Seven Facts on Immigration that Every American Should Know (2025)

Data-driven research affirms the essential role that immigrants—regardless of legal status—play in strengthening the U.S. economy, enriching communities, and contributing to the nation’s workforce. Immigrants pay billions in taxes, support vital programs like Social Security, and help drive innovation, care work, and small business development. Policies that target immigrants for removal often result in widespread harm—separating families, disrupting local economies, and undermining community stability. At the same time, a clear majority of Americans support inclusive immigration policies, including pathways to citizenship, recognizing that our shared future is more secure when rooted in dignity, opportunity, and fairness. Read on for seven key facts about immigration that every American should know.

1. Undocumented immigrant arrivals to the U.S. have fallen sharply since 2023, undermining claims about the rate of undocumented immigration and Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S. -Mexico Border.

Trump’s claims about high undocumented migration is contradicted by the facts: border crossings have plummeted since late 2023. This decline started during the end of Biden’s term and well before Trump was elected (see graph below) and after the launch of the CBP One app in 2023, an online portal where migrants can schedule appointments at ports of entry to apply for asylum. The CBP One app was largely responsible for a reduction of border crossings and apprehensions, where the application created a streamlined online queue for asylum and refugee seekers. However, the Trump administration has eliminated this legal pathway process, which experts warn could increase the number of unauthorized crossings at the U.S. border.

2. A growing share of “undocumented” immigrants came through legal channels and are waiting for a determination on their visa applications.

A growing number of undocumented immigrants have authorization to work and reside in the U.S. and, under current law, are protected from deportation removal. Immigrants who arrived through humanitarian pathways–like Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or asylum–make up 30 percent of the undocumented population as of 2022. These immigrants seeking humanitarian relief are counted in most undocumented estimates because they could be subject to deportation if humanitarian channels of entry are ended. 

3. Sixty-six percent of undocumented immigrants have lived in the U.S. for over a decade, making them deeply rooted in American communities which means that mass deportations will have severe, destabilizing effects on families, labor markets, and local economies.

According to USC ERI’s California Immigrant Data Portal, 69% of undocumented Californians have been living in the country for at least a decade. This means that many undocumented people are strongly linked to American citizens and families, with deep long-settled roots connecting them to schools, jobs, and our communities. 

Nationwide, 22 million people live in households with an undocumented immigrant. As of 2022,  approximately 4.4 million U.S.-born children live in a mixed-status household with an undocumented parent. Of the 22 million people in households with an unauthorized immigrant, 11 million are U.S. born or lawful immigrants. 

In California, 2.5 million immigrants were undocumented. In 2021, 20% of all individuals under 18 in California were living in mixed-status families, meaning they were undocumented themselves or living with someone who was.

Overall, mass detention and deportations will have devastating negative impacts on families and communities. Decades of studies highlight the negative social and economic consequences of family separations–like the decline of dual-income households, an increase in the children entering the U.S. foster-care system, and increased fear and isolation among mixed-status families leading to anxiety, mental health effects, and long-term health consequences for immigrants and U.S.-citizens. 

4. Mass deportations will have devastating economic consequences for our economy at the local, state, and national level, including for Medicare and Social Security. 

According to recent estimates by the American Immigration Council, mass deportation will cost an average of $88 billion dollars annually, totalling over $350 billion over four years. 

Currently, for every 1 million undocumented immigrants who reside in the country, public services receive $8.9 billion in additional tax revenue. On the flip side, for every 1 million undocumented immigrants who are deported, public services stand to lose $8.9 billion in tax revenue.

In California in 2022, Undocumented people paid nearly $8.5 billion in state and local taxes, according to estimates from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (See graph below). A study by the American Immigration Council found that immigrants paid a grand total of 579.1 billion taxes in the fiscal year 2022. Among immigrants, households led by undocumented immigrants paid $75.6B in taxes in 2022.  Thus, immigrants are a critical segment of the US tax base and are critical for maintaining the solvency of programs like Social Security and Medicare.

5. Immigration is associated with lower crime rates in communities and cities, and immigrants are less likely to commit crimes compared to the native-born citizens.

A solid body of evidence demonstrates that increased immigration–both legal and undocumented–is associated with lower crime rates, both for individuals and for communities. According to Stanford economist Ran Abramitzky and colleagues, immigrants are 60 percent less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born citizens. Furthermore, numerous studies show  that sanctuary cities–where local governments   limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) –tend to have lower crime rates. These policies foster trust with immigrant communities, making residents more likely to report crimes and engage with local public safety services, regardless of immigration status. 

6. Immigrants use public benefits and government assistance programs at lower rates than native-born citizens. Undocumented immigrants largely cannot access federal safety net programs.

Undocumented immigrants are largely ineligible for all federal assistance programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and food assistance. Qualifying legal permanent residents (also known as green-card holders) who have resided in the US for more than 5-years and naturalized citizens underutilized these programs compared to U.S.-born citizens.

7. Americans overwhelmingly acknowledge immigrants’ vital economic role, back pathways to citizenship, and stand against mass deportations.

A 2024 Pew Research Study examining the public’s attitudes towards immigration after the 2024 election found that 75 percent of voters believe undocumented immigrants fill important jobs that citizens don’t want. 61 percent of voters shared the same sentiment towards legal immigrants. 

This same study reported that a majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants under certain conditions. Overall, 76 percent of Americans support maintaining or increasing current immigration levels. 

Key Takeaways

In all, data and research provide critical insights for current debates. First, the majority of Americans support immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Second, mass deportations will devastate families, weaken our communities, and have significant negative impacts on our economy and the solvency of critical programs like Medicare and Social Security. Third, a large body of research demonstrates an inverse relationship between both immigration, crime, and welfare spending. Finally, data shows that undocumented migration has been decreasing since late 2023.  Given the scope of immigrants’ contributions to the United States, these facts are critical for all Americans to know.

Data Sources

• USC ERI California Immigrant Data Portal : a resource and progress tracker for immigrants and those serving immigrant communities across the state of California. This portal presents data and case studies that can be used to better understand and promote the well-being of immigrants, their families, and their communities.
  
• USC ERI State of Immigrants in Los Angeles County: The annual release of the State of Immigrants in Los Angeles County (SOILA) report by the USC Equity Research Institute (previously CSII) unveils and examines data on how immigrants in LA County are faring to refocus the attention on how key players in Los Angeles and beyond can continue advancing a just and inclusive pro-immigrant agenda.
• Migration Policy Institute Data Hub: Features state level, U.S and international data on immigration trends, DACA, and the estimates on the undocumented population.
  
• Pew Research Center: A resource for attitudes about immigration and immigrant integration, as well as key facts and profiles about different immigrant groups and those with different legal statuses.
• California Budget and Policy Center: Fact sheet on undocumented Californian’s tax contributions