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Myths and Facts of Immigration(Prepared by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Adapted from material from the Applied Research Center)
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| 1 | What percent of the world's immigrants come to the United States? | A.
over 35% B. 22% C. 15% D. less than 2% |
| 2 | In 1910, the U.S. population was 15% foreign born. In 1998, the foreign-born percentage of the population was: | A.
1.4% B. 9.7% C. 17.6% D. 22.3% |
| 3 | What percent of undocumented immigrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border? | A.
90% B. 75% C. 40% D. 15% |
| 4 | What percentage of native-born U.S. citizens fall below the poverty line as compared to immigrant non-citizens? | A.
Native-born citizens: 32.1%, immigrant non-citizens: 15.7% B. Native-born citizens: 16.7%, immigrant non-citizens: 18.3% C. Native-born citizens: 12.9%, immigrant non-citizens: 26.8% D. Native-born citizens: 8.5%, immigrant non-citizens: 33.1% |
| 5 | The United States admits the most refugees from: | A.
Vietnam B. Cuba C. El Salvador D. (former) Soviet Union |
| 6 | Which of the following steps has the INS taken to deter immigration at the border and at other checkpoints: |
A. Received
$3.8 billion in funding, a 153% increase in the past 5 years |
| 7 | The total population of the United States is more than 266 million people. According to INS estimates, how many immigrants (documented and undocumented), enter the United States every year? | A.
75.3 million new immigrants a year B. 46.8 million new immigrants a year C. 12.5 million new immigrants a year D. 1.2 million new immigrants a year |
| 8 | New legislation reduces total government spending on welfare by $53.4 billion over the next 6 years. What percentage of these cuts came from eliminating benefits to immigrants? | A.
95%, or $50.7 billion in cuts to immigrants B. 44%, or $23.7 billion in cuts to immigrants C. 20%, or $11.2 billion in cuts to immigrants D. 1%, or $1.1 billion in cuts to immigrants |
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1.
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D
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Of the approximately 125 million migrants in the world today, the U.S. admitted 915,900 documented immigrants in 1996. INS estimates hold that undocumented immigration to the United States is approximately 275,000 a year, making the total less than 2%. Contrary to popular belief, not all of the world's migrants are coming - or even want to come -- to the U.S. Most migration flows exist between neighboring countries (Central Americans to Mexico), between former colonies and colonial powers (Algerians to France), or between countries with high unemployment or political instability and their economically powerful neighbors in the region (Indonesians to Singapore). (Migration World, 1996, "Immigration to the United States in Fiscal Year 1996," INS, April, 1997, and INS, June, 1998) |
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2.
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B
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U.S. Census Bureau statistics report that out of approximately 267 million people, 25.8 million were born outside the U.S. (Poverty and Race, March/April 1995, US Census Bureau, April, 1998). |
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3.
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C
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Only about four out of ten undocumented migrants cross the Southern border, but 85% of all border enforcement personnel is located on that border. About 60% of all undocumented immigrants enter the country legally and then overstay their visas. (Michael Fix and Jeffrey Passel, "Immigration and Immigrants, Setting the Record Straight," Washington D.C., the Urban Institute, 1994) |
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4.
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C
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The US Census reported that 12.9% of native-born citizens (36.5 million people) and 26.8% of immigrant non-citizens (4.5 million people) live below the poverty line. This does not account for the 30% of Americans who at some point live in poverty. (US Census Bureau, April, 1998, San Francisco Examiner, August 10, 1998). |
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5.
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D
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In 1998, the U.S. allowed 32,906 refugees from the Soviet Union to enter, followed by 14,654 from Bosnia-Herzegovina, 8,566 from Vietnam, 8,175 from Somalia, and 2,6,72 from Iraq. (INS Statistics, last modified June 22, 1988) |
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6.
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A, B, and C
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The U.S. Department of Justice announced in March, 1998, that efforts to deter undocumented immigration would be financed by $3.8 billion. (U.S. Department of Justice, 3/10/98) |
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7.
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D
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According to INS estimates, less than 1.2 million people immigrated to the US in 1996. These numbers are calculated with the actual number of documented immigrants (915,900) and INS estimates of undocumented immigrants per year (275,000). INS estimates for undocumented immigration, however, have been criticized as their projections for undocumented immigration has grossly overestimated actual growth in the past. These estimates are also based on the number of undocumented immigrants apprehended, which is not a reliable indicator due to the increase in INS enforcement rather than the increase in actual immigration. (US Census Bureau, April, 1998, and INS Statistics, "Immigration to the United States in Fiscal Year 1996, INS Statistics, April 1997, INS Statistics, "Illegal Alien Resident Population," June 1998.) |
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8.
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B
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Before 1996, approximately 5% of immigrants used public benefits, a figure equivalent to usage by US born citizens. The Congressional Budget Office estimated federal cost savings from reducing coverage for immigrants with legal status at $23.7 billion, over 44% of the total $53.4 billion cuts in the welfare bill. (Wheeler and Bernstein, National Immigration Law Center, February 1997, citing Congressional Budget Office, 1996, and Fix and Zimmerman, Urban Institute, 1995). |