by Elizabeth Glass
Border patrol agents arrest undocumented immigrants.
Undocumented immigration into the United States decreased substantially between 2007 Released Jan. 9, it estimated the number of persons in this country without papers last year at 10.8 million, down from 11.8 million in 2007.
That coincided with the start of this country’s recession.
The drop takes into account both a reduction in newcomers and those who departed for lack of work.
Differing views are put forth as to whether the decrease will benefit or hinder efforts to advance an immigration reform bill through Congress.
Advocates for greater border enforcement and a freeze on legal quotas see the drop as an indicator that the problem can be resolved without letting persons who crossed the U.S. border without documents remain here.
Latino and other humanitarian advocates point to the contributions these immigrants make and warn of the harsh impact on families, businesses, established communities and our society in general that would result by forcing their departure.
For more information on the report, visit http//www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois_ill_pe_2009.pdf.
