Illegal Immigrant Population Increases More Than 1 Million in Last Year
Number fell 2019 to 2021, is now back to pre-pandemic level

Washington, D.C. (March 29, 2022) -An analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies of the government’s monthly “household survey” finds that the illegal immigrant population was 11.4 million in January of 2022 — a 1.1 million increase over January 2021 when President Biden took office and the on-going border surge began.  The Center’s preliminary population estimate for February 2022 is 11.5 million.  Analysis of the survey also shows that the total foreign-born population (legal and illegal together) hit a new record high of 46.7 million in February of this year.  

DHS’s illegal population data is dated – the latest analysis estimated the numbers for 2018 - partly because they, and other researchers, rely on survey data that takes a long time to be released.  By using the monthly household survey, the Center has been able to produce up-to-date estimates that reflect current conditions.

“The number of illegal immigrants grew dramatically this past year as the result of Biden administration policies which released most of the people encountered at the border and stopped  most interior enforcement,” said Dr. Steven Camarota, the Center’s director of research and the report’s lead author.  He added, “Absent a change in policy it seems certain the illegal immigrant population will continue to grow rapidly.”    

Among the findings:

• We estimate that in January of 2022 there were 11.4 million illegal immigrants in the country — more than a 1 million increase over the 10.2 million in January of 2021.  Our preliminary estimate for February of this year is 11.5 million. 
• The 10.2 million in January 2021 represented a significant decline from the 11.5 million illegal immigrants we estimate for January of 2019.
• Overall we find that the illegal population in January and February of 2022 is similar to the number in January 2019.
• The statistical margin of error in our illegal immigrant estimates in 2022 is ± 270,000, assuming a 90 percent confidence level.  However, as with any estimate of illegal immigrants there is also non-statistical error in our numbers. 
• The monthly CPS also shows that the total foreign born population (legal and illegal together) grew to 46.7 million in February of 2022, a new record high in American history and an increase of 1.7 million since January of 2021.
• Illegal immigrants account for more than one million or about two-thirds of the increase in the total foreign born since January of 2021. 
• To place the 1.7 million growth in the total foreign-born population (legal and illegal) in the last 13 months in perspective, in the 48 months of the Trump presidency (January of 2017 to December 2020) the total foreign born increased 1.5 million.
• For the illegal immigrant population or the foreign-born population in general to grow, new arrivals must exceed emigration and deaths. Births to the foreign born, legal or illegal, in the U.S. do not add to the illegal immigrant population or the overall foreign-born — all children born in the U.S. are by definition native-born.

 
This analysis represents our first attempt to estimate the illegal immigrant population, also referred to as the unauthorized or undocumented, using the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) or “household survey”. The estimated size and growth of the illegal immigrant population are important because, unlike border apprehension figures, the number of illegal immigrants living in the country is what ultimately determines their impact.