US illegal immigrants hit 14 mn in 2023, India among top source nations

US illegal immigrants: Pew Research says 14 million live in US illegally, with India among key source countries

The number of people living in the United States illegally surged to a record 14 million in 2023, with Guatemala, India among the countries contributing most to the rise, according to new estimates released on Thursday. The Pew Research Centre said the figure was up from 11.8 million a year earlier and surpassed the previous high of 12.2 million in 2007.

 

List of Countries with the largest unauthorised immigrant populations in the US in 2023 were:

Mexico (4.3 million)

Guatemala (850,000)

El Salvador (850,000)

Honduras (775,000)

India (680,000)

 

What states do unauthorised immigrants live in?

  The six states with the largest unauthorised immigrant populations in 2023 were:

 

 

California (2.3 million)

Texas (2.1 million)

Florida (1.6 million)

New York (825,000)

New Jersey (600,000)

Illinois (550,000)

 

India among countries driving record US illegal immigration surge

 

Pew, whose estimates date back to 1990, found that nearly all the increase came from countries other than Mexico. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and India accounted for the largest numbers, while totals from Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Ukraine and Peru more than doubled in two years.

 

India ready to take back nationals from United States

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the issue of undocumented citizens on American soil on February 13, 2025, saying India was willing to take back its nationals.

 

“So far, 1,703 Indian nationals have come back or [been] deported from the United States since January,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs earlier this month. He added that around 62 per cent returned on commercial flights.

 

Pew research shows 14 million living illegally in US in 2023

 

While Pew’s latest full analysis covered 2023, it said preliminary findings show numbers rose again in 2024, though at a slower rate after then-President Joe Biden imposed tough asylum restrictions at the border in June of that year. The number dropped this year under President Donald Trump but is still likely above 14 million.

 

Numbers rose under Biden, dipped after Trump returned

 

The overall immigrant population in the US, regardless of legal status, reached more than 53 million in January 2025, accounting for a record 15.8 per cent of the country’s population. Pew noted this has since fallen, which would mark the first decline since the 1960s.

 

Competing estimates from Trump, FAIR and CIS add to debate

 

The debate has drawn competing estimates from different groups. Trump told Congress in March that 21 million people had “poured into the United States” over the previous four years, far above Pew’s figure and border arrest data. The Federation for American Immigration Reform put the number at 18.6 million in March, while the Centre for Immigration Studies reported 14.2 million last month, down from a peak of 15.8 million in January.

 

Homeland Security and migration surveys show different counts

 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem welcomed the recent fall, saying in a press release last week, “This is massive.” Her department’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics had estimated 11 million people in the US illegally in 2022, while the Centre for Migration Studies recorded 12.2 million that year.

 

Biden-era policies on asylum and permits reversed under Trump

 

Pew’s findings are based on US Census Bureau surveys and Department of Homeland Security data. They reflect both an increase in people crossing the border illegally to claim asylum and Biden-era policies granting temporary legal status through measures such as the CBP One border appointment system and permits for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.

 

Trump has since ended those policies and moved to reverse Biden’s expansion of Temporary Protected Status for people already in the US whose countries were deemed unsafe to return to.

 

Mexicans still largest group but growth from other nations higher

 

Mexicans remain the largest group in the country illegally, with their numbers rising slightly to 4.3 million in 2023. But the sharper increase came from other countries, totalling 9.7 million, up from 6.4 million two years earlier.

 

Texas catches up with California in illegal immigrant population

 

California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois continued to have the largest populations without legal status, though Texas has narrowed its gap with California. Six states, including Arizona, California and New York, still recorded fewer people in 2023 than during the 2007 peak.

 

Record 9.7 million without legal status in US workforce in 2023

 

Pew also estimated that a record 9.7 million people without legal status were part of the workforce in 2023, accounting for 5.6 per cent of the US labour force. Nevada, Florida, New Jersey and Texas had the highest shares.