Over the past two-hundred and fifty years, the U.S. absorbed more that one hundred million people from abroad. According to the New the York Times, people born abroad make up a higher proportion of the country’s population than ever before. Concerning the make-up of the immigrant population of the U.S., government policy plays a deciding role.
Important Points
The New York Times complied information on the origins and backgrounds of the U.S.’ past and present populations based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. What they found wasn’t surprising. The U.S. has a long history of immigration. While the U.S. always saw a steady stream of incoming immigrants, the primary sources differed over time. For example:
- Europeans made up eighty percent of immigrants to the U.S. in 1940. They accounted for ten percent of all immigrants in 2024.
- Immigration from Asia and across the America, while always present, saw a forty percent increase between 1960 and 2024.
- Since 1980, immigrants from other countries in the Americas (excluding Canada) made up the largest proportion of the immigrant population.
- Most immigration from the Middle East and North African happened after 1970.
- Immigrants made up at least five percent of the U.S. population since 1850. They currently make up fifteen percent of the population.
Impact of Policies
U.S. government policies always impacted immigration trends. For example, U.S. immigration operated on a quota system between 1920 and 1965. This period saw the lowest immigrant population in the country’s history. That changed starting in the late 60s, when employment and family ties became the main vector of immigration. The immigration rate from Latin America and Asia rose by thirty-five percent between 1965 and 2000. This system remains in place today.
Over the past eighteen months, the U.S. government adopted increasingly strict immigration enforcement policies. According to the New York Times, these policies might cause a net negative in immigration. Additionally, these policies jump-started a population decline that wasn’t expected for the U.S. until the late twenty-first century.
As always, ILBSG actively monitors ongoing U.S. immigration news. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration related issue, contact us. Working with an experienced attorney ensures you get the right advice based on the most recent laws. In an ever-evolving immigration policy landscape, it’s particularly critical you get the right advice.