Undocumented Immigrant Population Surged to 15.8 Million in 2024

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) recently released a report that recorded the growth of undocumented aliens in the US. According to the research, the immigrant population surged by the first half of 2024 but then the numbers started going down.

MPI’s report titled “Following Years of High Border Arrivals, the U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Hits New Peak,” estimated that undocumented populations “reached a new peak of 15.8 million as of mid-2024, after holding steady at around 11 million throughout the 2010s.” What should come to no surprise to anyone, “This increase was driven largely by record border arrivals and expanded Biden-era humanitarian parole programs.”

By the Numbers

The illegal immigrant population hovered for years around 11 million, according to the report. However, that stability was based on several factors such as between 2010 and 2019 “MPI estimates that nearly 6.1 million people crossed a border illegally or overstayed a visa, while 5.7 million unauthorized immigrants died, emigrated, or, less commonly, obtained legal status – resulting in a net increase of just 394,000 over that period.

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According to Stateline, in 2024, California had the largest undocumented immigrant population with 2.6 million, Texas had 2.3 million, Florida was at 1.4 million, and New York came in at 920,000. Others included New Jersey (703,000), Illinois (583,000), Georgia (502,000), North Carolina (460,000), Washington state (367,000), and Virginia (342,000).

It’s important to note that those counted in this study are not necessarily in the US illegally. They can be legal immigrants on visas who are waiting to obtain citizenships, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients (DACA), those with temporary protection status (TPS), as well as illegal immigrants.

Also, MPI warns that getting an accurate number is difficult because some immigrants avoid government officials and don’t want to answer any questions for fear of being deported.

The Immigrant Population

For decades, the immigrant population was dominated by Mexican nationals, but the analysis found that their share fell to just 35% in 2024. Although Mexico continues to be the top origin country, it is nothing compared to the 1980s and 1990s when 62% of immigrants came from that country. Now, the US is seeing more illegal aliens coming from Central America, “a change driven primarily by migration from Honduras and Guatemala,” the report stated.

Between 2019 and 2024, the Central American population in the US increased by 2.3 million while the South American population increased by 1.3 million, most from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. According to the MPI report:

“Increases were also driven by Biden administration policies that allowed most border migrants who reached U.S. soil to stay in the United States pending the outcome of removal proceedings in immigration court. Growth was further driven by the creation of new humanitarian parole programs that allowed legal entry and temporary stay for migrants from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, as well as those from all around the world who reached northern Mexico and made appointments via the CBP One app to be screened for entry. And growth also came from sizable numbers of Europeans and others who overstayed their temporary visa.”

One administration expanded humanitarian programs and saw the undocumented population reach record highs. Another tightened enforcement, and the estimates began to fall. If nothing else, the report shows that border policy isn't just political rhetoric. It has real-world consequences that eventually show up in the numbers.