President-elect Donald Trump plans a mass deportation campaign targeting millions of immigrants living who are in U.S. illegally or with temporary protections once he takes office on January 20. This has become a challenging initiative and could eventually disrupt families and impact U.S. businesses.
At the start of 2022, approximately 11 million immigrants were in the U.S. without legal status. This number is likely grown to 13-14 million. Those with temporary protections are not immediately deportable, and many live in “sanctuary” states, which limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
California has the largest population of immigrants without legal status. About 2.2 million during the year 2022. Texas followed closely behind with 1.8 million, while Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois also had significant populations. These states, especially California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois, are Democratic strongholds and have “sanctuary” laws that limit cooperation with federal authorities. Whereas around 44% of immigrants without legal status live in sanctuary states in 2022. This figure doesn’t include sanctuary cities and counties in non-sanctuary states like New Mexico.
Most immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are apprehended for crossing the border illegally or are referred from state and local prisons. In sanctuary states, local law enforcement typically doesn’t notify ICE when they detain or release immigrants eligible for deportation.
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During 2022, nearly half of the immigrants in the U.S. cross the borders through illegal means from Mexico. This totals around 4.8 million out of the 11 million overall. Other significant countries of origin include Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Since January 2022, around 2 million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were either apprehended crossing illegally or allowed entry under Biden-era humanitarian programs. Trump has vowed to end these programs, which include one allowing migrants to use an app for legal entry and another for migrants with U.S. sponsors.
Most immigrants in the U.S. fall under the working age, between 18 and 54. About 8.7 million of the 11 million fall into this group. The agricultural industry relies heavily on these workers, with some estimates suggests that up to 1 million unauthorized immigrants work in agriculture sector. Farm groups have urged Trump to spare these workers, as their removal could disrupt the U.S. food supply chain.
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According to a 2022 report, 54% of immigrants in the U.S. illegally had been in the country for over 10 years. About 25% had been in the country for less than five years.
In 2022, estimates suggested there were about 11 million immigrants in the U.S. without legal status or with temporary protections. Since then, some 5 million more may have entered the country without legal status or under temporary humanitarian status.
