Report: 65,000 fewer undocumented immigrants in Arizona in past six years
Jan 21, 2016, 11:57 AM
(AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
(AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
PHOENIX — There was a drop of 65,000 undocumented immigrants in Arizona between 2008 and 2014, a report said.
The Journal on Migration and Human Study said its report shows the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States is actually falling, despite popular perception and conversations leaning toward a burgeoning number.
While some may attribute the drop to Arizona passing Senate Bill 1070, a controversial anti-illegal immigration measure, the report’s numbers refute that claim. Instead, it said the downward trend in the number of undocumented immigrants in the state began before the law’s passage.
Numbers in Georgia, which passed a similar law, reflected the same downward trend.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also took steps to block all refugees from entering the state last year, but 2015 figures were not included in the report.
The report said Arizona saw a drop of 22,000 undocumented Mexican immigrants between 2010 and 2014. The 8 percent drop was near that of the national average, which was 9 percent.
Interestingly, as the number of undocumented immigrants in Arizona dropped, the number of naturalized citizens increased. Between 2008 and 2014, the number of naturalized citizens jumped from 280,000 to 356,000, an increase of 30 percent.
Although the report did not give a theory as to why the number of naturalized citizens rose, it did hint that it may “portend future political changes.”
