
in the United States since 1986. There have been a variety of estimates of the unauthorized
resident alien population over this period, sometimes with substantially different results. This
report is limited to data analyses of the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the U.S.

¹^Se^e^C^R^S^R^e^por^{t R}^S²²⁴⁴^6,^N^oⁿⁱ^m^mⁱ^gr^ant^O^v^e^r^s^t^ay^s^:^Br^ie^{f Sy}^nthe^sⁱ^s^{of t}^h^e^I^s^s^u^e^{, by}^Ruth^Elle^{n W}^a^se^m^.
²^{8 U}^.^S^.^C^.^{§ 1}²⁵⁵^a^.
³^{8 U}^.^S^.^C^.^{§ 1}¹⁶⁰^.
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⁵^For^a^dis^c^us^sⁱ^oⁿ^of^the^s^e^r^e^c^o^m^m^e^nda^tions^,^s^e^e^N^a^tiona^{l C}^o^m^mⁱ^s^sⁱ^on^{on T}^e^r^r^o^rⁱ^s^t^A^tta^c^k^s^U^{pon t}^h^e^Uⁿ^ite^d^Sta^t^e^s^,
^T^h^{e 9}^/¹¹^Co^mmission^Repo^rt^{, c}^h^a^p^{. 1}²^.⁴^,^pp.³^83-³⁹^{1, J}^u^ly²⁰⁰⁴^.

Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics so that there is a basic standard of comparison ⁶
over time.

For a basis of comparison, Figure 1 presents the estimate of 3.2 million unauthorized resident
aliens in 1986 calculated by demographers Karen Woodrow and Jeffrey Passel, who worked for
the U.S. Census Bureau at that time. As expected after the passage of IRCA, the estimate for 1988 ⁷
dropped to 1.9 million. According to demographer Robert Warren of the former Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS), the estimated unauthorized resident alien population grew to 3.4 ⁸
million in 1992 and to 5.0 million in 1996. By the close of the decade, the estimated number of
unauthorized alien residents had more than doubled. Passel, now at the Pew Hispanic Center,
estimated the unauthorized population in 2000 at 8.5 million, but this latter estimate included ⁹
aliens who had petitions pending or relief from deportation.

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^P^o^pu^l^a^ti^on^an^{d I}^mmi^g^r^a^tⁱ^oⁿ^{, A}^u^g^u^s^t^2,²⁰^01.

Figure 1. Estimated Number of Unauthorized Resident Aliens, 1986-2005
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Woodrow and PasselWarren
Revised WarrenPassel, Capps, and Fix
Hoefer, Rytina, and CampbellPassel
^Sources:^{CRS prese}^{ntation of a}^{nalysis of Curre}^{nt Population Sur}^{vey data conducted}^{by Kare}^{n W}^{oodrow and}
^{Jeffrey Pas}^{sel (19}^{86 a}^{nd 1}⁹⁹^{0); Robert Warre}^{n (1}⁹⁹^{6, 20}^{00, and}²^{003); J}^effre^{y Passel, Randy Capps,}^{and Michael}
^{Fix (200}^{2); Passel (20}^{00, 2}⁰⁰^{5, an}^{d 200}^{6); and}^{Michael Hoefer, Na}^{ncy Rytina, and Ch}^ristopher^Cam^{pbell (20}^06).
Subsequently, Warren estimated that there were 7.0 million unauthorized aliens residing in the
United States in 2000. As depicted in Figure 1, he also revised his earlier analyses using the latest
CPS and estimated that there were 3.5 million unauthorized aliens living in the United States in

1990 and 5.8 million in 1996. Warren excluded “quasi-legal” aliens (e.g., those who had petitions ¹⁰

pending or relief from deportation) from his estimates. By 2002, the estimated number of ¹¹
unauthorized resident aliens had risen to 9.3 million. During the first decade after IRCA,
researchers projected that the net growth in unauthorized aliens had averaged about 500,000
annually; more recent analyses estimated the average growth at 700,000 to 800,000 annually. If
the later trend held, about 12 million unauthorized aliens may have been residing in the United ¹²
States by the close of 2006.

¹⁰^{U.S. Im}^mⁱ^g^r^a^{tion a}^{nd Na}^t^u^ra^liz^a^tion^Se^rv^ic^e^,^Es^tim^ate^s^of^the^Uⁿ^aut^hor^iz^e^d^I^m^mⁱ^gr^aⁿ^{t P}^o^p^u^latⁱ^oⁿ^Re^sⁱ^din^gⁱⁿ^t^h^e
^Uⁿ^ite^{d State}^s^{, 19}⁹⁰^to²⁰⁰⁰^,^Januar^y³¹^,²⁰⁰³^.
¹¹^T^h^e^U^r^ba^{n I}ⁿ^s^tⁱ^t^ute^,^Uⁿ^do^cu^ment^ed^I^mmi^g^r^an^t^s^:^Fa^ct^{s an}^d^Fⁱ^gu^res^{, by}^J^e^f^f^r^e^y^P^a^s^s^e^{l, R}^a^ndy^C^a^{pps, a}^nd^Mic^h^a^e^l
^Fix^,^J^a^nua^r^y^{12, 2}⁰⁰⁴^.
¹²^P^e^w^Hi^sp^anⁱ^c^Cen^t^er,^Es^tim^ate^s^{of t}^h^e^Siz^e^aⁿ^d^C^h^ar^ac^te^rⁱ^s^tic^s^of^the^Uⁿ^d^o^c^u^m^e^nte^d^Po^pu^lati^on^{, b}^y^J^e^ff^re^y^P^a^ssel,
^Ma^r^c^{h 21}^{, 2}⁰⁰⁵^.

The most commonly cited published estimate based upon the March 2006 CPS is that 11.1
million unauthorized aliens were residing in the United States. According to this analysis by
Passel, Mexicans made up more than half of undocumented immigrants—56 % of the total, or
about 6.2 million. He estimated that 2.5 million (22%) were from other Latin American countries. ¹³
About 13% were from Asia, 6% from Europe and Canada, and 3% from the rest of the world.
As Figure 2 illustrates, the 2005 distribution by region of origin was similar to Woodrow and
Passel’s analysis of the 1986 data, despite the growth in overall numbers from 3.2 million in 1986
to 11.1 million in 2005. In 1986, 69% of the unauthorized aliens residing in the United States
were estimated to be from Mexico, compared with 56% in 2005. Asia’s share of the unauthorized
alien residents appeared to have grown over this period (from 6% to 13%), as did the portion
from the “other” parts of the world. Note that Canada is grouped with North and South America ¹⁴
(excluding Mexico) in 1986 and with Europe in 2005.
Passel estimated the number of persons living in families in which the head of the household or
the spouse is an unauthorized alien was 14.6 million as of March 2005. Passel also reported that
in 2005 there were an estimated 1.8 million children who were unauthorized and an estimated 3.1
million children who were U.S. citizens by birth living in families in which the head of the family
or a spouse was unauthorized. He projected that unauthorized aliens accounted for about 4.9% of
the civilian labor force in March 2005, or about 7.2 million workers out of a labor force of 148 ¹⁵
million.

¹³^P^e^w^Hi^sp^anⁱ^c^Cen^t^er,^Siz^e^aⁿ^d^C^har^ac^te^rⁱ^s^tic^s^of^the^Uⁿ^a^u^th^or^iz^e^d^Mⁱ^graⁿ^{t P}^o^p^u^la^tio^{n i}ⁿ^t^h^e^U.S.:^Estimate^s^B^a^se^d
^{on t}^h^e^M^a^r^c^h²⁰^{05 C}^u^r^r^e^{nt P}^o^p^u^l^atioⁿ^Sur^v^e^y^{, by}^J^e^f^f^r^e^y^P^a^s^s^e^{l, Ma}^r^c^{h 7,}²⁰⁰⁶^.
¹⁴^Ibid^.
¹⁵^For^a^dis^c^us^sⁱ^oⁿ^of^h^o^w^m^aⁿ^y^una^uthor^iz^e^d^a^lie^ns^a^r^e^c^u^r^r^e^ntlyⁱⁿ^the^U^.^{S. w}^o^r^k^f^o^r^c^e^,^s^e^e^C^R^S^R^e^por^{t R}^L³²⁰⁴^4,
^Immigratio^{n: P}^o^lic^y^Co^nside^r^a^tio^ns^Re^late^d^to^Gue^s^{t W}^o^rk^e^r^Prog^rams^{, by}^A^ndor^r^a^B^r^un^o.

Figure 2. Unauthorized Resident Alien Population by Place of Origin, 1986 and 2005
^Source:^{CRS prese}^{ntation of an}^{alysis of Current Pop}^{ulation Surv}^{ey data conducted b}^y^Karen^{Woodrow: Jeffrey}
^{Passel (199}^{0), and Jeff}^{rey Passel (}²⁰⁰^6).
According to Passel, the largest share of the unauthorized population (4.4 million aliens) had been
in the country five years or less. As Figure 3 depicts, about two-thirds of the unauthorized ¹⁶
population were estimated to have entered the United States during the decade 1995-2005.

¹⁶^P^e^w^Hi^sp^anⁱ^c^Cen^t^er,^Siz^e^aⁿ^d^C^har^ac^te^rⁱ^s^tic^s^of^the^Uⁿ^a^u^th^or^iz^e^d^Mⁱ^graⁿ^{t P}^o^p^u^la^tio^{n i}ⁿ^t^h^e^U.S.:^Estimate^s^B^a^se^d
^{on t}^h^e^M^a^r^c^h²⁰^{05 C}^u^r^r^e^{nt P}^o^p^u^l^atioⁿ^Sur^v^e^y^{, by}^J^e^f^f^r^e^y^P^a^s^s^e^{l, Ma}^r^c^{h 7,}²⁰⁰⁶^.

Figure 3. Unauthorized Resident Aliens in 2005, by Reported Year of Arrival
Pre-1990

16.2%

1.8 million
2000-2005

39.6%

1990-19944.4 million
2.0 million

18.0%

2.9 million
1995-1999

26.1%

^Source:^{CRS prese}^{ntation by a}ⁿ^{alysis of Current Pop}^{ulation Surv}^{ey data conducted b}^y^Jef^{frey Pass}^{el (200}^6).

Michael Hoefer, Nancy Rytina, and Christopher Campbell of the Department of Homeland
Security’s (DHS’s) Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) recently published its 2006 estimates of
the unauthorized resident alien population and yielded results consistent with Passel’s, discussed
above. OIS demographers Hoefer, Rytina, and Campbell drew their estimates from the American ¹⁷
Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau. The OIS reported an estimated 11.6 million
unauthorized alien residents as of January 2006, up from 8.5 million in January 2000. The OIS
estimated that the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States increased by 37% over ¹⁸
the past six years, with an average increase of 515,000 annually.

¹⁷^T^h^e^A^m^e^r^ic^aⁿ^C^o^m^m^unit^y^Sur^v^ey⁽^A^C^S⁾^is^a^na^tiona^{l s}^a^m^p^le^s^u^r^v^ey^tha^t^c^ons^is^ts^ofⁿ^on-^ov^e^r^la^ppin^g^s^a^m^p^le^s^f^r^om
^w^h^ic^{h the}^U^.^{S. C}^e^ns^us^B^u^r^e^a^u^c^o^lle^c^t^s^m^onthly^hous^e^hol^d^da^ta^ov^e^r^the^c^our^s^e^of^a^y^e^a^r^.^T^h^e^O^I^{S d}^e^m^o^g^r^a^phe^r^s^s^t^a^t^e^d
^th^{at th}^ey^selected^th^{e A}^C^{S f}^o^{r th}^{e estimates b}^ecau^{se o}^f^its^larg^{e s}^a^m^p^{le size, 3}^m^illioⁿ^h^o^u^s^eh^o^l^d^sⁱⁿ²⁰⁰⁵^co^m^p^ared^to
^99,⁰⁰^{0 f}^o^r^the^Ma^r^c^{h 2}⁰⁰⁶^C^u^r^r^e^nt^Pop^u^la^tio^{n S}^u^r^v^e^y^.
¹⁸^D^e^pa^r^t^m^e^{nt of}^H^o^m^e^la^{nd Se}^c^u^rⁱ^t^y^{, Of}^fⁱ^ce^of^I^m^mⁱ^g^r^a^{tion Sta}^tis^tic^s^,^Estimate^s^o^f^the^Uⁿ^a^u^th^or^iz^e^d^I^m^mⁱ^gr^ant
^Pop^u^latⁱ^oⁿ^Re^sⁱ^di^ngⁱⁿ^the^Uⁿ^ite^{d St}^ate^s^:^J^a^nu^ar^y²⁰⁰⁶^{, by}^Mic^h^a^e^l^H^o^e^f^e^r^{, N}^a^ncy^R^y^tina^,^a^{nd C}^h^rⁱ^s^t^op^he^r^C^a^m^pbe^ll,
²⁰⁰^7.

According to the OIS, California had more unauthorized residents than any other state—an
estimated 2.8 million unauthorized aliens in 2006. Texas followed with 1.6 million, and Florida
had 980,000. Among the 10 leading states of residence of the unauthorized population in 2006,
OIS reported that those with the largest average annual increases since 2000 were Texas (91,667),
California (53,333), and Georgia (45,000). The states with the greatest percentage increases in
unauthorized immigrants from 2000 to 2006 were Georgia (123%), Washington (65%), and ¹⁹
Arizona (52%).

The research points to various factors that have contributed to the increase in unauthorized
resident aliens. Historically, unauthorized migration is generally attributed to the “push-pull” of
prosperity-fueled job opportunities in the United States in contrast to limited or nonexistent job ²⁰
opportunities in the sending countries. Some observers maintain that lax enforcement of
employer sanctions for hiring unauthorized aliens has facilitated this “push-pull,” but it is difficult
to demonstrate this element empirically. Political instability or civil unrest at home is another
element that traditionally has induced people to risk unauthorized migration, but the motives for
such migrations are sometimes mixed with the economic hardships often correlated with political ²¹
upheaval.
Although most policy makers have assumed that tighter border enforcement would reduce
unauthorized migration, some researchers are now suggesting that the strengthening of the
immigration enforcement provisions, most notably by the enactment of the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), may have inadvertently increased ²²
the population of unauthorized resident aliens. This perspective argues that IIRIRA’s increased
penalties for illegal entry, coupled with increased resources for border enforcement, stymied what
had been a rather fluid movement of migratory workers along the southern border; this in turn
raised the stakes in crossing the border illegally and created an incentive for those who succeed in ²³
entering the United States to stay.
Another contributing factor—best represented by the “quasi-legal” aliens discussed above—is the
wait-times for immigrant petitions to be processed and visas to become available to legally come
to the United States. There are statutory ceilings that limit the number of immigrant visas issued
each year. There are also significant backlogs in processing petitions because of the high volume
of aliens eligible to immigrate to the United States and the large number eligible to become U.S.

¹⁹^{Op. c}^it.^F^o^r^al^t^e^rn^atⁱ^v^{e an}^al^y^s^es,^{see P}^e^w^Hi^sp^anⁱ^c^Cen^t^er,^Estima^t^e^s^{of the}^Uⁿ^a^u^th^oriz^e^d^Mⁱ^graⁿ^t^P^opu^lati^on^for
^State^s^bas^e^d^on^the^M^a^r^c^{h 20}⁰⁵^C^P^S^,^by^J^e^f^f^r^e^y^P^a^s^s^e^{l, A}^p^r^{il 26}^,²⁰⁰^6.
²⁰^For^f^u^r^t^he^r^aⁿ^a^l^y^s^is^{, s}^e^e^C^R^S^R^e^por^{t R}^L³²⁹^82,^I^m^mⁱ^gr^at^io^{n I}^s^s^u^e^s^{in Tr}^ade^A^g^r^e^e^m^eⁿ^ts^{, by}^{Ruth E}^lle^{n W}^a^se^m^.
²¹^For^a^s^u^m^m^a^r^y^of^this^r^e^s^e^a^r^c^h^{, s}^e^e^C^o^m^mⁱ^s^sⁱ^{on f}^o^r^the^St^udy^of^Iⁿ^te^rⁿ^a^tio^na^{l Mig}^r^a^tⁱ^{on a}ⁿ^{d C}^o^o^p^e^r^a^tiv^e^Ec^onom^ic
^D^e^v^e^lopm^eⁿ^t,^Un^au^t^h^o^rⁱ^z^ed^Mi^g^r^a^tⁱ^oⁿ^:^Aⁿ^E^c^on^o^mⁱ^c^Devel^o^p^m^eⁿ^t^R^e^s^pons^e^{, A}^ppeⁿ^d^ix^E,^J^u^ly¹⁹⁹^0.
²²^For^tr^e^ndsⁱⁿ^a^p^pr^e^h^eⁿ^sⁱ^ons^of^uⁿ^a^u^th^or^iz^e^d^a^lie^ns^{, s}^e^e^C^R^S^R^e^po^r^t^R^L³²⁵^62,^B^o^r^d^{er S}^ecu^ri^t^y^{: T}^h^{e R}^o^l^e^o^f^t^h^{e U.}^S^.
^Borde^r^Pa^trol^,^b^y^Bl^{as Nu}^ñ^ez-Net^o^.
²³^F^o^{r a}ⁿ^al^y^sⁱ^s^o^f^t^h^{e IIRIRA}^’^{s e}^f^f^e^ct^oⁿ^uⁿ^a^u^t^ho^ri^zed^alⁱ^e^{n resi}^d^eⁿ^t^s^,^{see W}^a^yⁿ^{e Co}^rn^elⁱ^u^s,^“Deat^h^at^t^h^{e Bo}^r^d^er:
^Ef^fⁱ^c^a^c^y^a^{nd U}ⁿ^inte^nde^d^C^ons^e^q^ue^nc^e^s^of^U^.^{S. I}^m^mⁱ^g^r^a^{tion C}^ontr^o^l^Polic^y^,^”^Popul^ati^{on an}^d^D^evel^o^p^m^en^t^R^evi^ew^,
^vo^l^.²⁷^,ⁿ^o^.⁴^(Decem^b^e^r²⁰⁰¹⁾^{. F}^o^r^aⁿ^aⁿ^a^l^y^s^is^of^the^r^e^duc^tio^{n i}ⁿ^una^ut^hor^iz^e^d^a^lie^{n a}^p^pr^e^h^eⁿ^sⁱ^ons^a^f^te^r^I^R^C^A^{, s}^e^e
^T^h^o^m^a^s^J.^E^s^p^eⁿ^s^h^a^d^e^,^“Und^o^c^umen^t^e^d^Mⁱ^gratⁱ^o^{n t}^o^t^h^{e U}ⁿⁱ^t^e^d^S^t^at^es:^E^vⁱ^d^en^{ce f}^r^o^m^{a Rep}^eat^ed^T^rⁱ^a^l^s^M^o^d^e^l^,^{” i}ⁿ
^U^ndoc^um^eⁿ^te^{d M}ⁱ^gr^atio^{n t}^o^t^h^e^Uⁿ^ite^d^State^s^,^b^y^F^r^an^{k D.}^Bean^,^Barr^y^Ed^m^oⁿ^s^toⁿ^,^and^Jef^f^r^e^y^P^a^{ssel (RAND}
^C^o^r^p^o^r^a^tio^{n, 19}⁹⁰⁾^.

citizens. Of the pending cases, reportedly almost 2 million are immediate relative and family ²⁴
preference petitions. Many observe that these family members sometimes risk residing without
legal status with their family in the United States while they wait for the petitions to be processed
or visas to become available.
Some observers point to more elusive factors—such as shifts in immigration enforcement
priorities away from illegal entry to removing suspected terrorists and criminal aliens, or
discussions of possible “amnesty” legislation—when they assess the increase of unauthorized
resident aliens. Others argue that border security measures enacted in recent years have not
received adequate funding to be effective against unauthorized migration, and some maintain that
state and local law enforcement officers have not been sufficiently involved in apprehending ²⁵
illegal aliens. Some would make illegal presence an aggravated felony. Still others assert that
there has not been sufficient funding and staffing for enforcement of immigration laws in the ²⁶
interior of the country. It is difficult to measure whether, or to what extent, these other
phenomena have contributed to the increase in unauthorized resident aliens.
^Ru^t^h^Elleⁿ^W^a^se^m
^Sp^{ecialist i}ⁿ^I^m^mⁱ^g^r^atioⁿ^P^o^lic^y
^r^w^as^e^m^@crs^.l^oc.g^o^v^{, 7-}⁷³⁴²

²⁴^For^aⁿ^a^l^y^s^is^o^fⁱ^m^mⁱ^g^r^a^{tion a}^d^mⁱ^s^sⁱ^ons^{, v}ⁱ^s^a^prⁱ^o^r^ity^da^te^s^,^a^nd^ba^c^k^log^s^{, s}^e^e^C^R^S^R^e^por^{t R}^L³²²³⁵^,^U.^S^.
^Immigratio^{n P}^o^lic^y^oⁿ^Pe^rmaⁿ^eⁿ^{t Admissio}ⁿ^s^,^by^{Ruth Elle}ⁿ^W^a^se^m^.
²⁵^For^a^f^u^ll^dis^c^us^sⁱ^oⁿ^of^the^s^e^is^s^u^e^s^a^{nd le}^gⁱ^s^l^a^tiv^e^opti^ons^{, s}^e^e^C^R^{S R}^e^por^t^R^L³⁴²⁰⁴^,^I^m^mⁱ^gr^a^tio^{n Le}^gis^l^ati^oⁿ^a^nd
^Issue^s^{in the}¹¹⁰^th^C^o^ng^ress^{, c}^oor^dina^te^d^by^A^ndor^r^a^B^r^un^o.
²⁶^For^a^s^u^m^m^a^r^y^of^r^e^ce^{nt f}^unding^{, s}^e^e^C^R^S^R^e^por^t^R^L³⁴⁰^04,^H^o^m^e^land^Se^c^u^r^ity^D^e^p^a^r^t^m^e^nt:^F^Y²⁰⁰⁸
^Appr^o^p^rⁱ^a^tio^ns^,^by^J^e^nnif^e^{r E. L}^a^k^e^e^t^a^l^.