Now that 2013 has come to a close, we would like to look back at some of the key immigration facts and highlights of the past year.

  • The estimated number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States today is 11 million.
  •  In 2013, 11 states passed legislation that allows the undocumented to legally drive. Those states are California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Maryland, Vermont, Colorado, and Connecticut — and the District of Columbia
  • Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon also passed laws in 2013 that permit in-state tuition for undocumented students.
  • At least 455,000 undocumented immigrants under the age of 31 were granted work authorization and temporary relief from deportation in 2013 from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which began in 2012.  Read more here.
  • A Pew research study released last year found that the use of the term “illegal alien” has declined noticeably. Newspapers such as the New York Times, the Associated Press, and the Los Angeles Times have begun to use the term “undocumented immigrant” instead.
  • In June of 2013, the United States Senate passed a bill that would allow the nation’s 12 million undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship. The bill stalled in Congress in November, but may be reintroduced in early 2014.
  • In July of 2013, the United States Supreme Court struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which blocked federal recognition of same sex marriages. Married same sex couples are now recognized as having immigration rights, among many other rights.  Read more here.
  • In November of 2013, President Obama issued the parole in place policy. This policy allows undocumented immigrants who have U.S. military family members the right to stay in the United States in order to obtain lawful status.  Read more here.
  • According to Time Magazine, U.S. border patrol made more than 409,000 arrests at the border during the 2013 budget year.
  • The US government deported about 369,000 immigrants during 2013, according to new statistics from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released last month. Of this number, ICE apprehended and deported 110,115 individuals with a crime conviction from within the country and another 106,695 at the border while attempting to unlawfully enter or re-enter the United States.

If you are seeking to enter the U.S. for business or personal reasons, we hope you will consider our law firm to assist you.  Schedule a consultation to speak with one of our Immigration Attorneys today!