New Delhi
29 August 2006
The United States Department of Homeland Security has named
India as the fourth leading source country for illegal immigrants. India, which accounted
for 2.8 lakh illegal immigrants in 2005, is the only South Asian nation in the Top 10 list of
countries identified in a report released this month.
The dubious distinction comes in the wake of a June report by the US Department of
State on trafficking in persons, which placed India in the "Tier 2 Watch List". New Delhi
had responded then by suggesting that "such reports are by their very nature based on
US viewpoints and preconceptions."
The latest report was released on August 18. It puts the estimated number of illegal
immigrants at 1.1 crore (11 million) at the start of 2006. The report was prepared by the
Office of Immigration Statistics in the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (now
renamed Immigration and Naturalisation Service).
The report reads, "Mexico was the leading source country for unauthorised immigration
with nearly 60 lakh (six million) residents in the US in 2005. El Salvador, Gautemala,
India and China were the next leading source countries, accounting for a combined total
of nearly 14 lakh (1.4 million) unauthorised immigrants."
The report also says the annual average increase in the unauthorised population among
the 10 leading source countries from 2000 to 2005 was greatest among Mexican
immigrants (2.6 lakh) but the greatest percentage increase in the unauthorised immigrant
population from 2000 to 2005 occurred among immigrants from India (133 per cent).
"Although immigration from Mexico continues to dominate unauthorised population
growth, the greatest percentage increases during 2000-2005 were aming immigrants
from India (133 per cent) and Brazil (70 per cent)," reads the seven-page report titled
"Population Estimates August 2006".
The report adds that there were an estimated 10.5 million unauthorised immigrants
residing in the US in January 2005 compared to 8.5 million in January 2000. During the
2000-2004 period, the unauthorised resident population grew at an annual average of
4.08 lakh.
The report on illegal immigration comes at a time when a nationwide debate in raging in
the US over immigration policy. US President George Bush supports a comprehensive
reform to "fix the problems created by illegal immigration" and has called for measures
like holding employers to account for the workers they hire.
// TABLE //
COUNTRY OF BIRTH OF THE UNAUTHORISED IMMIGRANT POPULATION: JANUARY
2005 AND 2000 (in lakh)
(Country of birth, Estimated population in January 2005, Estimated population in January 2000, Per cent change from 2000 to 2005)
Mexico, 59.7 lakh, 46.8 lakh, 28
El Salvador, 4.7 lakh, 4.3 lakh, 9
Gautemala, 3.7 lakh, 2.9 lakh, 28
India, 2.8 lakh, 1.2 lakh, 133
China, 2.3 lakh, 1.9 lakh, 21
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